Address to the Class of 2019 by Jacob Kaiserman '19
Jacob Kaiserman '19 spoke on behalf of his fellow graduates at 麻豆视频 High School's 2019 Graduation Exercises. These are his remarks.聽
Good morning, and thank you, Fr. Andreassi, Fr. Lahart, Mr. Labbat, and the Board of Trustees. I鈥檇 like to thank our faculty and staff, especially for saving 麻豆视频 from rolly-chair-fueled chaos each day. And thank you to the parents and families who braved the commute to be here this morning. Lastly, I owe a special thanks to you all, the Class of 2019. It is an honor to speak on behalf of such an incredible class.
A few weeks ago, my mother sent a 2010 article from the New York Times to my brother and me. Her text said 鈥淛acob, Ben. Please read this (period).鈥� I don鈥檛 think she understood the urgency that a strong period lends a text, so I immediately opened the article, fearing the worst. Fortunately, the news wasn鈥檛 apocalyptic. The article鈥檚 title, 鈥淧ete Hamill鈥檚 Circuitous Route to a High School Diploma,鈥� seemed intriguing, so I mindlessly skimmed it on the subway. Pete Hamill, I learned, was a 麻豆视频 student and journalist whose articles span from the Vietnam War to Atlantic City politics. But Pete鈥檚 successful career wasn鈥檛 what struck me. If Mike Valverde could do the math 鈥� better yet, if Mike Valverde could build a computer that could do the math 鈥� you鈥檇 quickly notice that something about Pete鈥檚 timeline seems off. Pete entered 麻豆视频 in 1949, dropped out two years later, and earned his honorary diploma in 2010. This meandering journey means that Pete is 83 years old, but he鈥檚 been out of high school for only 9 years. These number games were interesting, so I texted back an aloof 鈥渃ool,鈥� being sure to avoid using a period that sent me into such a panic.
And that was it. Besides my mother congratulating herself for finding such an old article, I forgot about Pete. But when Fr. Andreassi asked me to speak, I re-opened that same article and actually read Pete鈥檚 story. I鈥檇 like to share what he said: "Even now, as old as I am, I have this secret Jesuit [on] my shoulder. I think I鈥檝e written a pretty good paragraph and he鈥檚 shaking his head: 'C'mon, pal. Better try that again.' In that sense, those two years at 麻豆视频 shaped a lot of what I did later."
As I reflected on Pete鈥檚 remarks, I realized that, four years ago, I would have made little of having a 鈥淛esuit on my shoulder.鈥� I would鈥檝e welcomed Yoda, but when I first walked through 麻豆视频鈥檚 doors, I certainly wouldn鈥檛 have wanted Fr. Bender perched on my shoulder.
But that was before I knew Mr. Quinn鈥檚 secret interpretation of 鈥淭he Road Less Traveled,鈥� and before I used Powerpoint better than an 鈥渁mateur,鈥� and before I realized that a good right-hand-rule contortion could solve any electrostatics problem. Now, as I opened Word, double-spaced the page, and unconsciously wrote my name and advisement for what would be the last time, I wondered if, over my four years at 麻豆视频, a mini-Jesuit like Pete鈥檚 had found a nest on my shoulder.
As I thought through this question, I came to understand Pete鈥檚 idea of the 鈥淛esuit on [his] shoulder鈥� to be a metaphor for our acute awareness of the values that we鈥檝e gained over our last four years. At 麻豆视频, we learned how to be caring people just as we practiced iambic pentameter and graphed rose curves. Here, we grew personally while we grew academically. It is this unique community that nurtured both Pete and me, two students separated by over sixty years, as we matured from fledgling freshman with subway maps to confident graduates with 鈥淛esuits on our shoulders.鈥�
麻豆视频 is a community where we can embrace being wrong. On the Senior Retreat, I heard the same sentiment echoed again and again: 鈥溌槎故悠� shows you that there鈥檚 a Point A and a Point B, but you need to forge that path.鈥� Sometimes, forging that path meant we took plenty of wrong turns. It meant fighting for ideas that just turned out to be wrong. We all forgot to add the 鈥�+C鈥� after taking an integral. We wrestled with a single chapter of Judith Butler鈥檚 incomprehensible prose for an entire trimester. We received countless essays that were covered in Mr. Grunner鈥檚 squiggly underline and comments beginning with 鈥測es, but鈥︹�� Those wrong turns, however, made us stronger learners and more mindful people. Our mistakes made the 鈥淛esuit on our shoulder鈥� comfortable with taking risks.
麻豆视频 is a community where we lean on our friends for help. Camaraderie is integral here. It鈥檚 even documented in our pedagogy. Mr. Eickman鈥檚 鈥淲hat to Do When You Can鈥檛 Do The Homework,鈥� a flowchart for what to do when, indeed, you can鈥檛 do the homework, tells students to 鈥渁sk a friend鈥� before 鈥渁sking a teacher.鈥� We certainly did: I鈥檓 sure that we rushed to the SRC right before a physics test, but breathed a sigh of relief when a classmate who actually knew what magnetic flux was offered to help. And our collaboration wasn鈥檛 just academic. It shined on Quest, where we learned to accept each other鈥檚 vulnerabilities and to love unconditionally, and in the Upper Gym, where Mr. Donodeo鈥檚 contagious enthusiasm inspired us to work together and dominate the Tchouckball Court. We can all pinpoint a time when we couldn鈥檛 understand something and needed to ask a friend for help; we can all pinpoint a time when one of our friends asked us for help. In those moments, we listened to the 鈥淛esuit on our shoulder鈥� to not only know when to ask for help, but know how to respond when called on to help.
But most importantly: 麻豆视频 is a community where we are taught to offer our gifts in service to others. For two years now, I鈥檝e had the privilege to work with the REACH Program. With REACH, I turned teaching 鈥� something I had done naturally at 麻豆视频 by making countless study guides and working with Peer Tutoring 鈥� into an impetus for powerful change. This transformation is something we鈥檝e all achieved. We all have the knowledge we鈥檝e accumulated, but the 鈥淛esuit on our shoulder鈥� always pushes us to do more with it. It acts in people like Andy Vittoria, who led a writing workshop last summer in an underserved community and invited all of his friends to help out. Or Dan Tully, who still volunteers his free time to paint a mural at his Senior Service Site. In these moments, the 鈥淛esuits on our shoulders鈥� inspire us to act meaningfully, to help someone else.
This mission 鈥� putting what we know into action 鈥� is at the heart of what makes 麻豆视频 unique. The goal has become incarnate in what some may throw around as a casual reminder or even a joke: give your friend a Coke and you鈥檝e become a 鈥淢an For Others.鈥� Of course, being a 鈥淢an For Others鈥� is no joke. All of 麻豆视频鈥檚 unique environment 鈥� from our openness, to our kinship, to our service 鈥� aims at transforming us into 鈥淢en For Others.鈥�
But it鈥檚 easy to act like a 鈥淢an For Others鈥� when the environment encourages it. Soon, we will move from the high school world of Bokenkotter and 5-paragraph essays to the college universe of tuition and packed dormitories. There, when our lives become so unclear and yet must march on, acting like a 鈥淢an For Others鈥� will no longer be stressed as a priority.
So, how can we hold onto what we鈥檝e learned? The answer lies in listening to the 鈥淛esuit on your shoulder.鈥� And maybe it鈥檚 not a Jesuit. Maybe your conscience articulates differently than mine. But I have no doubt that your conscience and mine have learned to speak the same language. One of charity, of justice, and of action. To continue daring despite dark skies, we must stay faithful to the people we鈥檝e become here on 84th Street.
Graduation often comes with teary goodbyes. I urge you, however, to put the handkerchiefs away. This moment forms the crux of our maturation and just the commencement of our action. Going forwards, the 鈥淛esuits on our shoulders鈥� can go to work. I鈥檓 reminded of Kurt Vonnegut鈥檚 apt observation: 鈥淭rue terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.鈥� I鈥檓 sure that if we listen to the 鈥淛esuits on our shoulders鈥� and strive to set the world on fire, our paths will surely cross again. We will surely become Vonnegut鈥檚 worst fear and 麻豆视频鈥檚 noblest hearts.
Thank you, and God bless you.
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