One thousand people were gathered under a tent in front of Reed Campus Center for the school’s 172nd commencement ceremony, where many, including graduates, were huddled under blankets on the unseasonably cold Sunday.
Students, faculty and family gathered in Easthampton, Sunday, for the Williston Northampton School's 172nd commencement.
“When I think about going to college, the first thought that comes to mind is, ‘We started from the bottom, now we’re going back to the bottom.’”
Upon further reflection, though, the students speaker, who came to the school from Providence, R.I., said she and her peers have the advantage of knowing how to do laundry, realize how good a friend coffee can be to a student and, most importantly, know “how to make the most out of what they have.
“We realize the importance of student-teacher relationships. We realize the value and influence that is derived from our peers and their talents. We know what it means to be learning both in and outside of the classroom, especially at a place where school is your home,” she said.
Another thought Gohh pondered before her peers was her fear of growing-up – that line that is crossed and can never be uncrossed.
“It’s only a matter of time until the Jordans turn into New Balance and bikinis turn into one-piece Speedos,” she noted, then advised her classmates to “take a second and find your parents or aunts or uncles or your teachers up on the stage and imagine yourself being them in a few years. This is called life. It happens.”
In the face of life happening, it is still all right to “hold onto your youth,” Gohh added, looking out at the nearly 1,000 people gathered under a tent in front of Reed Campus Center for the school’s 172nd commencement ceremony, where many, including graduates, were huddled under blankets on the unseasonably cold Sunday.
“Time is on your side now,” she said just before departing the stage. “Leaving Williston today, we know what we are capable of, and if we really want, can do anything and be anyone we want to be in this life.”