Response from the Class of 2016

Response from the Class of 2016 by Hannah Glenn:

Fellow graduates, think back to the fall of 2012 when we set foot on campus as first-years. Commencement felt like it was decades away with countless tests, essays, and presentations between us and a day filled with caps, gowns, and a few tears. Yet, here we sit, four years later at our graduation day, having experienced all that Manchester has to offer.

Now, think back to the person you were in your initial days at Manchester. More than likely, the individual you were when you walked into class on August 29, 2012, is not the individual you are today. These past four years have been transformative, with each of us growing and changing as each semester and day have passed. We have had our ideas challenged, changed our minds and maybe even our majors, taken classes we wouldn’t have imagined ourselves taking, traveled to other countries, become more confident, learned to perfect Ramen in the microwave, and what happens when a red T-shirt is washed with white socks.

These four years have been transformative for Manchester as well. When we applied in the fall of our senior years of high school, it was to Manchester College, a quaint undergraduate institution in northern Indiana. Now, we graduate from Manchester University, a vibrant, dynamic campus rushing headlong into the future.

Fellow graduates, change can be frightening. The ambiguity of the future provokes anxiety. But for all of its ability to induce this uncertainty and fear, it is not something we can avoid. We must embrace it. As Manchester students, we have heard countless reminders to be our best selves. When you go on to your careers, graduate schools, Fulbright placements, or wherever the road may take you, remember to be people of ability and conviction. Take chances, stand up for what you believe in, believe in yourselves, do good. 

Change is inevitable, but because of our experiences at Manchester, I have full confidence that we will be prepared for our futures.

This world needs more graduates of Manchester University and I’m honored to be among this amazing group of people who comprise the class of two thousand sixteen. So, on behalf of my fellow graduates, we accept the honor of becoming the one hundredth and twenty-seventh graduating class of Manchester University, and we thank you for helping us to learn to become our best selves and people who lead principled, productive, and compassionate lives that improve the human condition as we begin the next chapters of our lives. 

May 2016