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Thank you, Provost Kopper, for that kind of introduction.
Good morning to the faculty and staff, parents, and
friends, and other special guests
joining us this morning.
Without your never ending support, we may not be here.
So we appreciate you in celebrating with us on this
momentous occasion in our lives.
To my fellow graduates, today is our day.
This is for us.
Throughout life, we've tended to drift towards those with
whom we share common interests.
At times, it may seem like a high school cafeteria.
The athletes flock over there.
The musicians gather over here.
Honor students congregate over there.
And the trouble-makers, well, sometimes they're
nowhere to be found.
As life goes on, you will not always be surrounded by
like-minded individuals.
Instead, you will encounter those who prefer Burger King
over McDonald's, Criminal Minds over Law and Order, or
even Bears fans, although we're cheeseheads for life.
Realize that the real world is so much bigger than you and
me, and embracing differences in order to promote
togetherness will allow each of us to be successful in all
areas of life.
Over the past four some odd years, UW Whitewater has
contributed greatly into developing each and every
single one of us into being a socially responsible
individual.
During Earth week and Recyclemania, we learned to
care for the earth.
Through Make a Difference Day and other homecoming spirit
activities, we learned to empower the community.
By way of Operation Beautiful, we learned
to strengthen ourselves.
But most importantly, thanks to the Boxes and Walls
experience and other cultural events, we have learned to
respect each other.
UW Whitewater has provided us with unlimited opportunities
to not only better ourselves, but also better the
environment in which we live.
Our learning did not stop once we exited the
walls of the classroom.
Instead, many of us joined student organizations, became
a part of the Greek community, traveled abroad, volunteered
our time, or even held a job.
To me, a comprehensive education is not solely based
on classroom experiences.
But it also includes all of our involvement outside of
that tiny space.
This is what UW Whitewater is known for.
So taking the moments you've had throughout your life as a
Warhawk and apply them to the rest of your life, know that
because you bleed purple, you can overcome any obstacle that
may stand in your way.
You will face obstacles.
Your beliefs will be tested.
Your ideals will be judged.
Your moral compass may waver.
I admire those who can stay true to who they are, but I
adore those who can do all the above, plus appreciate the
differences that come along with new friendships.
Learning from each other is what
allows us to move forward.
As one of my very wise mentors once told me, either you
evolve with the times or you dissolve and become
irrelevant.
And no one in this room is irrelevant.
The late President John F. Kennedy once said, "so let us
not be blind to our differences, but let us also
direct attention to our common interests and to the means by
which those differences can be resolved, for if we cannot end
now our differences, at least we can make the world safe for
diversity, for in the final analysis, our most basic
common link is that we all inhabit this small planet.
We all breathe the same air.
We all cherish our children's future.
And we are all mortal." To my fellow graduates, my
colleagues, my peers, my friends, as I look upon each
of your lovely faces, I see an unwavering desire to succeed.
And succeed you will.
I can feel it in my bones.
And you may wonder how I know this.
Well, I will tell you.
It comes down to five simple words--
because we are all purple.
Congratulations to the graduating
class of spring 2013.
We did it!