By Max McAuliff, Opinion Editor
Congratulations! You have successfully graduated from St. Bonaventure University. The conditions were by no means ideal. Who would have thought a global pandemic would have derailed this past semester. Nobody wanted graduation to take place online, instead of in-person. You have faced numerous challenges this year but have made it this far, and you are by no means done yet.
There is no denying we are living in unprecedented times. The safety of each citizen is, of course, the number one focus during this troubling time. But, you were nevertheless robbed of a semester at St. Bonaventure.
You had no idea that your last day of in-person classes would truly be your last day on campus this spring. Everyone held out hope that we would be able to return after a two-week hiatus but that was not the case. Transitioning to online classes with two months left in your time at St. Bonaventure was no doubt difficult and yet you prevailed.
You did not know that your last drink at The Other Place would be months before graduation or that your final Spring Weekend would not occur. You have faced challenges that other classes would not fathom going through. Yet here you are, a graduate of St. Bonaventure.
These challenges that you have faced will leave you ready to head off into the workforce or onto graduate school. You will be more prepared to deal with challenges in future classes, in the office, or in other endeavors. St. Bonaventure prepared you for these challenges.
Everyone that you have interacted with over the past four years has helped mold you into the person you are today. Professors have taught you almost everything you know and prepared you for a career in your field. Coaches have instilled values and a work ethic within you that will last a lifetime. Friars have taught you what it means to be ethical and to live a virtuous life. Members of the community will give you a smile when they see you in St. Bonaventure apparel. Alumni have shared stories about their time at St. Bonaventure and have maybe helped you during your job search. Lastly, those friends that you made freshman year, and those others along the way, have all been influential in who you have become.
While losing your last semester at St. Bonaventure was heart-breaking the lessons that you have learned will help guide you for the rest of your life.
I will leave you with a poem from writer Nikki Banas titled Hope, it reads –
“If you only carry one thing throughout your entire life, let it be hope. Let it be hope that better things are always ahead. Let it be hope that you can get through even the toughest of times. Let it be hope that you are stronger than any challenge that comes your way. Let it be hope that you are exactly where you are meant to be right now, and that you are on the path to where you are meant to be….Because during these times, hope will be the very thing that carries you through.”
To the class of 2020, the entire St. Bonaventure community salutes you. Once a Bonnie, always a Bonnie.
mcaulimr18@bonaventure.edu
