For the past three weeks, I have worked on a speech that will not only encapsulate your four years at Boston College, but also inspire you to be the change you seek in the world. I felt this would be a proper dedication to another great class of students who symbolize everything great at Boston College.
Last week I got the horrible news that Father Leahy decided that I was not an "appropriate choice" as a speaker for your Commencement. I have decided to put my speech online for you all to enjoy. BC Class of 2011, this one is for you.
Parents, Faculty, Distinguished Guests, and most importantly, the Boston College Class of 2011!
Today we come here to Alumni Stadium to celebrate your four years of hard work, dedication and binge drinking in the Mods. Though you have come from all walks of life, from all 50 states, many different countries, you all shared a common goal. To watch Jeff Jagodzinski bring Boston College to the Orange Bowl. And although he quit after one season, you, the students, never gave up. You studied for your finals, you volunteered for service trips to places I would never step foot in and you showed up for basketball games ... well those played against Duke and UNC. Today is your last day as a BC student, you will leave here like thousands before you, as an alumni, ready to change the world. Once you leave these gates after commencement, it will be your turn to take your final "Walk of Shame" down Commonwealth Ave. to your home.
As you leave the Heights, reflect of all the lessons that you have learned here at Boston College. And don't ignore me on this, your parents spent almost a quarter of a million dollars to send you to this school, they are going to want to see you learn something out of this. Think back to the two hockey National Championships you were blessed to see while on campus. As you sit in your cubicle creating balance sheets at 10pm on a Friday Night, you will remember this as the highlight of your life. You will also learn from the tougher moments at BC. Remember the times you left Alumni Stadium frustrated, thinking to yourself "What the hell was Spaz doing at the end of the game?" These character building moments will help you in future endeavors, as nothing in life will be as irritating as watching your football coach piss away a late lead.
If I could leave you the graduating class with one message, it is this. Do not forget BC after you leave. Please come back to the tailgates, go to the football games, pack Alumni for all the games, not just the games against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Keep Steve Donahue in your thoughts, and make plans to come back to Conte Forum in future seasons, which for many of you may be the first time you see the BC basketball team play. Although you never saw BC win an NCAA Tournament game, they have a bright future ahead of them. Make sure you wear your Alumni Superfan shirt every chance you get, and buy your tickets now for the Beanpot. Even if you can't make the game, it will be one less ticket that will end up in the hands of a BU Alum. And continue reading BC Interruption, please.
College is the best years of your life, and although you may only have been sober for a small percentage of it, BC is the reason you are who you are. Those late night study sessions in Bapst Library, gaining your freshman 15 from eating Late Night four times a week and Trivia Nights at Maryann's. These will be the moments you never forget. Hold up your head, be proud of all your accomplishments, and shotgun one more Beast before you leave Alumni Stadium. Your legacy at Boston College will last forever, you are now an alumni, YOU ARE BC.