In his address, Principal Ty Tingley says
the power of dialogue and discussion, and the search
for common ground-the fundamentals of an
Exeter education-have never been more important.
Plus, 6 members of the class of 2002 sum up 4 years
in 500 words or less.
The View from 2002
Commencement address by
Principal Ty Tingley '48 '64 '01 (Hon.); P'99
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Principal Ty Tingley presents a diploma to Liz Greenwell,
one of 320 students to graduate. |
This is the time when I must say "farewell" to the class of 2002. Farewell sounds like a very permanent word, a bit ominous, a bit too formal, but it has a ceremonial overtone that is right for today. And saying farewell carries a touch of sadness for me, as it does for all the faculty, because in the time that the class of 2002 has spent with us, we have grown fond of them and come to see them as somehow part of the way the Academy is supposed to be.
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Senior class president Una Thiong'o (left) and General Alumni/ae Association President Alan Jones '72 share a smile.
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But, of course, the way that the Academy is supposed to be is ever changing. The bricks hang around for hundreds of years, but the nature of school is that each fall it creates itself and each spring disbands, only to begin again the following fall with a different cast of characters.
There is comfort in knowing that we are part of this larger cycle.
And comfort as well in knowing that other cycles will play out with the class of 2002. Before long it will be the fall Andover weekend and you will be back, and we will all be anxious to hear how you are doing, how school is going and how your summer was. And in less time than you can imagine, it will be 2007 and you will be graduated from college and back for your fifth reunion.
I have spent a lot of time over the years talking to alumni and alumnae who return for reunions. Often I ask what seems different, and invariably they mention that the scale of the campus seems smaller.
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| Julia Liu waves to the crowd. | Buildings have shrunk and the distance between them diminished.
Maybe members of the class of 2002 have already had that experience when you went back to visit a place you knew as a young child. When we are young, our perspective makes the world seem bigger than it really is, and as we age our new stature changes our perspective. Sometimes this worries me, since the last thing I need is for you all to discover that I'm shorter than you thought.
But the shrinkage that you may notice when you return over the years occurs only in relationship to physical space. You will also discover that the legends have grown. Those tales you know but that faculty haven't yet heard will magnify, the peculiarities of faculty and even the principal will amplify in preposterousness, and when you reconvene with classmates the memories will morph into gut-rending, laugh-filled legend.
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Juan M. Felix
A Sincere Desire for Exploration
Before arriving at Exeter, says Juan Félix, boarding school was an "incomprehensible concept." The youngest of nine children, Juan grew up in South Central Los Angeles, CA, where his parents had emigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico. But as he learned more about Exeter, he says, "I began to picture myself at a place like this, a place where I could be a complete person"-a scholar, an athlete, an individual.
In his four years at the Academy, Juan has made good on all these aspirations, distinguishing himself as a student and earning early Cum Laude honors; running varsity track since his prep year, and captaining both the indoor and outdoor teams his senior year; serving as a dorm proctor, Student Listener and a leader of the Student Sampler orientation program. He was also a four-year member of the Afro-Latino Exonian Society and La Alianza, and helped start International Day. He will attend Stanford University.
Which academic subjects interest you and why?
I'm a lover of history (all of it!) and chemistry. I love the empowerment that comes from knowledge of the past and of the works of the world. History helps me possess the story behind the times in which I live, and it provides a blueprint of how society has come to its present form. Doesn't, or rather, shouldn't everyone want to know what times were like before?
As for chemistry-the subject demands a keen mind and honed critical thinking skills to explain the mechanisms behind nature's most basic matter. There's also a personal feeling of confidence I get from studying the material. If I can explain why
fluorine is a strong oxidizing agent in terms of its electronegativity and its position on the periodic table of elements, well . . . I feel comfortable about being able to understand everything else.
What's changed most about you during your time at the Academy?
When I first arrived at Exeter, I quickly set up the mental obstacle of thinking that others were far more capable of excelling than I was, so I would often lock myself in my room and study-read, read, and study. I felt the urge to prove something, even though I could not identify what it was.
But I quickly realized that although knowledge from a book is necessary, and of course, very helpful, it is still far better to focus on another, more important aspect of life-relationships. I became passionate about my connections with others. I realized that I could not do anything on my own, and that relationships exist in life to help one make it through the journey. Without my family's physical presence in my life, which I had always cherished, it was difficult to make it through hard times. Branching out to others and having others become a part of my life, and expanding my family beyond my parents and siblings, were therefore major steps I took. I realized that I should cherish the ties I have with peers, faculty and staff members. Using my relationships with them, and with my family back at home, is the true source of strength-that's what'll help me run my fastest, prepare best for any test, write at my finest level.
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