Greetings from William Vasiliou, president of the Class of 2007
WILLIAM VASILIOU: Good morning, members of the Board, President Crutcher, alumni, parents, guests, and the Class of 2007.
For the past four years I have been honored and privileged to be the Class of 2007 president. And I am truly appreciative that I had the opportunity to speak here today. There's no greater honor at Wheaton than being allowed to speak at one's own commencement, especially for a graduating class that two years ago Dean Sue classified as "a class to be reckoned with."
College is a four-year journey unlike any other I have experienced in my life. And we are privileged to be at a school that values an intimate academic and social environment. These two values are what make a student's close-knit relationships with the faculty members of Wheaton and his or her peers possible.
Additionally, it is these two values that allow individuals at Wheaton to progress to adulthood at a pace conducive to their personalities. Wheaton is the training wheels that our moms, dads, uncles, aunts, grandparents or guardians put on our bike before allowing us to ride into the real world.
My first year here I was lucky enough to have a junior across the hall who was instrumental in teaching me the do's and don'ts of Wheaton College. One of the many do's is every student at Wheaton must either willingly, or unwillingly, enter Peacock Pond. This is one of the unspoken rules at Wheaton. I am not quite sure when or who started it, but it is one of the most respected traditions here. If any alumni have still not taken the plunge into Peacock Pond, I suggest you remain quiet today.
Likewise, I was also told using trays in the cafeterias at Wheaton, frequent at most other colleges, was "unfavorable," unless you wanted people to think you were a professor, or even worse, a freshman.
These simple traditions, like using the center door of the chapel or senior privilege of sitting on the library steps, are important to the Wheaton experience. It makes it easier for Wheaties to identify people who are either new to or visiting "the bubble." It does not create an environment of stigmatization, but instead creates a more intimate community. In so many words, this junior, who has long since graduated, served as a mentor to me. He gave me access to a Wheaton I had not yet experienced, as I am sure all of us have tried to do for the Classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Less than a couple weeks before he graduated in the spring of '05, he left me with some parting advice: "Keep track of the memories that transpired at Wheaton, incomplete or complete." Today I want to share some of those memories with all of you.
We arrived on the Wheaton campus almost four years ago, our stomachs in knots in anticipation of what our roommates were like, whether or not we would get dibs on the good bed in the room, or uneasiness of coed bathrooms. In some instances, acclimating ourselves to Wheaton was as simple as finding a men's room. But in other situations, adjusting was much more difficult. Some of us encountered roommate conflicts, struggled with the increased workload from high school to college, and experienced trouble adjusting to the social environment on campus, all of which I have come to realize is normal for a first-year student.
Fortunately, the Wheaton community is at its best when a first-year student has trouble adjusting. I was lucky enough to have the support of my older sister, who made my adjustment that much easier. Where Wheaton really strives, though, is the support I received from my advisors.
I had a faculty advisor, Professor Russell Williams. He always found time to meet with me. I had preceptors I could speak with and two resident advisors that were always there to listen if I needed it. Additionally, the faculty at Wheaton consists of the kindest, most supportive and friendly people that a first-year student, or any person, could encounter in their life. They continually pushed us to maximize our potential as students while fostering our growth as young adults. My English 101 teacher, Professor Shawn Christian, epitomizes that philosophy. He recognized my potential as a student and as a person. And for those of you who have taken his classes, you know he never settles for anything less than your best. He taught me the importance of writing, and played a crucial role in helping me develop into the person I am today. It is this support system that allowed us as first-year students to succeed at Wheaton.
Sophomore year, the year when a Wheaton student receives the least amount of attention, the college is very busy helping first-year students adjust to campus, preparing almost half the junior class for study abroad, and assisting seniors with post-Wheaton plans. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. Incoming sophomores are at a point when they don't need to be coddled or making future plans. We enjoyed not being a first-year student any longer and celebrated our remaining two years here. It was a time for students to grow by becoming more social with their peers and learning their strengths and weaknesses as students and as people. Lastly, sophomore year is the year when students can afford to get into a little bit of trouble.
Being a junior at Wheaton is one of the best years for several reasons. One, we still had another year to avoid that everlasting question, What do you want to do with your life? Two, we officially became upperclassmen and acquired all the privileges that go along with the title. Finally, junior year was great for many of you because you successfully convinced your parents that studying abroad was a purely "academic" experience.
Our junior year at Wheaton also included a harder, more intense workload. We took 300-level classes, several writing intense courses in one semester, and some of us began researching for honors theses. As juniors, we used the skills acquired during our first and second years, and moved one step closer to the removal of our Wheaton College training wheels.
Finally, our senior year, which should officially be renamed the roller coaster year, we arrived on campus this past fall with a level of confidence higher than ever before. We knew the real world was lurking around the corner. But we were not afraid. Instead our class, the Class of 2007, grew closer. In the past nine months, I have witnessed an array of new friendships develop among people that had never met in previous years. Friendships blossomed quicker than flowers in the month of May. It has truly been remarkable to witness and even better to experience firsthand.
This year has presented us with tough challenges that we did not know could be completed. We felt the pressure and stress of writing honors theses, waiting to hear back from graduate schools and searching for future employment. This past year has truly been difficult. The joy of no longer having to pay a 40-plus thousand dollars a year for an education has been countered by the realization that our best friends won't be a 30-second walk away anymore.
These emotional highs and lows have made our senior year the most fun, challenging and exciting to date.
(Applause.)
In closing, I want to share a personal story that is applicable to our graduating. When I was a kid, I was extremely close with my yaya ("grandmother" in Greek). Much of who I am today is because of her. She taught me right from wrong, left from right, and up from down. It has been nine years since she passed away and not a day goes by when I don't think about my last conversation with her. It was a few days before she passed. I sat next to her bed and listened as she told me two final things. First, she told me I would always be her bebouli mou, which meant I would always be her baby. Secondly, she told me that, and I quote, "I will never really be gone as long as you keep your memories of me close to your heart."
After today we are all going to travel separate paths that lead us away from the Wheaton campus. But if we keep our memories of Wheaton close to our hearts, we will forever be linked to the school and each other. Members of the Class of 2007, I love you all. And congratulations.
(Applause)