Dear Class of 2020,
Your years of effort, focused work, and sacrifice have earned you the honor to walk among your peers, be recognized by your distinguished professors, and awarded your Bachelors in the presence of your loved ones. The years that brought you to this milestone have been filled with many challenges that you, obviously, have responded and overcome. You, the Class of 2020, have the distinction of graduating during a global pandemic. Note, however, I do not say “unfortunate”. Of all the graduations held in Sunken Gardens, arguably, no previous ‘Classes of’, including mine, faced what you are challenged with now. Yes, your graduation ceremony has been postponed, but nothing has been taken away from you.
As a fellow Lion of Seaver CSE who walked before you, I humbly share with you what your Class means to me: You are our nation’s future health care providers, policy makers, first responders, engineers, architects, innovators, theoreticians, educators, researchers, program managers, bioinformaticists, environmentalists, industrialists, computer scientists, consultants, laboratory technicians, science journalists, and science editors. You are our nation’s answer to future challenges that will, again, impact every aspect of our lives. You will continue our work and, undoubtedly, surpass us. You will discover new facts and, likely, forge new paths. You will teach the world of your novel findings and, most assuredly, prepare the generations after you. You, the distinct Class of 2020, are given a distinct challenge – the same one my colleagues and I face. How will you respond? I look forward to your answer.
Congratulations, Class of 2020.
Respectfully,
Armand Dichosa
Class of ’94
BS – Biology
