SJU Graduation Speech: We've Learned; Now We Must Keep Exploring

SJU graduation speech: We've learned; now we must keep exploring

By Matt Beck

St. John's University Class of 2010

Friends, faculty, family, staff, Johnnies, Bennies, men and women of the School of Theology, and brothers and sisters of the order of St. Benedict, it is a great honor to address you at this commencement ceremony.

Today is a day for celebration of all that we as students have accomplished in the past four years. But due to coincidence, it is also a day to celebrate mothers. Our mothers, and our fathers for that matter, have been the most important influences in our lives, and have made all that we are celebrating today possible. I'd like to wish all of the mothers here, including my mother, Ruth, a happy Mother's Day.

Four years ago, when we came to college, many of us were living away from these parents for the first time. I'd like to thank the faculty and staff at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University for making this transition easier by welcoming us into this learning community and pushing us hard to grow as individuals within this it.

Finally, I'd like to thank the monastic community for inviting us into their home and sharing the Benedictine values which they live out in their daily lives.

Class of 2010, here are some words of wisdom from our own professor of English Luke Mancuso. On the first day of his Literary Theory and Criticism course, he made the following announcement: "Welcome travelers. Please, seal the chamber. I'm handing out the syllabus for the course now, and I'd like to direct your attention to the disclaimer on the first page: 'This class is only for those who are willing to think strangely.'"

Reflecting on that message, two things stick out to me. Luke told us that we were going to have to think strangely. These truly were words of wisdom and caution for anyone attending a liberal arts college.

Because of our emphasis on liberal arts, we've studied a wide variety of topics. Here's a short list: Shakespeare, postcolonial theory, ethical issues in computing, origins of evil, single motherhood, educational psychology and the solar system. Because of our liberal arts requirements, we've truly been pushed to think strangely.

Even more important than thinking strangely may be Luke's first statement, "welcome travelers." Indeed, we are all travelers.

Given my affinity for "Star Trek" and that I promised many of my classmates that I would reference the show at least once during this speech, I'll upgrade us from travelers to explorers. But what does it mean to be an explorer in a learning community such as St. Ben's and St. John's?

Think back to before you came to college. What were your goals, ambitions and dreams? Who were your friends? What were your expectations for college? Now think about who you are now, four years later. How have you changed?

During the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure of attending many of your thesis defenses, and I know that if we were given such a monumental task as first-year students, we would have ran home faster than a late student chasing the Link.

By being invited to think strangely, we've been forced to explore the academic world. We've found our interests, decided on majors and established goals for the future. These profound changes have been the result of our exploration. Those of us who studied abroad took part in the greatest form of exploration that these schools offer.

I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Ingolstadt, Germany. During my time there, I lived with a host family, took a class on current issues in German culture, and worked in an after-school program for struggling students. My experiences abroad had a powerful impact on me and became the basis for my thesis this year.

This is the type of academic exploration that has the power to change us as individuals. The Rev. Mark Thamert would say this is learning which was once distant from us but has imploded inside our bodies and become a part of us. In exploration, we become motivated not by abstract concepts, but by our real experiences. Our exploration, however, has not been limited to the academic realm.

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From the time I moved into Mary one freshman year to when I move out later this week, I've explored life through my relationships with my friends. In fact, all six of my roommates this year lived on Mary one. I've also found community in my work study job at the paint shop, where Rob Stoeckel, my supervisor and mentor, has been as influential in my life and personal exploration as any professor or friend.

During these four years, our friends and coworkers have grown into a supportive community of explorers. On a given day, I can turn to my roommates to discuss extracurriculars, future plans and even my most recent date with a Bennie. Being so close to many of you for four years, it's been amazing to see the changes that we have undergone.

But what does exploration mean for us as we go out into the world? I believe that exploration can never stop, that our lives must be an adventure filled with intellectual, spiritual and personal growth. We must take our collegiate attitudes into the real world, and seize every opportunity for exploration.

In teaching us to think strangely, our liberal arts education has given us the tools to be the explorers of the future. My favorite educational theorist and hero, Paulo Freire, once wrote that "The unfinished character of human beings and the transformational character of reality necessitate that education be an ongoing activity."

And that is my message for you, class of 2010. Today, as we receive the degrees that signify our passage from one stage of life to another, we must always remember that we are explorers in a life-long adventure of learning.

Matthew Beck, an English and German double major from Buckman, was the student commencement speaker, as selected by the St. John's senior class.