Commencement 2008
Celebrating Lives of Courage and Compassion
Wheelock’s 120th Commencement Exercises
Friday, May 16, 2008
Video Highlights
Graduates, their families, faculty and guests gathered at Temple Israel in Brookline on Friday, May 16 to celebrate Wheelock’s 120th Commencement. One hundred and ninety members of Wheelock’s class of 2008 received their bachelor’s degrees, and 82 graduates received master’s degrees.
This year’s Commencement theme, “Celebrating Lives of Courage and Compassion,” was underscored by the presentation of honorary degrees to three distinguished public servants. Sen. John F. Kerry, along with Mrs. Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, the Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports in Singapore, and Ms. Kip Tiernan, founder of Rosie’s Place and the Greater Boston Food Bank, received honorary Doctor of Education degrees from President Jackie Jenkins-Scott. These individuals have challenged social injustice and re-envisioned the paradigm of public service. Most important, their achievements have inspired others to set standards of exemplary service and to passionately pursue justice for all.
Sen. Kerry delivered the Commencement address, mixing in humor with poignant observations about the challenges facing the class of 2008. He said, “I’m not going to lie to you, there will be some shock entering the working world. There could be some unexpected hurdles. It’s like when you found out you can’t earn computer science credits by playing ‘Guitar Hero.’” Coupled with these cautions about post-college life, Sen. Kerry offered words of encouragement and enthusiasm: “I urge you: carve out some time in your life to be a citizen. Don’t just vote. As you graduate, continue to find a way to part of your communities and take part in a cause. Find a cause greater than yourself that captures your imagination, and go after it.”
Sen. Kerry highlighted the advancing threat of global warming as an example where innovative people can initiate watershed change in our society: “The most exciting thing is happening across the country. I met recently with five green venture capital companies who are doing remarkable things right here in Massachusetts…this is the future, and it’s unbelievably exciting. We’re talking about the possibility of millions of new jobs, of new Googles, staring us in the face.”
President Jenkins-Scott also announced the recipients of two faculty awards. Associate Professor Ann Tobey was awarded the Cynthia Longfellow Teaching Award. The award is given annually to a non-tenured full-time or half-time or more faculty member to acknowledge and honor distinguished teaching. Professor Gail Dines was awarded the Edward H. Ladd Award for Academic Excellence and Service. This award is given annually to a tenured faculty member to honor distinguished teaching.
Shannon Pitman was conferred the President’s Leadership Award by President Jenkins-Scott. This award is given to a graduating senior who has displayed exemplary leadership and community-building skills during his or her tenure at Wheelock.
Undergraduate student speaker Ms. Kimberly McKee, in her address entitled “We Are All Here To Teach,” said, “We may not all go on to teach in classrooms, but what we have learned in the past four years will enable us to enrich the lives of children, adolescents, adults and elders everywhere…while our vast range of experiences and knowledge make us all teachers in a broad sense, the lessons and values that are imbedded in all we teach are—in fact—very simple.” She summed up her message with a quote from Robert Fulghum’s book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten:” “When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.”
Graduate student speaker Ms. Patricia Stabler (see remarks) used her own experiences as a parent, care giver and educator to illuminate how the zeal she and her classmates have for their work will continue the College’s mission of improving the lives of children and families. She said, “Combined with our passion for this work, we hope to make a difference in our corners of the world—a small, but significant difference towards a better future for all of us.”
In her closing remarks, President Jenkins-Scott urged the graduates to put their education—and their conviction—to good use. “Each of you will be faced with opportunities in your professional careers and in your personal lives to stand up or stand by. You will surely be confronted with situations where you have a choice—blow the whistle, say timeout and shout out in words and action ‘not on my watch.’ The choice will be entirely yours. It is our fervent hope that you leave here with the confidence, courage, compassion and passion to stand up and not stand by. “
