On the eve of their last semester at Holy Cross, members of the Class of 2013 reconnected and reflected at Senior Convocation, Jan. 21, in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. The annual event features speeches, poetry and music that encourage students to think about the last three and a half years at Holy Cross and consider how best to use their final semester to shape the life they want to lead.
After a welcome by Martin Connors '13, Senior Convocation scholar Kelsey Russell '13 addressed her classmates. She described the restrictions of the "all-important resume" for Holy Cross students by a story of her time spent at Abby's House, a woman's shelter in Worcester and a Student Programs for Urban Development site for student volunteers, and how these moments, like many other experiences shared at Holy Cross, cannot be conveyed through a bullet-pointed resume. Read her essay.
Kara Donovan '13 read a poem titled "Kindergarten Graduation" recalling her fear of"graduating" without a future.
Nancy Baldiga, dean of the Class of 2013, addressed her class on the ways in which the people in her life have made the biggest impact and similarly, how the class of 2013 can inspire each other in their last semester.
Seniors Kibbs Fortilus, Nicholas Tasca, James Simmons, Paige Wesson and Richard Pellegrini described vivid memories to encapsulate each year of their shared experience at Holy Cross.
Another Senior Convocation scholar, Elizabeth Harkins '13 gave an address that surmised that imperfections and unmet expectations actually lead to new opportunities and paths to success. Her essay will appear in the next issue of Holy Cross Magazine.
Two musical performances were given at the convocation. Seniors Alison Christopher '13 and Suzanne Crifo '13 sang Stephen Schwartz's "For Good" and, later, Katherine-Anne Sipolt Rosenthal '13 performed "Solfeggietto" by Karl Philipp Emanuel Bach on the harp.
Rev. Philip Boroughs, S.J., president of the College, addressed the students, and Chaplains Marty Kelly and Meg Fox-Kelly gave a blessing to close out the ceremony.