Aaron R. Jenkins
We Have Come This Far ...
Hello Family,
“We have come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord. Trusting in His Holy Word. He has never failed me yet. Oh, can’t turn around we have come this far by faith.”
The title of my address, “We have come this far,” is derived from this hymn. I felt it was most appropriate as it captures the essence of this day and is drawn directly from my background both in upbringing and belief as know that I did not make it here on my own. We have all had to lean on someone.
Class of 2003, “we have come this far” in four years of what I would like to call “academic/emotional/spiritual boot camp” in what has been described as “an undisclosed bubble-like mountainous location.”
We have come this far, amen? Amen. Each of us, having arrived at Williams and now reached this historic day of June 8th 2003, has done so under varied circumstances.
Now I understand that the rest of us may complete this song differently. I bet if you were able to approach the microphone, you would all complete the phrase in your own words. You may say that “We have come this far” by:
- The help of others ...
- A kind professor ...
- Snack Bar Points / Grab and Go / caffeine, caffeine, caffeine ...
- Independent Studies
All of you that I have had conversation with or any interaction, all assisted me in writing this speech. Every handshake, every smile, every cut in the line at Dodd, every question of “Are you the class speaker?” have all aided me in preparing for this task and I thank you for selecting me for it.
Now class, you know that senior year is almost a year that we can refer to an ineffable experience, one in which words, at times, can not always describe. At one point this year I began doing that dangerous thing of looking back over my time here at Williams and doing the “I wish I had’s” and “I could have done’s.” As all of you know this most usually leads to tears or the realization that we only have the time right now. We cannot go back in the past, no matter how much we want, to change things. I want however, Family, to address you today in my own way, to share three brief stories of the common experiences I have had with all of you here.
EDVARD
Now, one day I was walking with fellow classmate Edvard Major who, by the way, was a triple major here. I didn’t even know that existed here! Did you? I hope that his Mom is here because I am going to brag on him as all of those parents out there do with their children. He is a triple major everyone and did well.
So, I began to tell him how I wish we could switch places, he could take my transcript and I take his. ... No, what I really said was that in reflecting, I wish that I had been as he, more focused in my work.
He responded with, and I am paraphrasing, a question. “Don’t you participate in all of those activities with different people?” You do things that I cannot do. We can all do work but you touch people, you reach them.
Eddie, your words, at that moment, touched me in that moment as you taught me that we must recognize who we are and be content with ourselves. I learned that success is varied. His success and my success were different but still success. Class, I learned that you have to do you. Say “do you.” You have to be yourself because that is all you can be.
INIKO
Now I would like to share a story of my friend, Iniko. She is someone that loved life and lived it to the fullest. She was a dancer in group called “Riddim&38221; and a prospective math major coming in her freshman year. Everyone, she had more talents and energy in her pinky finger than I could ever imagine having in my entire being. She introduced me the joy of performance thorough stepping and singing.
As a member of the Class of 2003 she too would have graduated this year but will not. In April 2000 she died in a fatal car accident during her spring break. I am sure that over your four years many of you may have lost someone close to you. September 11th will always be a day that has made us relate to human loss. As that day was for many of us, the day I was told about Iniko’s passing was probably one of my hardest moments here at Williams. I had never lost someone so close to me, especially a friend. It was hard, family, going through this.
What helped me to get through were the kind words and encouragement from many of you and I thank you. My point, family, that we must live life. We must live it and not run away from it. We must actively engage life not only because it is a beautiful thing that can end at a moments’ notice but also that we have only one life to live. As the song I spoke of earlier says, “We can’t turn around.”
So I honor Iniko today not only with mention in my speech but by remembering her life and allowing that memory to help me actively, and not passively, live life. Please live life, family.
SOUTH AFRICA
I want to conclude (favorite words of a graduation speech) with a story about my Winter Study trip to South Africa.
In my travels with the group we came across a hotel where the staff were very helpful and even sang to the guests during dinner. My fellow classmate Billy (Green) is a person that does not see title but people and began conversation with them. I joined and a few of us told them how much we enjoyed their singing. We spoke with them not as wait staff but as people.
After a night filled with cultural exchange upon leaving the hotel we left our addresses for the staff with a word of thanks. On my birthday, Billy phoned me to say that he received a letter from that very staff. It said they were so moved by the encouragement we showed them, the love of seeing them as people, that they were encouraged to use their talents in singing to raise awareness of the AIDS/HIV epidemic sweeping throughout Southern Africa. In their letter they even asked for advice and shared their excitement for taking on this work.
Family, a hotel staff of about ten people, armed only with faith, an ability to sing and a drive to combat what some of us would say an impossible foe, are at this very moment boldly making a stand against AIDS. They were already armed with this ability to do so and all that it took to unlock it was love from people thousands of miles away who saw them as people and treated them as such. What I took away from this that others can be inspired by us to do great things both directly and indirectly. So inspire others.
Family, we have all made it through Boot Camp. I feel that it is our common experiences in this place, along with our education, that have prepared us for our future, strong job market or not. I have taken these experiences, this progression of growth (D-LO) and not J-LO. Remember D-LO.
Do you
live life
inspire others
I leave you, family, as I began. “We Have Come This Far ...” You fill in the blank for yourselves.
Thank you.
June 8, 2003