Class of 2022 Commencement Address - Wendy Hoke, President

Good evening, Class of 2022, parents, family members, faculty and staff, board members and Ursuline Sisters. Welcome! We have been blessed with a calm evening to celebrate the Class of 2022 in this beautiful place we call Beaumont.

On behalf of our Board of Directors, Ursuline Sisters and Faculty and Staff, congratulations to the Class of 2022! The story of this particular senior class is one of resilience and hope. As much as I would love to not mention COVID or pandemic at the third consecutive graduation, I would be remiss because this class endured more than two years of disruption. Unlike the rest of our student body, you had the benefit of a normal year at Beaumont, way back when you were freshmen.

While we’ve gotten closer to whatever normal is each year, I must tip my hat to your resilience and perseverance through it all. Those skills will not be wasted on you throughout your lives. That said, it gives me great joy to be here with you at this communal celebration.

On behalf of Mr. Beyer, Mrs. Hoelzel and Mrs. Shaeffer, let me say what a beautiful blessing and example you are to us all.

Before I get into my remarks, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the gun violence of recent weeks that has killed parents and grandparents at a grocery store in Buffalo, Taiwanese churchgoers in their place of worship in Southern California, and, yesterday, tragically killed young children and teachers at a school in Texas. Add to that the senseless daily gun violence that rips apart neighborhoods but rarely makes the news and it can all feel so hopeless.

As people of faith, we must meet hate with love. We must advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves – in this case the children, parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters who were tragically killed. Let’s pause for a moment of silent prayer in solidarity with the grieving families of Buffalo, Uvalde, Laguna Woods, and all families who have suffered from gun violence.

Oh Lord, do not let the frequency of these acts desensitize us to death in the name of hatred and fear. Keep our hearts open to peace, compassion, tolerance and respect for others. Amen.

Thank you.

In preparation for my remarks this year, I spent a lot of time thinking about hope. Why? During your four years at Beaumont, you ladies have demonstrated hope in action – individually and collectively. You are empowered to be advocates for justice and change. Indeed, your impact will be felt on future Beaumont students for years to come. You stand well prepared to go out and change the world.

Class of 2022, you 71 seniors were accepted to 203 colleges and universities in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Paris, France. You will attend 44 different colleges and universities in 14 states, ranging from Oregon to Florida. Collectively, you have earned an eye-popping $11.4 million in merit-based scholarship.

You are Phi Beta Kappa, IB Diploma Candidates, and Blue Streaks forever. Three of you are going to continue as scholar athletes at the university level.

You are pursuing medicine, engineering, architecture, statistics, business, education, nursing, journalism, film, computer science, art conservation, linguistics, animation, marketing, environmental science, psychology, fashion, theater, and human-computer interaction.

We join your parents and families in expressing just how proud we are of your accomplishments and the women you are becoming.

I love that word – becoming. To me, it means that we are never quite finished. The journey continues. We are always working toward becoming the best version of ourselves. It also means the path is not fixed. As Mother Theresa says, “Each sunrise is the promise of rewriting your story.” In other words, you don’t need to have it all figured out at age 18.

In the introduction to her Counsels, St. Angela Merici advises her company of women thusly: “…the more you esteem them, the more you will love them; the more you love them, the more you will care for and watch over them. And it will be impossible for you not to cherish them day and night, and to have them all engraved in your heart, one by one, for this is how real love acts and works.”

To have them engraved in your heart, one by one… That is how we think of each of you. To be Ursuline is to be relational and that means getting to know you so that you are indeed, engraved in our hearts.

How do we express this? It’s different for everyone. But for me, it’s quite simply by looking at the individual ways you have made an impact on us.

- Through the eloquence conveyed through your art.

- Through the sheer physical power required to lengthen your body just enough to win a state championship.

- That radiant smile on the volleyball court after a kill.

- The depth of intellect and respect on display in a Socratic seminar on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and themes of discrimination

- The mural that adorns the hallway in the art wing – the Grand Canyon as a reflection on mental health

- The flawless conducting of Voices of Harmony performance of “Breath of Heaven” at Communion reflection

- The enthusiasm and openness with which you present me ideas:

• Mrs. Hoke, do you know how many people here drink coffee daily? A lot, was the beginning pitch of Angie’s Coffee Bar.
• AND
• We love Chef Bo and many things have returned from the pandemic, but we’re also teenagers and we really need fried food.

- The “creativity” of Spirit Club and its themes. (I did need the Adam Sandler one explained to me). But also the absolute joy of supporting one another that prompted a coach to send me an unprecedented thank you email saying that the support was “absolutely amazing. The vibe they created was like nothing I have ever seen … the whole evening made Beaumont shine.”

- The unintelligible silliness on the announcements that accompanied the B-Day riddle.

- Your willingness to share with me what you’ve learned at some of the competitions of which you’ve participated

- The looks on your faces when you leapt out of your seats at the end of the Career Day panel to support our alumnae AND the tears of joy and deep appreciation they had as you serenaded them with the alma mater.

- Finally, the way you lead the student body in singing the alma mater. Each class adds its own little flare and from here on out, it will be impossible not to hear it without Mary McDonald’s “everybody” at the end!

So why do I share all this? Because these are just a fraction of the ways in which you give me hope. We build hope together – as a community. We don’t build it alone. That is one of Beaumont’s special gifts.

The writer Maria Popova says, “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism, but hope without critical thinking it naivety.” We can hold two competing thoughts simultaneously. Grief and hope can coexist as we are seeing with the violence not only in our country but around the world. We grieve while we must continue to push for better.

St. Angela knew this. She was hopeful because she had absolute fidelity in God’s love. That’s how she understood that we could be good and loved sinners. She could hold those two things in balance because of her confidence in God’s love for us all.

Connected to hope is vulnerability. Oprah Winfrey says that vulnerability is the cornerstone of confidence. Yes, confidence. It is the thing that has made her so successful. Think about it. Vulnerability is about being seen and heard and it actually requires strength. Brene Brown says it is not just about pain and fear, “vulnerability is the birthplace of all the things we crave – creativity, joy, innovation, faith, love.” When as a society we are fearful, we shut down vulnerability. Look how that plays out in our society? Lost joy, connection, empathy … tragedy.

One of our deepest longings as human beings is for union or interdependence. We come together to know what to do and in the process we make something new together. You may have a solution that helps the climate, create a documentary that illuminates the human experience. Or you could start a family. Bringing children into this world is one of the most beautiful examples of hope and it changes the world for the better. Trust me, I’m a new grandma and our little Henry has changed our world.

There’s a great word – solidarity – that reminds us we are bound by bonds of reciprocity. Pope Francis says, “solidarity is not the sharing of crumbs, rather it is making space at the table for all.”

As you step toward your future, Class of 2022, think about how you will use your voice in service to others, how you will create space at the table for all, how you will be light and hope for others.

You don’t need to have all the answers today. And even when you do, those answers may change over time. Life is never a straight path forward. But I know you will lead. And when you do, you will come to learn what is essential. Love for others is essential.

Earlier this week, we sent an email out to our 7,000 alumnae as you are about to join their ranks. We asked them to share words of wisdom for the Class of 2022. We look forward to sharing their thoughts via social media. But here is one I’d like to share with you tonight.

Dear Beaumont Class of ’22,

First and foremost, congratulations on the occasion of your graduation. Though it has been a mere 56 years since I celebrated my graduation from Beaumont, I remember the day as if it were yesterday, and I salute each and every one of you. Congratulations to your families as well.

As you embark on your new adventures, wherever they make take you, I offer for your consideration a few words of advice and encouragement.

- Never forget who you are. Don’t let others define you.

- Always strive to be your best. Set reasonable goals for yourselves, and stretch those goals whenever you can. As the ancient Chinese proverb says, “Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.”

- Remember that there are people all around who are less fortunate than you; lift them up whenever possible through your deeds and actions.

- Finally, commit to memory the following quote from Steve Prefontaine: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” (It has come in handy for me so very many times.)

Best of luck to you on this most important day in your lives. We’ll be watching for great things going forward.

Very sincerely,

Virginia (Ginnie) O’Brien Record

Beaumont Class of 1966

St. Angela shows us how to serve freely, joyfully and creatively without being burdened. You are about to join legions of women, like Ginnie, who have been formed in that same spirit. One such sister is Dr. Meg Taylor Ruesch Class of 1987, who we will honor in September with our Distinguished Alumna Award. Meg, as it happens, is the vice president of research and development at Pfizer and has worked on the team with Bio-n-Tech to mass produce the COVID-19 vaccine. Her work has changed our world.

And because I have a captive audience of women (including moms, sisters, aunts, and grandmas) and this is deeply personal, when the time comes ladies, please get your mammograms. A Beaumont alum named Ellen Proctor is on the patent for the compression system for mammography. As a stage 3 breast cancer survivor, I can say that a Beaumont alum literally saved my life.

Women of the Class of 2022, you have been researchers, engineers, artists, athletes, social justice advocates and global scholars. You challenged, pushed, reconciled and grew as leaders and women of faith over these four years.

Your intellect, work ethic, drive, creativity and fierceness had us cheering you all along the way. You, ladies, are well prepared.

There will be times ahead that will test you and maybe even bring you to your knees. Lean on your faith and let the faithful women of Beaumont guide you with our simple prayer:

St. Angela, watch over our days

St. Ursula, protect our future

Sr. Doroth Kazel, walk with us

Know that we all are so very proud of you—Mr. Beyer, Mrs. Hoelzel, Mrs. Schaeffer, Mrs. Bernot, your guidance counselors, teachers, parents, siblings, grandparents, the Ursuline Sisters and our board of directors.

When I was first hired as President of Beaumont five years ago, one of the Ursuline Sisters sent me a St. Angela prayer card and handwritten on the back were Angela’s words that have inspired me every day these past five years. I feel these are just right for you. St. Angela says:

Do something

Get moving

Be confident

Risk new things

Stick with it

Get on your knees and pray

Then be ready for

Big surprises

Class of 2022, you have been a beacon of hope and light over these past four years. Now go out, let that light shine for the world and be ready for big surprises!

Congratulations, Class of 2022!

We love you and may God bless you all!