Cushing Academy 141st Commencement Address
Cushing Academy 141st Commencement Address May 28, 2016 Chris Torino, Headmaster
Good morning, and welcome all to Cushing Academy’s beautiful, 141st commencement. On this 28th day of May 2016, welcome faculty, staff, alumni, parents, family, and friends. Welcome to the Classes of 2017, ’18, and ’19. Welcome and thank you to our Board President Mr. Richard Harrington, and all of our Trustees and Trustees Emeriti for their outstanding leadership of the Academy. Most importantly, welcome and congratulations to this group of Senior Penguins seated before us today—the Class of 2016. Thank you, everyone, for joining us in Ashburnham to celebrate our Seniors and all that we have accomplished together. And thank you to the many who played a role in making today possible—from the preparation of this ceremony, this tent, the gorgeous Cushing grounds, the food, and the thousands of other moving pieces. 151 years ago, Thomas Parkman Cushing wrote in his Will: “I am particularly desirous of using a portion of the estate with which God had blessed me for the promotion of so important an object as that of improving the education and thus of strengthening and enlarging the minds of the rising and of future generations.” It is the greatest honor to be charged with presenting you Seniors your Cushing Academy diplomas. You are the embodiment of Thomas Parkman Cushing’s vision and legacy. In looking back on our beginning this year—to convocation here on this very common nine months ago—you’ll recall that Ms. Julia Ohm and your student-‐body President Constantine Leung offered their reflections on Cushing and making the most of the new school year. Well, that school year is nearly over—with only exams remaining for underclassmen, and only minutes remaining for you Seniors. Ceremonies and rituals are important, and this one especially so, because it provides us with a moment of and for reflection—for pausing and truly feeling the significance of the moment—of the process, of your work, and of your achievement. This commencement ceremony—our annual rite of passage—celebrates both closure and introduction, closure to your Cushing experience and an introduction to lives beyond our campus. A fitting way to describe today's commencement celebration comes from novelist Henry Miller, who said that: “One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Each member of Cushing's class of 2016—each of you, whether you've been with us for one, two, three, or four years—has developed, grown, and learned “a new way of seeing
Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
1
things.” Your teachers, friends, dorm faculty, and more have challenged and supported you to see yourself and the world around, to engage in a diversity of experiences, and to come to “a new way of seeing things.” Last year, my graduation remarks were primarily comprised of words from our amazing faculty—descriptions that the faculty shared with me about how last year's Seniors had demonstrated the impressive and diverse ways in which they were curious, creative, and confident learners and leaders. I loved compiling and reading those stories from our faculty. This year, however, consistent with Cushing's mission that we "exist for students," consistent with being powerfully student-‐centered and our daily work to create learning and achievement that is student-‐driven, I have decided to keep my words at a minimum and build student voices to a maximum. To that end, I want to turn the podium over to three students. I've asked three graduating seniors to share a bit about their Cushing experience—from their own perspective and in their own words. Each experience is simultaneously unique and shared, but I trust that each of you Seniors will hear echoes of your own lives here in the words of your classmates. I'd like now to call to the stage to join me three members of the Class of 2016—with their student voices loud and clear—to body to our opening commencement address: please join me in welcoming to the stage: Rachel Zhu, Ethan Roswell, and Caroline Mattoon. * * * * * Rachel Zhu ’16 Commencement Speech 2016 Thank you, Mr. Torino. Good morning, students, parents, faculty, alumni, and, of course, my fellow Class of 2016. I’m here to remind you of and also to celebrate your first big attainment in life. Future college students, today is history. Today will be remembered by you, your family, and your Facebook page. It is a period at the end of a sentence. It is the peak of Mt. Wachusett on annual mountain day. Let me ask you, in striving to reach the top, have you ever lost yourself among the trees? When you knew your destination but you were stuck in where you were? Coming to United States was a bigger challenge than what I imagined: burning popcorn in the microwave, suffering through feet of snow to walk to class, horrifying pollen allergies, and, of course, unexpected pressure during my junior year. My junior year, I was introduced to the term hypnagogia, defined as waking dream, which is the experience of transitional state from wakefulness to sleep, also named “mind awake body asleep.” My tired body, under deep worries, needed more sleep than I needed to focus on my studies. Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
2
So, I lived in a long dream for about a year. My life had totally changed from then on: I was unaware of the reality where I thought “What I did yesterday will not affect my tomorrow.” I was extremely careless with my responsibilities. I was bored of communicating with friends and families. I was even exhausted repeating my daily routine one day after another. Because I knew the campus structure really well, my subconscious allowed my body to rest anywhere I went mentally. Even if I was blind, I could walk from Main building to JRC without tripping on my toes. Once, in my dream, there was a dear path to nowhere, but I attempted to follow. On my way, I was stopped by shadows reflected from sunshine. These were some unattainable expectations for myself. These were my regrets too, when I did not take any action to help others. Soon, I went through a panic attack. They say struggle is necessary for growth. This one completely woke me up at the end of junior year. At that second, when I was on stage, I had a conversation with myself. I asked her, “Why am I asleep?” She answered me, “Because you completely live in your future.” Then, she disappeared with my long dream. On finals, I presented my thoughts and answers fully. I gave time to focus on each subject. I played the best double tennis match ever. I enjoyed performing on stage for the first time. I made all of this happen because I had begun to believe in the now, a time phrase that is much more powerful and meaningful than past or future. It is now that you should seize. It is now that you should concentrate on. It is now that you should fill with your energy. I share with you this paragraph by Henry David Thoreau from Walden Pond: “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us even in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." To the Class of 2016, I bless you and your bright life path to awakening. This minute, this second, this single count of a heart beat. Feel yourself, embrace it, and live to the fullest, because you are always capable of doing more than what your limited expectations could ever imagine. * * * * * Ethan Roswell ’16 Commencement Speech 2016 First off, I’d like to congratulate the class of 2016. Although I’m not Confucius, or Yaka Sawa’s fortune cookie maker, I’d like to give a few words of wisdom to the senior class. In the words of John Wooden, “If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.” As I head into college I will try to emulate this approach to life. Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
3
One mistake I’ll never forget was when I was ten years old on a lake in East Glacier, Montana. My father, eager to get the fishing day rolling, woke me by throwing me into the car. On the routinely tedious car ride my dad couldn’t stop rambling about catching a rainbow fish. I couldn’t quite understand his obsession with catching a fish, and I immediately wanted to catch one to impress him. At the lake, we walked to our favorite spot and began the hunt for the rainbow trout. While imagining myself catching the great rainbow fish, there was a quick tug of my fishing rod. As fiction turned to reality, I hoped it would be a rainbow. So, I knew I couldn’t let the fish escape. I saw the water break, and out flew the whopping fish, with its scales glimmering against the sunlight spotting the rainbow my dad had been obsessed about. I looked back to see a grin I had never seen from my dad, which made me anxious. I thought I knew how to accomplish the goal. Blocking everything out, it was the rainbow and me. I excitedly picked up my rod and began to reel in, ignoring the words of my dad to “set the hook!” With each rotation of my reel, I grew more eager to show my dad the rainbow fish he wanted so badly. I could see the line coming closer, and right when I was about to say, “Hey dad, look at this rainbow!” All that was on the hook was a half eaten worm on the end of my line. I made a mistake. I let my dad down. It was the most despairing moment of my short ten years of living. I knew I messed up. My dad already knew that there wasn’t a fish on the end of the rod, and he explained to me that all I had to do was… set the hook. I didn’t take the proper action by setting the hook. The pit in my stomach intensified when my dad broke the news to me: “Losing that fish” he said, “Wasn’t going to be your last or the biggest of your future mistakes.” My dad went on to explain how to set the hook, and how to catch the next fish. I’ll never forget walking back to the car, wanting to catch another rainbow the next day. Most of us have been at our nadir, the point where retrospect approaches like a freight train. The deplorable, knot-‐in-‐your-‐stomach-‐type of emotion, which disallows your neglect for your mistake. The feeling may seem unavoidable, until you take action. Taking action allows for change, allows for you take control of your life to your benefit. We’ve all hit that bump in the road, the setback, the problem, the escape of dad’s favorite fish. What matters is how we react to that bump, and what we can do to improve. Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of bumps in the road at Cushing, but from those bumps, emerged lessons learned. Whether it’s a school assignment, a family issue, or something wrong that we’ve said or done, we all encounter things that slow us down. Do we spin out of control? Or do we set the hook to reel the fish in? We need to keep in mind that a setback is only temporary, that we have choices to improve the situation, and that greater things always lay ahead. We can learn from these inexorable bumps in the road, and our journey will be smoother and more effective. Mistakes do not define a person, but rather how one learns from their mistakes define them. The patterns of our behavior create an identity, which others will make judgment from. Through mistakes we learn more about ourselves than we have through our Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
4
accomplishments, because the real accomplishment is how we take action to respond. We need to challenge ourselves to make mistakes, ultimately achieving our goals. To create a positive identity, it is essential to capitalize on the inevitability of making mistakes. A common misconception people have of making mistakes is strictly pinpointing the negatives. Every one of us makes mistakes in life. It’s the most successful people, however you define your own success, who have grown the most from mistakes and through challenges. I challenge you to see the silver lining of each and every mistake you make in your futures. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, whether it is going to talk to that pretty girl in your new college class, or going to that party instead of studying (hopefully it’s the other way around), but my point is, be like John Wooden, be a doer, and don’t forget to set the hook. * * * * * Caroline Mattoon ’16 Commencement Speech 2016 Thank you Mr. Torino, Rachel, and Ethan, I am honored to follow in your words. “We have all known the long loneliness, and we have learned that the only solution is love and that loves with a community.” I think the class of 2016 has heard the words “take advantage of your last moments here, they go by quickly” a few hundred times these past few weeks leading up to today. With our time here coming to an end, the fear of graduating and going into the real world where people like Mrs. Clarke and Donny sadly do not exist. But with the thought of graduating comes the first memories you had at Cushing. I can remember so vividly, and I am sure it is stained into my parents minds as well, the morning before we left for Cushing my freshman year. It was a very humid and hot day like today. In my kitchen at home my three very sleepy siblings stood with me as my parents packed my remaining bags into the car. My older sister tried to comfort me, telling me, it would all work out. My twin sister rubbed my back, and my brother was silent per usual. I was so scared; the hour drive from my house to Cushing felt more like four hours than one. “What if I didn’t like it and my decision was the wrong choice?” were the questions that kept running threw my mind. The answers to these questions were unknown. The nerves, anxiety, and pit in my stomach only intensified as the drive continued, but so did the feeling of excitement and surprise that came with this new chapter in my life. There were sixty-‐one freshmen in the fall of my freshman year; there are now forty-‐five four-‐year seniors sitting in front of me. Some of you may have come here by choice or not by choice perhaps but the forty-‐ five of us have all stayed for a reason. There are two paths in high school, two paths in life: one being to buy into what the school and community is about, the other is not to buy in. I believe that the 130 seniors sitting in front of me have
Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
5
bought into the community, and without buying in you never would have the opportunities you do now. Cushing has given everyone in this room (emphasize) something. I now want to speak directly to all of the returning students here: I challenge you to buy into Cushing. Enjoy your time here; make the seemingly boring things the best parts of Cushing. Don’t say, “Oh, there will be another dance,” or “There will be other sports seasons.” Leave your dorm room on that random night, start up a conversation with the person sitting alone at dinner, and play a sport you’ve never played before. Now, I would like to speak directly to my class of amazing seniors. As we leave today and go in our separate directions, I challenge all of you and myself to buy into the new community you are about to be a part of. Keep in the back of your mind the best memories you have had here at Cushing. Every one of you, including me, is lucky to be here and be apart of such a diverse family, I call Cushing. The fear you may be feeling now, like the fear I felt on the drive to Cushing four short years ago is not something to run away from. Use it to strengthen you and propel you forward in life. Lean into the fear and the unknown. Always remember that you are not alone in the emotions you are feeling. Change is never easy, whether it is good or bad change. So, take the fear and all the emotions you may be feeling about graduating or really anything in life and use it to make the community around you better. Thank you all making my four years here the best four years of my life so far. Congratulations to the class of 2016. * * * * * [C. Torino returns to podium.] Thank you, Rachel, Ethan, and Caroline. Seated before us today are 130 unique individuals who have woven their own stories into a powerfully diverse and communal Cushing story. You graduates have not only written the narrative of the Class of 2016, but also contributed your part to the larger, 151-‐year history of the school. You have, in your time with us, come not only to “a new way of seeing things,” but also to meet the expectation that you will be fully engaged and take action on behalf of others. Historian David McCullough said, “The great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself.” Your truest measure of success will be the positive impact you have on other people. Cushing’s very own Portrait of a Graduate reads that, in your journey, you will: • act with empathy and compassion; Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
6
• • •
act with integrity; act with personal and social responsibility; and act with courage on behalf of others and yourself.
The operative word is clearly, in its repetition, ACT. Take action in the world, take action on behalf of others, on behalf of something bigger than yourself. Be and make a difference for others. As we discussed yesterday over breakfast, stay connected to this school. You have, during your time with us here, contributed so much to our story. And you have so much to offer not only the world beyond, but also back on this Cushing campus throughout your lives. A tremendous legacy of Cushing students have come before you—the Watkins Field House living now at the center of our campus is an example of this—and a great number of future graduates will experience an even better Cushing because of your continued connection back to this, your school. I’ll close my remarks with one last thank you—one that will come from you, the Seniors, to the family and friends who are here to commemorate your special day. Seniors, please thank your family and friends for having made your Cushing experience possible by standing and offering them a rousing round of applause.
Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
7
Good morning, and welcome all to Cushing Academy’s beautiful, 141st commencement. On this 28th day of May 2016, welcome faculty, staff, alumni, parents, family, and friends. Welcome to the Classes of 2017, ’18, and ’19. Welcome and thank you to our Board President Mr. Richard Harrington, and all of our Trustees and Trustees Emeriti for their outstanding leadership of the Academy. Most importantly, welcome and congratulations to this group of Senior Penguins seated before us today—the Class of 2016. Thank you, everyone, for joining us in Ashburnham to celebrate our Seniors and all that we have accomplished together. And thank you to the many who played a role in making today possible—from the preparation of this ceremony, this tent, the gorgeous Cushing grounds, the food, and the thousands of other moving pieces. 151 years ago, Thomas Parkman Cushing wrote in his Will: “I am particularly desirous of using a portion of the estate with which God had blessed me for the promotion of so important an object as that of improving the education and thus of strengthening and enlarging the minds of the rising and of future generations.” It is the greatest honor to be charged with presenting you Seniors your Cushing Academy diplomas. You are the embodiment of Thomas Parkman Cushing’s vision and legacy. In looking back on our beginning this year—to convocation here on this very common nine months ago—you’ll recall that Ms. Julia Ohm and your student-‐body President Constantine Leung offered their reflections on Cushing and making the most of the new school year. Well, that school year is nearly over—with only exams remaining for underclassmen, and only minutes remaining for you Seniors. Ceremonies and rituals are important, and this one especially so, because it provides us with a moment of and for reflection—for pausing and truly feeling the significance of the moment—of the process, of your work, and of your achievement. This commencement ceremony—our annual rite of passage—celebrates both closure and introduction, closure to your Cushing experience and an introduction to lives beyond our campus. A fitting way to describe today's commencement celebration comes from novelist Henry Miller, who said that: “One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Each member of Cushing's class of 2016—each of you, whether you've been with us for one, two, three, or four years—has developed, grown, and learned “a new way of seeing
Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
1
things.” Your teachers, friends, dorm faculty, and more have challenged and supported you to see yourself and the world around, to engage in a diversity of experiences, and to come to “a new way of seeing things.” Last year, my graduation remarks were primarily comprised of words from our amazing faculty—descriptions that the faculty shared with me about how last year's Seniors had demonstrated the impressive and diverse ways in which they were curious, creative, and confident learners and leaders. I loved compiling and reading those stories from our faculty. This year, however, consistent with Cushing's mission that we "exist for students," consistent with being powerfully student-‐centered and our daily work to create learning and achievement that is student-‐driven, I have decided to keep my words at a minimum and build student voices to a maximum. To that end, I want to turn the podium over to three students. I've asked three graduating seniors to share a bit about their Cushing experience—from their own perspective and in their own words. Each experience is simultaneously unique and shared, but I trust that each of you Seniors will hear echoes of your own lives here in the words of your classmates. I'd like now to call to the stage to join me three members of the Class of 2016—with their student voices loud and clear—to body to our opening commencement address: please join me in welcoming to the stage: Rachel Zhu, Ethan Roswell, and Caroline Mattoon. * * * * * Rachel Zhu ’16 Commencement Speech 2016 Thank you, Mr. Torino. Good morning, students, parents, faculty, alumni, and, of course, my fellow Class of 2016. I’m here to remind you of and also to celebrate your first big attainment in life. Future college students, today is history. Today will be remembered by you, your family, and your Facebook page. It is a period at the end of a sentence. It is the peak of Mt. Wachusett on annual mountain day. Let me ask you, in striving to reach the top, have you ever lost yourself among the trees? When you knew your destination but you were stuck in where you were? Coming to United States was a bigger challenge than what I imagined: burning popcorn in the microwave, suffering through feet of snow to walk to class, horrifying pollen allergies, and, of course, unexpected pressure during my junior year. My junior year, I was introduced to the term hypnagogia, defined as waking dream, which is the experience of transitional state from wakefulness to sleep, also named “mind awake body asleep.” My tired body, under deep worries, needed more sleep than I needed to focus on my studies. Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
2
So, I lived in a long dream for about a year. My life had totally changed from then on: I was unaware of the reality where I thought “What I did yesterday will not affect my tomorrow.” I was extremely careless with my responsibilities. I was bored of communicating with friends and families. I was even exhausted repeating my daily routine one day after another. Because I knew the campus structure really well, my subconscious allowed my body to rest anywhere I went mentally. Even if I was blind, I could walk from Main building to JRC without tripping on my toes. Once, in my dream, there was a dear path to nowhere, but I attempted to follow. On my way, I was stopped by shadows reflected from sunshine. These were some unattainable expectations for myself. These were my regrets too, when I did not take any action to help others. Soon, I went through a panic attack. They say struggle is necessary for growth. This one completely woke me up at the end of junior year. At that second, when I was on stage, I had a conversation with myself. I asked her, “Why am I asleep?” She answered me, “Because you completely live in your future.” Then, she disappeared with my long dream. On finals, I presented my thoughts and answers fully. I gave time to focus on each subject. I played the best double tennis match ever. I enjoyed performing on stage for the first time. I made all of this happen because I had begun to believe in the now, a time phrase that is much more powerful and meaningful than past or future. It is now that you should seize. It is now that you should concentrate on. It is now that you should fill with your energy. I share with you this paragraph by Henry David Thoreau from Walden Pond: “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us even in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." To the Class of 2016, I bless you and your bright life path to awakening. This minute, this second, this single count of a heart beat. Feel yourself, embrace it, and live to the fullest, because you are always capable of doing more than what your limited expectations could ever imagine. * * * * * Ethan Roswell ’16 Commencement Speech 2016 First off, I’d like to congratulate the class of 2016. Although I’m not Confucius, or Yaka Sawa’s fortune cookie maker, I’d like to give a few words of wisdom to the senior class. In the words of John Wooden, “If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.” As I head into college I will try to emulate this approach to life. Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
3
One mistake I’ll never forget was when I was ten years old on a lake in East Glacier, Montana. My father, eager to get the fishing day rolling, woke me by throwing me into the car. On the routinely tedious car ride my dad couldn’t stop rambling about catching a rainbow fish. I couldn’t quite understand his obsession with catching a fish, and I immediately wanted to catch one to impress him. At the lake, we walked to our favorite spot and began the hunt for the rainbow trout. While imagining myself catching the great rainbow fish, there was a quick tug of my fishing rod. As fiction turned to reality, I hoped it would be a rainbow. So, I knew I couldn’t let the fish escape. I saw the water break, and out flew the whopping fish, with its scales glimmering against the sunlight spotting the rainbow my dad had been obsessed about. I looked back to see a grin I had never seen from my dad, which made me anxious. I thought I knew how to accomplish the goal. Blocking everything out, it was the rainbow and me. I excitedly picked up my rod and began to reel in, ignoring the words of my dad to “set the hook!” With each rotation of my reel, I grew more eager to show my dad the rainbow fish he wanted so badly. I could see the line coming closer, and right when I was about to say, “Hey dad, look at this rainbow!” All that was on the hook was a half eaten worm on the end of my line. I made a mistake. I let my dad down. It was the most despairing moment of my short ten years of living. I knew I messed up. My dad already knew that there wasn’t a fish on the end of the rod, and he explained to me that all I had to do was… set the hook. I didn’t take the proper action by setting the hook. The pit in my stomach intensified when my dad broke the news to me: “Losing that fish” he said, “Wasn’t going to be your last or the biggest of your future mistakes.” My dad went on to explain how to set the hook, and how to catch the next fish. I’ll never forget walking back to the car, wanting to catch another rainbow the next day. Most of us have been at our nadir, the point where retrospect approaches like a freight train. The deplorable, knot-‐in-‐your-‐stomach-‐type of emotion, which disallows your neglect for your mistake. The feeling may seem unavoidable, until you take action. Taking action allows for change, allows for you take control of your life to your benefit. We’ve all hit that bump in the road, the setback, the problem, the escape of dad’s favorite fish. What matters is how we react to that bump, and what we can do to improve. Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of bumps in the road at Cushing, but from those bumps, emerged lessons learned. Whether it’s a school assignment, a family issue, or something wrong that we’ve said or done, we all encounter things that slow us down. Do we spin out of control? Or do we set the hook to reel the fish in? We need to keep in mind that a setback is only temporary, that we have choices to improve the situation, and that greater things always lay ahead. We can learn from these inexorable bumps in the road, and our journey will be smoother and more effective. Mistakes do not define a person, but rather how one learns from their mistakes define them. The patterns of our behavior create an identity, which others will make judgment from. Through mistakes we learn more about ourselves than we have through our Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
4
accomplishments, because the real accomplishment is how we take action to respond. We need to challenge ourselves to make mistakes, ultimately achieving our goals. To create a positive identity, it is essential to capitalize on the inevitability of making mistakes. A common misconception people have of making mistakes is strictly pinpointing the negatives. Every one of us makes mistakes in life. It’s the most successful people, however you define your own success, who have grown the most from mistakes and through challenges. I challenge you to see the silver lining of each and every mistake you make in your futures. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, whether it is going to talk to that pretty girl in your new college class, or going to that party instead of studying (hopefully it’s the other way around), but my point is, be like John Wooden, be a doer, and don’t forget to set the hook. * * * * * Caroline Mattoon ’16 Commencement Speech 2016 Thank you Mr. Torino, Rachel, and Ethan, I am honored to follow in your words. “We have all known the long loneliness, and we have learned that the only solution is love and that loves with a community.” I think the class of 2016 has heard the words “take advantage of your last moments here, they go by quickly” a few hundred times these past few weeks leading up to today. With our time here coming to an end, the fear of graduating and going into the real world where people like Mrs. Clarke and Donny sadly do not exist. But with the thought of graduating comes the first memories you had at Cushing. I can remember so vividly, and I am sure it is stained into my parents minds as well, the morning before we left for Cushing my freshman year. It was a very humid and hot day like today. In my kitchen at home my three very sleepy siblings stood with me as my parents packed my remaining bags into the car. My older sister tried to comfort me, telling me, it would all work out. My twin sister rubbed my back, and my brother was silent per usual. I was so scared; the hour drive from my house to Cushing felt more like four hours than one. “What if I didn’t like it and my decision was the wrong choice?” were the questions that kept running threw my mind. The answers to these questions were unknown. The nerves, anxiety, and pit in my stomach only intensified as the drive continued, but so did the feeling of excitement and surprise that came with this new chapter in my life. There were sixty-‐one freshmen in the fall of my freshman year; there are now forty-‐five four-‐year seniors sitting in front of me. Some of you may have come here by choice or not by choice perhaps but the forty-‐ five of us have all stayed for a reason. There are two paths in high school, two paths in life: one being to buy into what the school and community is about, the other is not to buy in. I believe that the 130 seniors sitting in front of me have
Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
5
bought into the community, and without buying in you never would have the opportunities you do now. Cushing has given everyone in this room (emphasize) something. I now want to speak directly to all of the returning students here: I challenge you to buy into Cushing. Enjoy your time here; make the seemingly boring things the best parts of Cushing. Don’t say, “Oh, there will be another dance,” or “There will be other sports seasons.” Leave your dorm room on that random night, start up a conversation with the person sitting alone at dinner, and play a sport you’ve never played before. Now, I would like to speak directly to my class of amazing seniors. As we leave today and go in our separate directions, I challenge all of you and myself to buy into the new community you are about to be a part of. Keep in the back of your mind the best memories you have had here at Cushing. Every one of you, including me, is lucky to be here and be apart of such a diverse family, I call Cushing. The fear you may be feeling now, like the fear I felt on the drive to Cushing four short years ago is not something to run away from. Use it to strengthen you and propel you forward in life. Lean into the fear and the unknown. Always remember that you are not alone in the emotions you are feeling. Change is never easy, whether it is good or bad change. So, take the fear and all the emotions you may be feeling about graduating or really anything in life and use it to make the community around you better. Thank you all making my four years here the best four years of my life so far. Congratulations to the class of 2016. * * * * * [C. Torino returns to podium.] Thank you, Rachel, Ethan, and Caroline. Seated before us today are 130 unique individuals who have woven their own stories into a powerfully diverse and communal Cushing story. You graduates have not only written the narrative of the Class of 2016, but also contributed your part to the larger, 151-‐year history of the school. You have, in your time with us, come not only to “a new way of seeing things,” but also to meet the expectation that you will be fully engaged and take action on behalf of others. Historian David McCullough said, “The great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself.” Your truest measure of success will be the positive impact you have on other people. Cushing’s very own Portrait of a Graduate reads that, in your journey, you will: • act with empathy and compassion; Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
6
• • •
act with integrity; act with personal and social responsibility; and act with courage on behalf of others and yourself.
The operative word is clearly, in its repetition, ACT. Take action in the world, take action on behalf of others, on behalf of something bigger than yourself. Be and make a difference for others. As we discussed yesterday over breakfast, stay connected to this school. You have, during your time with us here, contributed so much to our story. And you have so much to offer not only the world beyond, but also back on this Cushing campus throughout your lives. A tremendous legacy of Cushing students have come before you—the Watkins Field House living now at the center of our campus is an example of this—and a great number of future graduates will experience an even better Cushing because of your continued connection back to this, your school. I’ll close my remarks with one last thank you—one that will come from you, the Seniors, to the family and friends who are here to commemorate your special day. Seniors, please thank your family and friends for having made your Cushing experience possible by standing and offering them a rousing round of applause.
Headmaster’s Commencement Address, Class of 2016
7
