It is better to be
hated for what you
are, than loved for
what you are not.
History offers many examples of people
who changed the world by taking unpopular
positions. Jesus was crucified for preaching the good news of God. Dr. Martin
Luther King was assassinated for standing
up for the rights of all people. Taking an
unpopular position is never an easy thing to
do, but it is often the right thing to do. As
you go through life, always remember that
one person with courage makes a majority.
Be that majority.
The trouble with
opportunity is that
it always comes
disguised as hard
work.
All things that are good require effort and
sacrifice. For example, good grades require
studying and great athletes require immense
practice. Always remember that success
comes in “cans,” not “cannots.” If you are
not willing to work hard for what you want
in life then you’re not going to get it. The
sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.
If you don’t stand for
something, you’ll fall
for anything.
Today marks the beginning
of a new journey and this journey requires
each of us to have courage. Essential to this
courage is our ability to stand up for what
is right and what is wrong. In all things in
life, stand up for what you believe. Never
forget that people will not walk over you
until you lie down.
The greater the
obstacle, the more
glory there is in
overcoming it.
This is why championships mean so much.
Here on Siena’s main campus, we have witnessed several championship sports teams
over the past few years. These championships meant a great deal to all of us in the
Siena community because the athletes and
coaches worked so hard for these victories.
If these championships were easy to win,
there would have been no honor in the victory and we, as a community, would have
felt no pride in the success. The lesson we
learn from this is, “Don’t avoid the great
obstacles; behind those obstacles are great
victories.”
Our life is our gift from
God. What we do with
our life is our gift to
God.
God has given each of us gifts and abilities, and we have only ourselves to blame
if we don’t use these abilities to their full
potential. Life isn’t easy. It never has been
and never will be. During my own struggles
to reach my goal of a college degree, I am
struck by the number of times that God did
not give me what I wanted, but in the end
gave me what I needed. Always remember
that God is with us in all that we do. Never
lose sight of the fact that God is our friend
and a life-long companion whom we glorify
though our achievements. Because God
delays does not mean that God denies.
From the
Heights
11
Pat Irwin ‘86, Antonio Galvan ‘01 and another fan
on the fieldhouse lawn after commencement.
In closing, we the class of 2001 would
like to thank our families, friends and
loved ones for their support through our
college journey. We would also like to
thank the dedicated faculty, administrators
and support staff for all of their sacrifices
and efforts. In particular, thank you to the
Adrian Dominican Sisters for their wisdom,
sacrifice and commitment to the improvement of humankind. Through your actions
and spirit you have challenged us to make
the world a better place; now we must challenge ourselves to fulfill this destiny as more
competent, purposeful and ethical servants