Thank you,DeanKelley!
Dean Kelley,
When it comes to UNE, you were many of the 'firsts' I experienced as I began this new chapter of my life.
From my parents: you were the first person I had heard stories about. With UNECOM condensed to little more than that small, white building up on a hill in the middle of the woods, you were the first person that greeted each student as they started their day, and the last person to bid them farewell as that day ended. My parents often described you as their class's second mother, and at times, I heard that you were...
From Kristy, who had her first child during her first years of medical school, she had told me how during some lectures, there were professors that did not allow her to bring her baby to class. She told me how in those times, you were one of the people she had relied on to watch her child, as she would poke in and out of lecture.
And from me...you were the first person I had met on campus. You were the bridge that connected my parents' experience to mine. You helped me ease my way into this new life and face the personal challenges that came with it. While your role may not always been in the forefront of my class's education, I knew you were always in the periphery doing what you could - and for everything that you have done, I am forever grateful.
As you begin to close this chapter in your life, I can say with confidence that it is infinitely better than when you had first opened it.
I hope that your next chapter will be just as fulfilling...
-Alex Gosselin