Commencement Remarks
Laura Angerame
May 19, 2016
Thank you Dr. Young.
It’s an honor to be here with all of you today to celebrate the SUNY Orange class of 2016.
I have a question. By a show of hands, who here today is nervous, a bit uncertain, and very excited, about today, about the future, about your journey?
It is reassuring to know I’m in such good company.
Those feelings are very much like the feelings I remember having as I sat with my fellow graduates that very warm Saturday morning in May of 1988. As I waited to receive my degree from Orange County Community College, I was nervous, a bit uncertain,and very excited.
If you had asked me that day to share with you where I saw myself in twenty-eight years, I can assure youit would not be standing on this stage here today. I never would have imagined the many opportunities I have enjoyed. For example, a career at SUNY Orange was not part of the plan and as those who know me can attest,I am one of those people who likes to have a plan, because as I have been known to say on more than one occasion nothing happens without a plan. So what’s your plan for the future?
Many will have you believe the future is a destination, a place you are trying to get,as I may have thought those many years ago at graduation. Rather, I challenge you to see the future as a journey. In all probability, the plan will change. That’s ok. Your journey will be filled with many uncertainties that will come in many different forms. The uncertainty and challenges in many cases are what move us forward and bring us to experiences that are enjoyed along the way. They may also change the destination. Again. That’s ok.
Some of the experiences will be positive, others not so positive. I would suggest that while the not so positive experiences are often unpleasant, they are where we gain our greatest knowledge and insight. Ultimately, it’s the knowledge and insight we learn along the journey that will bring us to our destination, which, to bephilosophical, is where we’re meant to be.
Along our journey, we have many decisions to make. Perhaps the most important decision to make is to answer the question, “What’s important?” Knowing what’s important to you and your journey will help to keep you focused.
I’ll share a story from my own experience about what was important, and how it changed my journey. In 1988, when I was sitting in your seat, I never planned to get married, I was going to climb the corporate ladder. I was on my way,having gone froman entry level position to a senior management position inmanufacturing, enjoying it very much. Then I got married and we decided to start a family. It was important to us that someone be home while our children were young. I realize not everyone would make that decision, but that’s what was important to us. So, who should stay home with the kids.After much discussion we decided it would be me. I went from being a leader in a manufacturing plant to Teletubbies. So, why do I share this with you today? I made a decision based on what was important, and that changed everything.If I hadn’t left my job to spend time with my children, and then been open to the opportunity that presented itself at SUNY Orange, my journey would be different. The plan changed, but I would not change the journey for anything. I’m where I’m supposed to bebecause of what was important.
When I made these decisions, they left a certain degree of uncertainty in my future but I made the best decisions I could with the information I had. I had faith. I think that belief in yourself and in the journey is an act of faith. Believing in yourself and trusting and making the best decisions possible with the information you have at the time will bring you to what is supposed to be your destination.
Another decision I would encourage you to make along your journey is to be excited about the journey itself. Excitement, like uncertainty, is a feeling that moves us forward. Excitement can be a feeling of joy, exhilaration, upheaval or enthusiasm.
While on your journey I encourage each of you to find excitement in everything you do from the simple things to the once in a life time events. From my experience, one of the wonderful things about excitement is that it is contagious; share your enthusiasm.
I would also encourage you to enjoy all the simple pleasures encountered along your journey, like today. While earning your degree takes a lot of hard work, today is a simple day, a day for celebration. Look for those simple times, like spending time with family, reading a good book or enjoying the company of a good friend. These times help sustain you along your journey. Today we celebrate you, your accomplishment, your graduation. Thank you for allowing me to share in the excitement of this, your graduation day, an amazing milestone on your journey.