Hi everyone, congratulations! You probably know me as the girl who sends you an email every week telling you to purchase your senior savings card or to order your regalia. I had so much fun being the head of communications for our class, and it feels right to have our final senior communication here at commencement.
I want everyone to look around and see who you're sitting next to. We are officially Ithaca College Alumni…you know what that means, right?
We now get 10% off at the campus store!
No, but seriously, congratulations. We just graduated college. No matter what you studied, or where you end up using that degree, this is your built-in network and support system that doesn’t just end when we cross this stage and shake those hands. Ithaca truly is forever.
But today is not just about graduating and getting the heck out of here, I want all of us to reminisce about Ithaca, before all of it—our peers, our professors, our community—is no longer at our fingertips.
I owe a lot to Ithaca College. If it was not for this school, I would not have been able to discover who I am. Just like many of you, I was able to find my best friends here, my passions here, and most importantly—I found my future here.
2023 Student Speaker
"If it was not for this school, I would not have been able to discover who I am. Just like many of you, I was able to find my best friends here, my passions here, and most importantly—I found my future here."
I have met some of the most interesting and talented people here at IC. I mean how couldn’t you—we have one of the top music, theatre, and dance schools, we have one of the top communications schools, we have a top business school, top PT & OT programs, and obviously humanities and sciences. Imean the list just goes on and on.
How could you not meet great people when there are just so many great things happening around you? Ithaca is probably the only place where you can see a Broadway level production on campus one day, and then watch the football team take home the Liberty League the next.
When I came to Ithaca, I was absolutely terrified.
I visited once, and I visited in February, so naturally a snow storm was happening, you could barely drive so we had to walk up South Aurora just to tour the school, and I still came here.
I didn’t know my roommate, Jade Rynar, at all. Who has now been my roommate for four years. We met up once, and the only time we ever texted prior to move-in was to figure out who was bringing the mini fridge and who was bringing the microwave.
I did a JumpStart program. I know a bunch of you did that too, and then we had one full week of orientation. What other school gives students a full week of orientation? We all got to spend the week finding new friends, not having to worry about our first college level courses that would be starting on Monday.And now as we stand here, basking in this final moment of college, I want nothing more than to go back and do it all again.
How was Midnight Madness four years ago?
What I would give to wait in that long line next to the campus store to pick up my packages again. What would I give to hear the words “Want to see some magic?” one more time.
- I want to be waking up at 7:30 a.m. registering for next semester’s classes, CRN’s at the ready.
- It feels like just yesterday I was evacuating West Tower because somebody burned their mac ‘n cheese in the microwave.
- I’m going to miss the backbar at Moonies, house shows, drag nights at the Range, and parties at the Putti.
- We will never be able to just get a group together to go sledding, and we sure won’t be able to go to the gorges whenever we please.
- I’m going to miss getting every single meal at Campus Center. Like what now? I’m gonna have to cook for myself?
Despite COVID, throughout our time here at Ithaca we have had endless opportunities and endless exposure to cool stuff. This year alone:
- My roommate came home with an arm cast she made in class.
- We got to watch our Football team play at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium! What other school does that?
- I’ve been to like five Hillel events and I’m not even Jewish.
- I went to my first and last Kendall Day.
- I got to see many of you present research at the Whalen Symposium.
- The women’s soccer team also took home the Liberty League for the first time ever.
- And, thanks to our endless on-campus resources like PPECs, I got to see the making of an incredible senior thesis film.
Yeah, we missed out on some time here on South Hill, but I like to think that is what made the time we did have here, much more valuable.
Try not to forget this place. Remember the sunsets from Circle’s apartments, remember the new friends you made studying abroad, remember the old friends you lost touch with. All the ups and downs that happened here have shaped us into who we are now—college grads.
Be proud of yourselves for getting here today. Four years of hard work, and let’s be honest—a bit of laziness and some fun—went into this one day. Enjoy it to its fullest, there won’t be another one for many of us!
I can’t wait to see where your degree takes you. I look forward to reuniting with many of you at the Cortaca’s to come, or just getting updates on your life through LinkedIn.
But, as one door closes, another one opens.
Here’s to our future. Here is to the Ithaca College Class of 2023. Ithaca Forever!