学士学位典礼标志着学年的正式结束
By Rebecca Goldfine
主持会议的扎基总统对所有聚集在悉尼国际机场的人表示欢迎. Watson Arena, 包括缅因州州长珍妮特·米尔斯和前买球平台校长巴里·米尔斯夫妇, Karen Gordon Mills. 米尔斯州长出席了她侄女2024届的毕业典礼.
扎基说，学年结束了，学生们的成绩得到了铺天盖地的赞扬和认可——所有这些都很重要——这让她想起了爱丽丝·门罗故事中的一句话, “Too Much Happiness.”
“它们是你们在过去四年中彼此建立起来的关系, 你们彼此之间以及与教授之间的智力辩论, 你在校园里许多美丽的景点和缅因州沿海地区散步, 你放下工作去支持需要你的朋友或家人的时候,” she said.
“These are achievements worth celebrating as well, these are the kinds of things that make life, in Munro’s words, 'perfectly satisfying.'”
扎基还向即将毕业的高年级学生提出了买球平台在一生中保持好奇心的建议. 她引用了门罗故事中的另一句话:“永恒的幸福是好奇心.”
“我对你们的一个愿望是，在你们的一生中继续做我在这里看到你们所做的事情——保持好奇心. Curious about ideas, about other people, about yourself, about the places you live, and the places you’ll never see,” she said.
学生演讲者凯瑟琳·拉姆齐·库尔茨' 24:“最后一次巡演”
Each year, 在提交一篇论文供考虑后，选择一名学生演讲者. 库尔茨的参赛作品《买球平台》(One Last Tour)今年从候选名单中脱颖而出，这是一项荣誉 DeAlva Stanwood Alexander First Prize.
In her remarks, Kurtz began by explaining the title of her talk, which relates to her campus job as a tour guide. 为了这个职位，她变得善于倒着走，同时颂扬学院的美德.
“我很喜欢这份工作，因为它让我有机会与未来的学生分享我对买球平台的热爱,” she said. “In a way, this speech counts as my final Bowdoin tour, with you, Class of 2024, 就像导游跟我一起倒着走一样.”
She took the class back to when they arrived at Bowdoin, in the midst of the pandemic, when they were the only students here. “本着真正的2024届毕业生精神，我们开辟了自己的道路，”她说. “我们的校园很小，但我们让它变得友好. We watched movies on the quad, chatted in the dining hall line, and mastered the Bowdoin Hello, even with no one to guide us.”
库尔茨说，一起经历这段经历让全班同学团结起来. “多亏了我们独特的第一年，以及后来发展起来的牢固关系, our class cares deeply about one another.”
作为高年级学生，库尔茨和她的同学们现在是其他学生的榜样. “我们以买球平台社区的力量和永不放弃的学生的勇气为榜样. 随着年龄的增长，我的旅行不再是买球平台校园里的物理空间. 它们已经变成了买球平台你们，那些让买球平台与众不同的鼓舞人心的人.”
这些人现在给她的旅行带来了灵感:在院子里弹吉他的导游同伴, friends who invite her to Diwali celebrations, the successful women’s basketball team, 观看他们篮球比赛的球迷人数也破纪录.
As the senior class begins their next adventures, 库尔茨说，“在我们即将到来的人生阶段，没有大学之旅可以与之相提并论....But I am confident we don’t need another tour. We are strong, we have each other, and Bowdoin has gifted us the ability to be passionate, courageous leaders. We are the guides of the future.”
Baccalaureate Speaker David J. Roux: "Why Risk It?"
大卫·鲁，慈善家，投资人，名誉受托人，很快就要成为 Bowdoin honorand—shared his wisdom with students, including the counsel to take risks, act boldly, 去不舒服的地方——也是他最喜欢的地方——“偶尔调皮捣蛋”.”
他说，他经常听到年轻人担心如何管理、避免或防范风险. 他们列举了无数的危险:坏老板、没有前途的职业、错误的居住地. It seems that no one wants to make a mistake. 事实证明，每个人都想在人生的第一次考试中得A.”
Yet, 买球平台大学即将毕业的学生可能也有类似的担忧, 他告诉他们，冒险伴随着许多美妙的时刻和回报，几乎总是值得一试的.
“I don’t mean financial [rewards,]” he said. “我指的是更全面的生活结果——深厚的关系, meaningful work, and opportunities to contribute to the larger society. These are the things that matter most.”
Yet, there's a caveat. Life's options are not limitless. “In the real world, building a meaningful life is about learning to say 'no,' firmly but politely,” he said. “I know it sounds counter-intuitive, 但对你来说，通过深思熟虑的选择来排除各种可能性是至关重要的, focusing on what matters most and going deep. In situation after situation, 我看到奖励流向专业化——以展示能力的形式, exciting work, personal satisfaction, daily happiness, 以及对社会的贡献——所有的满足.”
Also helpful, he said, is to know where you are going, and then relax about the route you take to get there. “I'll forewarn you, 前面有很多弯路，因为人生的旅程是杂乱无章的, poorly sign-posted, and never linear.” Flexibility and adaptability are critical, he added.
Succumbing to this unfolding can be delightful. “接下来会出现一种快乐而美丽的随机性. 生活的乐趣在于它的不确定性。”他说.
他最后的忠告是:不管买球平台2024届毕业生在学习过程中遇到什么挑战和回报, share those experiences with family and friends. 这种分享反射会让你变得更强大、更完整.”
Read David Roux's address.
现场演奏了钢琴家长谷川的《买球平台》和《向买球平台扬歌》.
Photos by Michele Stapleton.
