President Hanlon, members of the board of trustees,
honored guests, and fellow members of the class of 2022.
For those of you who may not know me,
allow me to begin by sharing a short anecdote.
This story takes place in the Los Angeles airport
in early September of 2018.
I was getting ready to fly to Dartmouth
to begin the first term of my freshman year.
My parents and five younger siblings accompanied me
to the airport, walked me to the security gates,
and hugged me goodbye.
I put on a brave face as I walked towards TSA.
As I took off my jacket
and my shoes with giant smile plastered on my face
and calmly collected my bags.
I waved one last goodbye to my family from across the room,
turned the corner and promptly broke down into tears.
Picture a young woman publicly weeping at an airport
Coffee Bean Cafe.
And that's pretty much the scene I made.
In truth I was terrified about coming to Dartmouth.
As a first generation college student,
I wasn't sure what to expect.
I didn't know what going to college meant.
I was afraid that I was under prepared
and I questioned whether I even deserved a spot
at an Ivy league school.
Before stepping foot on campus I felt like an imposter.
I've since learned that I wasn't the only person
experiencing these emotions.
Many of my friends slowly revealed feeling this way
throughout much a freshman fall and beyond.
And I'm sure many of us here today have experienced
self-doubt in one space or another,
or have believed we don't belong
despite our hard work and effort.
Overcoming these feelings is a challenge.
And in all honesty, I struggled for a long time to find
a home at Dartmouth.
However, certain qualities of our school helped me create
a sense of belonging.
And it's these qualities that I wish to discuss today.
The first is Dartmouth's strong
and profound sense of community.
Perhaps that has something to do with living
in the middle of the woods, isolated for much of the world,
but Dartmouth is exceptionally good at fostering community.
For me, community is the first generation office,
headed by the incredible Jay Davis.
(applause)
This office works tirelessly to ensure that first generation
and low income students at Dartmouth have the resources
they need to succeed.
Jay has built a space for students like me
to voice their anxieties and in turn receive strength
and collaboration from our peers.
I have developed lifelong friendships
with other Fi Steps students
and it is here that I have found a home.
Thank you Jay and everyone at Dartmouth who has invested
in the first generation office
to make it a thriving support system.
(applause)
The second feature of Dartmouth
that has made me feel at home is the endless support
and guidance offered by faculty and staff.
Over my four years I observed professors
and teaching assistants invest countless hours
in the education of Dartmouth students.
I have seen entire language departments
adapt to online teaching,
somehow managing to make drills engaging over Zoom.
I witnessed professors exercise compassion
and understanding throughout much of the pandemic.
Especially as students faced varying circumstances at home.
I had the privilege of meeting professors
who challenged me academically.
They encouraged me to pursue research,
supported me as I wrote my thesis,
and made me feel like my voice mattered
just as much as anyone else's.
I'm immensely grateful for the faculty
and the staff who have prioritized my academic growth
and that of my peers.
They played a critical role in making Dartmouth my home.
Finally, I would like to mention the admirable labor
done by so many of us here to create a more inclusive
and equitable Dartmouth.
I'm thinking about groups like
the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers who strive to
make engineering more a accessible profession
for Latinx students and other students of color.
I'm thinking about organizations like CoFIRED
and Fortza who are working to meet the needs of
DACA recipients and undocumented immigrant community members
and farm workers at Dartmouth and in the upper valley.
I am thinking about Student Worker Collective
who successfully unionized to give more bargaining power
to student workers on campus.
Truly incredible work.
These groups and so many more
are truly transforming Dartmouth.
It's hard to create change from the inside
and it takes time.
But I have worked with passionate students
who are deeply committed to fostering community for all.
I found community in these spaces myself.
And I think everyone in attendance
who has dedicated their time to the values of inclusivity
and social justice.
I am proud to graduate today among these
dedicated student leaders.
I wanna end by giving a heartfelt thanks to my family.
My siblings have been my biggest supporters
throughout these four years.
Thank you for your words of encouragement,
for your confidence in me,
for all the kindness you have shown.
Words cannot begin to describe all the gratitude
I have for you.
I also wanna thank my parents
who are the hardest working people I know
and who inspire me immensely.
(speaking Spanish)
My mom always says to me, Melissa,
walk forward with confidence.
I entered Dartmouth scared and full of doubt.
That young woman at the airport Coffee Bean Cafe
lacked confidence in herself.
Four years later however with the support of friends,
family, faculty, I walk onto this stage confident
and with profound sense of belonging.
So I now relay the same message to all of you.
As we enter the next phase of our lives
and face whatever the world has in store for us,
let's do so with our heads held high
and with utter confidence in our abilities
and what we bring to the table.
I am so excited to see all that we accomplish.
Thank you and congratulations again to the class of 2022.
(applause)