May 16, 2024
President Robert W. Iuliano
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
As Delivered.
Greetings and Opening Comments
Good afternoon, everyone.
You know we love our traditions here, but one of the traditions I’ve become particularly fond of is this tradition, because we seem to do it virtually every year. Congratulations to the women’s lacrosse team!
And a very special wish for good luck against William Smith this coming weekend and, of course, beyond.
Today, we are honoring and recognizing six students who are graduating from Gettysburg College—the first graduates of the Class of 2024.
I’d like to begin our ceremony by celebrating this extraordinary group of seniors. As I call your name, please stand and give us a wave, so we can recognize you: Jordan Basso, Gillian Cortese, Caroline Sullivan, Annie Nikolic, Emily Seymour, and Sophie Showers.
Let’s hear it for our Class of 2024 graduates!
They, of course, are led by one outstanding head coach, two talented assistant coaches, and a team of dedicated athletic trainers and equipment managers by their side.
Will you please join me in giving them a big round of applause for all they do for our student-athletes? Thank you!
As I said a moment ago, Special Commencement is always one of my favorite traditions of the year. Not only because it gives us the opportunity to celebrate all that you have accomplished during your time on campus, but perhaps even more so, because it gives those in attendance the opportunity to witness firsthand what has made your team so successful.
The way you celebrate one another. The way you uplift one another. The way you support and care for one another, as friends and as teammates. We all just saw this on vivid display, and it is remarkable.
A Gettysburg education is about the people.
It’s also about the place.
We talk a lot about the power of place—and how where you choose to live and learn during these formative years can profoundly shape your outlook on the world and who you ultimately become in your life after graduation.
Here at Gettysburg, we have so many places to turn for inspiration—from our historic town and campus to the battlefields that surround us to major cities of influence in our own backyard, like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and our state capital of Harrisburg. All of these locations play an integral role in the education our students receive.
But today, I’d like to call your attention to another place of inspiration—one just 20 minutes west of our campus.
If any of you participated in our GLC Outdoor Leadership program, you know what I’m referring to!
I’m speaking about the Appalachian Trail.
How many of you have hiked any section of the AT before?
The Appalachian Trail is one of the most iconic hiking trails in the entire world. It passes through 14 states in the eastern U.S. and extends nearly 2,200 miles from Mount Katahdin in Maine all the way down to Springer Mountain in Georgia.
In fact, the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail is right down the road from us at Michaux State Forest. There’s even a prominent sign where hikers pose to take selfies and celebrate their achievement and gain some extra motivation for the journey ahead.
I share this with you because hiking the Appalachian Trail represents the adventure of a lifetime for the several thousand people who attempt it each year—and like your last four years, it can be equally arduous, disorienting, rewarding, and full of self-discovery.
Today, as you prepare for your next great adventure in life, I’d like to offer you two common sayings that hikers will often repeat to one another on the AT during their six-month trek. It’s advice I have noted in other settings, but I believe it holds extra significance for you as soon-to-be graduates.
The first saying is this: “You pack your fears.”
What exactly do they mean by that? Well, when a hiker embarks on the Appalachian Trail, they do not know what to expect. So, they prepare for the worst. They pack extra food, extra water, extra clothes, extra everything.
But as they begin their journey, it doesn’t take long to learn a valuable lesson. Our fears can weigh us down.
At the halfway point of the AT, many hikers choose to shed these items and trust in themselves and their abilities to navigate all that the trail throws their way.
These are the hikers who prove most successful.
The second saying is perhaps even more illuminating. It is simply this: “A mile today is worth two tomorrow.”
Every day on the AT is difficult. Some are just more difficult. There’s bad weather. Wrong turns. The unexpected twisted ankle.
Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. Sometimes things don’t go the way we planned. That’s life.
The moral of the message is to push to be your best today, especially when it is hard.
This will build within you the strength and focus to overcome every obstacle in your path.
Class of 2024—whether it the start of graduate school, the launch of your career, an historic run in the NCAA playoffs, or the unanticipated twists tomorrow inevitably will bring—you have the adventure of a lifetime before you.
May you have the courage to forfeit your fears and trust in your abilities.
And may you have the will to push yourself to be your best today and every day.
You have done this on the lacrosse field over the past four years. Take those lessons with you and I promise you it will make all the difference.
Once again, my heartiest congratulations on this important milestone in your life. I look forward to all that’s ahead for you in your next great adventure. Enjoy this special day with your teammates. You deserve it.
Congratulations!
The Charge
It is now my honor to deliver the charge to the Class of 2024.
As is true for every generation, you are graduating into a world filled with challenges and opportunities.
You have spent the most formative years of your life not just at any college, but a college whose history and location compels us to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us, with an unwavering resolve to find our voice and lead with courage and conscience.
Professor Blume-Kohout’s inspiring comments today underscore how you are uniquely equipped to build a better and brighter tomorrow for all.
So, my charge to you is simply this: Be brave and know that you are worthy.
You are worthy of this moment, every cheer and tear from those who love you.
You are worthy of your education and the profound responsibility now entrusted to you to use it wisely and compassionately.
You are worthy of victory, not only because of how hard you play, but because of the way you play—always together as one team.
You are worthy of being counted on to rise to the great and unfinished work of our time.
And lastly, you are worthy of living a consequential life in service to a world that needs you.
We know you will.
Class of 2024, we believe in you.
At this time, I would ask our graduates to please stand.
Graduates, our entire campus will be cheering for you this weekend. You have represented the Orange and Blue with pride and integrity. While we hope that you meet success in the games ahead, know that you are already champions in the eyes of your new alma mater.
On behalf of all of us here at Gettysburg College, I offer you our very best wishes this weekend and into the future.
Families, friends, and guests, it is now my privilege to present our Gettysburg College graduates of the Class of 2024!
Congratulations and Do Great Work!