MCLA Class of 2007: In The Game
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| Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley delivered the keynote speech at the 2007 MCLA commencement. [Photo by Sue Bush]
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What Stays In The Heart
"I'll always remember moving-in day and watching the freshmen come in, seeing how timid they are," said Kara Perry, a Bedford, Mass. resident who earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and graduated magna cum laude during today's 108th MCLA commencement ceremony.
Robin Veilleux, who was awarded a bachelor's degree in education, spoke about another freshmen memory.
"We hiked to Mount Greylock on the first day we were here," she said. "We wanted to do it last week but the roads were closed. So we hiked around the bottom."
Brianne Saleme said she will remember certain athletics.
"I was a cheerleader so I'm really going to miss the basketball games," she said.
For psychology department graduate Brandi Gillen, her favorite memory includes business administration graduate Jacob Hing.
"Meeting Jacob is my favorite MCLA memory," she said. "We're getting married next year."
<L2>And for Inga Pause, her degree in sociology with a concentration on children and family studies will carry memories rooted in hard work and determination.
"I worked hard to get this at 41 years old," she said.
The 11 a.m. ceremony was held at the MCLA Amsler Campus Center gymnasium. MCLA graduated 328 students, with 27 graduates presented with master's degrees and one student honored with a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study.
Life By The Letter
State Attorney General Martha Coakley delivered a keynote speech that was literally as simple as the alphabet.
Coakley's remarks began with "A" and concluded with "Z" as she offered alphabetized encouragement to the capped-and-gowned senior assembly.
"A is for activism," she said, and asked the students to demonstrate activism in their lives.
"It will keep your issues in shape," she said.
As she worked her way through the ABC's, she pronounced that "E" represented environment -"Our grandchildren have some serious issues with global warming," - and noted "F" was for facts and "G" was for "getting [the facts] right."
"H" represented humility, she said.
"Someone is always smarter than you," she said.
And "L" was designated as liberal arts education.
"Your degree will never be outdated or obsolete," she said.
"O" was for "open roads" and "open minds," while "R" was reserved for "risks."
"Take them," she advised.
Coakley named "Z" as "Zamboni" and told the graduating class members that they should have a virtual Zamboni for those times when the "ice of Life" becomes marred and roughed up, for occasions of "do-overs" and "start-overs."<R3>
"I wish you good luck," Coakley said. "I hope you enjoy the journey."
Remember What This Place Taught Us
Class President Tabatha Beshears termed the day a "marking point in our lives."
"It's the end of our journey here at MCLA," she said. "We will walk across this stage today and begin with the rest of our lives."
"Here's to the Class of 2007," she said. "May we always remember what this place taught us and bring that with us wherever we go."
Sharon Rancourt Watson spoke on behalf of the master's degree recipients. She cited MCLA instructors Anne Scott, Christine Woodcock, and Susan Edgarton as among those who "infected me with their intellect, personal experiences in the classroom and passionate quest for truth in education."
"The teachers I sat elbow to elbow with as classmates are some of the most understanding and overworked people I have met in a long time," she said.
Watson quoted a passage from the book "The Shame of the Nation" by Jonathan Kozol which asserts that schools can easily continue without standardized tests and rubric charts but will fail miserably despite politically motived education mandates without good teachers.
"I am a product of the public educational system," she said. "I don't attribute my performance in the schools of Bennington, Vt. to the advances in technology, standardized testing, tracking, laptops in the classroom - they weren't invented yet- or the myriad of pedagogical ways to instruct math and reading. I attribute my success in becoming a lifelong learner to the teachers who got through to me, the love of my family, food in my belly, a passion for reading and hard work."
Watson recalled a Mount Anthony Middle School lock-down drill held soon after the Virginia Tech shootings.
"And isn't this said, that this is where [education system] energy and creativity are being channeled- toward basic human survival."
<L4>"Regardless of the risks, most of my peers and I plan on spending the bulk of our professional lives in the classroom. It is my hope that the present company will be a part of, and a witness to, turning the 'shame of our nation' into something our children can continue to hold dear."
Work Ahead
MCLA President Mary K. Grant described the Class of 2007 as "rich with character and full of characters."
"You are not a class that is going to be content to sit on the sidelines, you will be in the game," she said. "And that is a very good thing for the rest of us, because you have got some work ahead of you."
Grant noted that she would like to say that the graduates were entering a "perfect world" but "I'm afraid that my generation and the generation before me have left you with some serious challenges and a bit of a mess to clean up."
Grant acknowledged that as the doors to the 21st Century opened, war walked through.
"In places across the globe, we have men and women - fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters - friends who are putting their lives on the line, every day."<R5>
MCLA students worked to help those whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, presented original research on the environment, participated with the emerging "creative economy," served a variety of internships, and successfully carried dual roles as people who held jobs and cared for families while they toiled as students, Grant said.
"You have left this piece of the world better by having been here, and the world you are about to enter will be enriched by your spirit, by your talents, and by your humanity," Grant said.
"My fellow alumni, I wish you well. And I offer you my deepest and most heartfelt congratulations."
Honorary degrees were presented to U.S.Congressman John W. Olver [Doctor of Laws] Nancy Fitzpatrick [Doctor of Humanities]and Stephen M. Long Jr. [Doctor of Pedagogy].
Coakley was presented the first President's Medal ever awarded at the school. Grant presented Coakley with the medal during the commencement ceremony.
