Seniors share experiences, prepare to graduate on June 14

This year, 12 graduating seniors auditioned for the honor. While only one speech will be read at the 2009 undergraduate graduation ceremony on June 14, each senior shared unique experiences from their time at Otterbein.

Congratulations to graduating senior Manny Brown, who was selected as the 2009 commencement speaker.

Below are inspiring excerpts and thoughtful memories from the senior speeches.

Alexander Almeida
Music Major

"I can say with pride that I have watched not only myself change, but every person I have met change as well. There is something about this campus, whatever we may personally feel towards it, that changes us. I think that because of our experiences here at Otterbein, we are allowing our true light to show, we are beginning to conquer our greatest fear and become people who will shape the world, even in the smallest of ways."

"Some cultures do not believe that one can become an adult until they have had a shared experience. Usually these are transforming experiences and, depending on the culture, they can be quick or take several years. I think college has been our experience. I think that after everything we have gone through, we can say that we have become adults. I know that looking back I have become a different person; I would go as far as to firmly say that after college, I have finally become a man."

"The most exciting part from where I am standing is not that we have become adults, or that we have all changed. It is that we are opening ourselves up; we have let the light that God has given us shine. Through these changes and these experiences, we are allowing our true selves to come to fruition. I do not think of change as a means to become something different, I think of change as a means to become who we truly are. We are finally able to show the world who we are, to go out and let the light within us change what we see."

Samuel Boateng

"With every quarter, we got exposed to reality - cultural diversity, working with people of differing ideologies, grabbing every opportunity we could to sharpen our capabilities and learn from others. What led to our success during this process was building trust with our colleagues and high standards of reputation in our position as leaders and followers. This learning process also empowered us to lead with integrity even in the minutest areas - we have learned to be good listeners, we have stood up for the right stances while respecting others' beliefs, we have demonstrated authority and expertise by keeping ourselves focused on the target and the best means to reach them."

"At the beginning of every quarter, all those proclamations on academic honesty and emphasis on the academic integrity that was part of our syllabus were not mere lip service. The honesty you took to ask and pursue certain questions, to complete challenging end-of-the-term projects were expectations from you, as student and as leaders and we should be proud to have lived up to them. All of the academic honesty was critical as well to the sort of education we received here at Otterbein. This is where Otterbein College has played such a crucial role in fostering our decency."

Brandon Cross
Political Science and Religion Major

"...It took a little time but most of us would settle down and adjust to the college life. We also started to learn something. We had begun to learn that Otterbein was a place that would teach us and challenge us inside and outside the classroom."

"As the years would go on most of us would get older and learn not just how to be a part of [campus activities and organizations] and go to class, but really be challenged to become a stronger person and citizen of society. We would learn and work with people from different places and different backgrounds than our own. My freshman year I met a person from Hong Kong who I would be friends with until he graduated. I also ran into a person who literally told me I was the first black person that she had ever met in person. Otterbein would push us academically and culturally to change. And that we would."

"I challenge you to go out there with your college degree and help change the planet. It only takes one person. It only took one person to redefine a society and create a new religion from a little town in Israel. It only took one person to redefine science and give us E=MC2. It only took one person to redefine basketball like [Michael Jordan] did. I challenge you, when you leave here today, go and be that change."

Bryan Curtiss
Broadcasting Major with concentration in Media Production and an English Minor

"This is a great day to be an Otterbein Cardinal. This is the final page of this chapter of our lives, and this is also the first page of the next chapter of our lives. What does our future entail? That was the question that we asked when we were looking around at colleges when we were 16 years old with the help of our parents. Once we got our feet firmly planted on campus, they were planted in the traditions that come along with the Otterbein experience. After a billion donut runs at Schneider's Bakery, Integrative Studies courses that expand your mind with knowledge, and a deep, intense hatred of the Capital Crusaders, we have established ourselves as members of the Otterbein society."

"While I am sad to say goodbye to the place that I have spent the last few years of my life working hard for a degree, I am excited to bring on the challenges of the real world that are eagerly waiting not just for me, but for all of us. In this crowd of 600 students in beautiful black regalia, who knows what will become of us. There could be a future Barack Obama, a future Brian Williams, a future J.K. Rowling, a future Meryl Streep, or a future C. Brent DeVore amongst the Otterbein College Class of 2009."

"We have now been given the keys to the future. This day is ours because it was only yesterday that we began the first day of our freshman years of college. Time sure flies when you have fun because all that hard work has paid off...It is not going to be an easy road ahead of us. But, we will manage to thrive in the real world because of the balance of a liberal arts education."

"As this last page of our college career is written for the history books, let us remember the things that we, as a student body, were able to accomplish in these last four years. Let us remember the things that helped us prepare for the tasks that are facing us ahead. Let us also remember the times that we shared together in the classroom, and out of the classrooms, along with the everlasting ties that we bounded in this quiet, peaceful village."

Josh Franke
Organizational Communication Major

"...Some of us may be staying here, some may be going home, and some of us may be going somewhere where we know no one. But for all of us, the truth is, we are leaving Otterbein. We are leaving the place where strangers became friends and friends became family. We are departing from a college that became a home. The place where professors were more than professors, they were friends. We are leaving this place of comfort to go off into a giant world where the sky is the limit It is fearful leaving these things and taking a blind step into the world, but I know that we are ready and that each and every one of us is capable of being successful."

"The history books have opened to a blank page, our page. We will be the ones who decide what is written and I have no doubt it will be great things. The American people look at our generation as the generation that will change things and we will. That page will read that in darkest of times we were not restrained by fear because we have lived our lives with fear. Fear has become a shadow of ours, walking side by side with us our entire lives. We have accomplished and endured much with that shadow looming over us and there is no doubt in my mind that one day we will loom over that shadow because the greatest people through history have had the same shadow as a friend."

"We are the generation of hope; we are the generation of change. We will be the generation that looks fear in the eyes and we will say ‘I will not back down in these times of challenge and controversy.' And we will refuse to fail. So, as we walk away today in many separate directions, look fear in the eye and smile because greatness follows in his footsteps."

Randi Hopkins
History Major with Integrated Social Studies teacher licensure (7-12)

"We are always in a hurry to grow up and then it hits us like a Mac truck. I'm sure at different times, within the past year especially, the question no longer is what do you want to be when you grow up, but what are you going to be after you graduate this year? Reality sets in and scares the heck out of us, but at the same time fills us with the sense of hope. There is no next year at Otterbein and for a moment we don't want it to end. But I promise first of all, it's not the end. Otterbein and the moments of glory we experienced here will always be in our hearts. My dad always said that it takes a community to raise a child. Whether we wanted to believe it or not, we were still children during our time at the OC, and the people of the Otterbein community helped shape us into who we are today, as we venture out into the unknown."

"Which brings us to how Otterbein has prepared us. There have been moments in the past few years that have pushed us to our limits and beyond. Situations that have made us want to throw our hands up in the air and walk away. Circumstances that outcomes final result made or broke us. Whether it was the loss of a loved one, a straining class, relationship issues or falling short of our personal goals, the way we dealt with those moments defined us and made us who we are. Even if we did "break", the life lessons we received have only made us better. No one ever said the road of life was easy, but just think of how boring it would be if we could have fully experience the good because we had never experienced pain."

"Otterbein has been our home for the last four years and most importantly it's been a part of our hearts. There are certain things on campus that make Otterbein unlike any other campus. Only at Otterbein will you find the sweet old lady with the English bulldogs that will let you pet her dogs and then invite you to tea. Only at Otterbein can you smell the sweet smell of a pipe and know that Rev. Monty Bradley is somewhere close by. Only at Otterbein can you celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving on the same night. It's the little things that make Otterbein the special college that it is."

Jordan Koogler
Music Education Major

"...We are all filled with pride and satisfaction because we have reached the end of our journey through college...It is at these pride-filled moments that we all take a moment to reflect on our lives. I hope that everyone here today has lived their lives with no regrets, not that you all have had mistake-free lives, just that you don't regret those mistakes. Please remember that it's your mistakes more than your good choices that have taught you who you are."

"So, if you feel bad about sleeping through a final freshman year; don't. You slept through it and guess what; you are still graduating today. Please remember that having regrets will only limit your ability to move on with your life. Move on from your mistakes and from this wonderful school and do what you have been trained to do. Your past is the thing that has created who you are. While you should remember it, I urge you not to allow it to serve as anything but a reminder of what you can achieve."

"‘The best things in life are not things at all!' It really is a simple statement, but it is one that carries such meaning and power that I feel it is the most important thing for me to say to the Class of '09...Four years of hard work, persistence, and growth will be proven and acknowledged on a piece of paper. Well, if the best things in life are not things then the most important part of this day is not the degree we will receive at all. It is honoring the past four years in our hearts and minds."

"In keeping our spirits and minds forever on our Otterbein days, I hope none of us forget these past four years. I then hope we use these years as inspiration to become as successful as possible in our chosen fields of study...Time will leave a mark on us all; however, it is those who make a mark on time as well that are remembered. '09, let's go make our mark."

Laura Norman
Public Relations Major with minors in Speech Communication and Art/Photography

"In my opinion my entire experience here at Otterbein has been shaped by the opportunities that this institution has presented me. These are opportunities that all of us have been given in one way or another and it was up to us to make what we could of them."

"Otterbein presented me the possibility to make a difference through student leadership. For three years I served as a dedicated member of the Campus Programming Board and for the last of those three years, I stood as its president...Being encouraged to stand up and be a leader with the support of my college behind me was life changing. Your self-worth, work ethic, and determination are all strengthened and you find yourself realizing that as much of a mark that you left on others, they left just as much on you. It's all about the process and in the end you are happy with the results because you took that chance."

"Throughout your life things are not going to just be handed to you, you will have to work hard, play smart, and make the most of your opportunities. At times things will seem overwhelming and difficult, but just remember that every obstacle, opportunity and experience looks different from every angle and you will never know what the outcome will be if you don't take those chances."

Kari Ringer
Musical Theatre Major

"We are all children in various stages of growing up. The story of The Wizard of Oz teaches us all sorts of lessons one needs to know to have a successful journey to where we are going. Commit to what you want. Be careful what you wish for...To me, The Wizard of Oz teaches us that having a brain, a heart, courage, and a home to come back to are the essentials in life."

"Aside from academic knowledge, Otterbein prepares its students in another kind of smarts - the kind you cannot learn in a classroom... Teaching these academic and life lessons has always been part of Otterbein's agenda to give its students the most knowledge they can in four years. Like the Scarecrow, we come yearning for brains, but what we gain is brainpower."

"Other than intelligence, we gain what the Tin Man wished for, a heart. Our compassion, kindness, and love from experiences that only Otterbein can provide. We learn charity through our involvement with groups dedicated to community service on campus like the CardinalCorps and the Center for Community Engagement. We are taught tolerance through Otterbein's continued pride in its diversity. Our honor is instilled in us through our all around excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts. Finally, all of these values contribute to a great love of our college, our fellow students, faculty, and community."

"For Otterbein students; however, I think we can all say that the college provided us with a home away from home. It is set in a community that will never quit on you and revels in your glories and supports you in your shortcomings, both personal and educational. The college itself runs on a faculty that is knowledgeable, accessible and reliable. Most importantly, the students themselves are a family all their own."

Cory Smith
Musical Theatre Major

"College has been a time of mental development, of research, of hours spent blinking into endless pages of novels, plays, manuscripts, essays, poems and textbooks. My mind is full and my pockets are empty. It has proven easy at times and exhaustingly complicated at others, but our devotion to our subjects hopefully steered us to a plausible plethora of information that will direct us into our individual fields with confidence."

"What I wish for all of us, in this age of technological communication, is to learn and remember how to listen - to ourselves and to each other. I know this sounds absolutely elementary, but it is the most imperative piece of humanity that is being sacrificed in our information age...However, we cannot simply listen to others. We first need to learn to listen to ourselves. I truly believe we are incapable of hearing others completely if we first cannot hear ourselves...At Otterbein, I have begun to learn how to listen to myself, and because of that, I have begun to learn how to truly listen to others; an ultimate gift."

"...I challenge each of you - and myself - to always search for our true voice in this life, whether the search be an independent quest, one with our family, a friend, a journal, a psychologist, whatever. Let's find our truths and not hide from them. We should always ask ourselves how we actually feel - in our home, at our job, in our relationships. What do we actually want? And once we can hear ourselves, we can hear each other...So as we depart Otterbein and approach a new beginning, without the comfort of a classroom, a professor or a syllabus, let us find our direction by listening to our truths."

Cory Velazco
Music Education Major

"College was not easy for any of us, but we all lived through these past four years because of each other...I just want to make sure we can live. Not just survive, but really live. Enjoy your lives and enjoy each other. Say what you need to say before you let your friends go today. Remember Otterbein for how wonderful it was and how carefree it could be."

"The past four years have been a test of patience, knowledge, and love. Not just love of our majors and our future lives, but love of each other; love of humanity in general...No longer should we be separating ourselves and classifying ourselves by our majors or our professions, but we should view ourselves as one body; one people...We should not longer group ourselves by ethnicity, age, majors, or religions because we all have the same goal; make this world better."

"We were fortunate enough to be part of an Otterbein community that is rich in diversity. The tools have been given to us and we have spent the past four years cleaning and sharpening these tools. The remainder of your lives may not be graded and you may not have a fraternal brother or sister to remind you of how great you are, but you all shared an experience by being here at Otterbein. The ability to look at your degree after today will remind you not just of how great you are, but how powerful you are as well."