WSC Winter 2009 Graduates Ready for Life’s Next Chapter
Dec. 21, 2009 -- It was standing room only as family and friends filled the Paul Wright Gymnasium for the Western State College of Colorado Winter 2009 Commencement on Dec. 19.
Winter 2009 graduates sing the Alma Mater at the close of the Commencement ceremony on Dec. 19
Led by faculty marshal Frank Venturo, chair of the Communication Arts, Languages and Literature Department, the 78 graduating seniors radiated pride and accomplishment as they paraded to their seats.
Tiara Lopez, originally of Terilingua, Texas, delivered the student address. A performance poet who found her “voice” while at Western, Lopez encouraged her peers to create their own stories and draw from their college experiences, as well as from their future adventures.
"Today, capture the past for what it’s worth and let it go since it’s been done because we are moving on. Do this without forgetting the value of these self-shaping experiences,” she remarked.
Former US ambassador Peter Bridges served as the commencement speaker. The Crested Butte resident advised students to be passionate, prudent and enthusiastic leaders who will shape not only their own futures, but that of the nation and beyond.
“The future is unknowable -- and to a great extent it is in our human hands. It is in your hands,” he said.
