By: Maxwell Kizewski, Commencement Speaker
Good Morning, I am honored to be presented with the opportunity of being the Student Speaker for the 2020 Commencement Ceremony…But in all honesty, I am even more honored to be bestowed the opportunity to be in the presence of everyone here today.
With all of the challenges that we have been presented with this past semester, including the barriers imposed upon us with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is absolutely amazing to be with the parents, grandparents, siblings and beloved friends of the brilliant graduates that fill this room.
Without your loving support, we certainly would not be where we are today.
This morning, I wish to focus on a concept that all of us in this room know all too well. The concept of making decisions— and I would like to encourage us to take these next few moments to reminisce on the choices we have made and the ones that are soon to shine above our horizons.
As a student graduating from the honors program, one of my favorite Greek Myths is “The Choice of Hercules”. As Former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett best summarizes it, “the legend depicts Hercules stopping at a fork in the road where two angelic figures stood.
One figure told him that her road was smooth and pleasant, with nothing that will stand in his way.
In contrast, the other figure pointed towards her road and told Hercules she could only promise the traveler nothing but what his own labor and strength would yield. He then chose the latter of the two.”
This timeless story of Greek lore shows that even since the Classical epoch of human existence, people have toiled with the concept of having to make hard decisions.
As God’s creations, we have been blessed to have woven into the fabric of the human condition the ability to critically think and ponder choices that lay before us.
Of course, there are trivial choices that we make in our daily lives. Choices like deciding when to wake up, when to go to bed and how we spend our time all play a role in defining who we are.
But these aren’t the most difficult of choices that we are faced with.. In fact, we are all gathered here today to celebrate the success of the challenging decision to further our education and come to Saint Leo University.
Now, we are about to embark on a new kind adventure—one that is full of decisions that many of us have never encountered before.
As refreshing as a new beginning may seem, this moment marks the true beginning of our young lives. That’s a daunting thought, isn’t it?
The question that follows is how do we make the right decisions in situations that will likely set the trajectory of our futures?
Sure, we know that we will all face adversity, but how do we overcome it?
I believe that this can be answered in one simple word that we Lions are all familiar with—Excellence. <pause>
Excellence is notably one of Saint Leo University’s prized Core Values and our institution uniquely defines Excellence as “All of us, individually and collectively, work hard to ensure that our students develop the character, learn the skills, and assimilate the knowledge essential to become morally responsible leaders”.
These underlying principles of character, skill, and knowledge are guiding factors that have molded our intuition and our values as Saint Leo Lions since the day we stepped on campus.
Character – a unique reflection of each family member, peer, mentor and close friend that you have met throughout your academic journey.
Skill – a display of precision and drive in your personally crafted ideology that makes you more than a name on a job application.
Knowledge – an internal festival of personal ingenuity, where information lead to thoughts, thoughts to inspiration and inspiration springing into life-changing actions.
These three simple guiding principles that are firmly planted in the bedrock of our institution can be found in each and every member of the Class of 2020.
Choosing a path of excellence is not always going to be easy ladies and gentlemen—but like Hercules, we can decide to use excellence as a tool to navigate us through the whips and scorns of life.
We will face difficulty on our indelible paths, but know that with each step through difficulty, we step closer to defining who we are and what we are meant to be.
I hope that when we all face difficulty and challenges, that we think back on this moment, on our college experiences, on who we are as Saint Leo Graduates and open ourselves to allowing excellence to serve as the eternal thread that will guide us forward in the tenor of our daily lives. The choice is ultimately ours to make.
Without further adieu, President Senese, distinguished faculty, and beloved guests, I would like to present to you the Class of 2020—the future business leaders, law enforcement officers, teachers, writers, scientists and intellectuals that the world needs now more than ever- and with the knowledge that Saint Leo University has bestowed upon us in our minds and with Excellence burning in our hearts, I can say with great pride and conviction that the Class of 2020 will be the class that will make the choice to change the world. Thank you.
