By Adam Krovic ’07
Randolph-Macon College honored its largest graduating class in history Saturday, May 27, 2006. Comprised of 274 seniors, the largest number to cross the stage, the commencement ceremony marked the end of one journey and the entrance into another. Proud parents, brothers, sisters and friends – all gathered on the green lawn of Randolph-Macon’s Jordan Wheat Lambert Historic Campus to watch the Class of 2006 collect their hard-earned diplomas – cried, cheered and shared in the sense of excitement that comes with watching their loved ones take a giant step onto the road called life.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health and one of the most well-known medical scientists in America, gave the ceremony a memorable touch with his commencement address, “Four Choices for the Rest of Your Life,” during which he shared his perspectives on setting priorities and realizing one’s full potential. Collins ended the address on a musical note. With guitar in hand, the song, sung to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” centered on working as others direct you to in college, with Collins’ last verse amusingly asking students to “Just start today, love DNA. And do it my way!”
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Commencement Speaker Dr. Francis S. Collins sings a tune for the graduating class of 2006 |
Oneika Cassanova, a native of St. Catherine, Jamaica, delivered this year’s student address, expressing heartfelt statements about victory in the realm of education and triumph within the challenges of everyday life.
“Let us leave here today as proud individuals as we have all right to be,” she told the Class of 2006. “We did it; we surpassed all the obstacles that were placed before us. I know I am ecstatic to be standing amongst you as victors and may victory be the mainstay in all aspects of our lives to come. Let’s hold our heads up high and believe in ourselves as our supporting audience has done over the years. All great things are possible if we should only believe.”
While the graduation of the Class of 2006 marks the end for some, it marks a new beginning at Randolph-Macon College; a beginning in which faculty, staff and proud parents can continue to celebrate as more and more of their prized pupils and loved ones cross a stage that anoints them ready to tackle the world.
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The chemistry department faculty and graduates cool off in the fountain after Commencement |
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