Jubilant Brittany Forney, an elementary education major, shows she is ready to take on the world. p h o t o b y da n N o l a n
Regional director of admission Peter Pitts and his son, Dan Pitts
Pres id infor ent Mau m r mem ation sy i Ditzler, s b berg er Patte tems st af e Seth r and he Shallen- f r son Shal , lenb erge r
Professor emeritus Jeremy McNamara and his grandson, Sean McNamara
R
ather than raindrops from the sky, emotions poured out during Monmouth College’s 155th commencement exercises.
Storms predicted for that afternoon never materialized over campus, but the forecast of a bittersweet mix of joy and sadness was right on target, as 250 graduates celebrated their milestone accomplishment while also realizing that their days as college students were now behind them. Tears appeared in the midst of smiles as the graduates made their way through a line of faculty. Professors wished former students the best of the luck, while the graduates expressed gratitude to faculty, many of whom had become mentors and friends. “It was very emotional for me,” said Samantha Jagust ’12 of that final walk through the faculty line. “Leaving Monmouth College was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life because I never had a deep connection with a place before. I honestly believe that if I would have pursued my education at any other institution, I would have not developed the relationships I have today, and it wouldn’t have been so hard to say goodbye. The professors and staff genuinely care about your success. I will truly miss college, but I know I took advantage of every opportunity thrown my way.” A handful of graduates expressed their feelings about Monmouth’s faculty on stage during the ceremony, as they congratulated five professors who had received promotions and/or tenure.
One of them, summa cum laude graduate Quinton Guerrero ’12, said of Michael Sostarecz, “To know that someone loves you and cares for your success and well-being is to know peace and comfort. … Being here today to announce his promotion to associate professor, I can finally give back just a little of the help and love I’ve received.” Also promoted to associate professor was Audra Sostarecz. Her colleague in chemistry, Brad Sturgeon, received tenure. Promoted to full professor were Hannah Schell and Tim Tibbetts. Another professor, Rajkumar Ambrose , closed his 26-year career at Monmouth as one of the ceremony’s featured speakers. He offered the students nuggets of wisdom and advice, mined from his 54 years in higher education. “You and I have one thing in common,” he told the graduates in a speech he titled “The Journey Continues, the Quest Persists,” which came from an Introduction to Liberal Arts theme. “Both of us are saying farewell to the college we love, the college which has given us so many opportunities to grow, the college which we will always cherish.” Rather than offering the students a traditional graduation blessing of love, luck and laughter, Ambrose cited a Franciscan benediction for blessings of anger and foolishness:
Rajkumar ambrose
“May God bless with you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom and peace among all people. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can really make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.” — Rajkumar Ambrose
monmouth | winter 2013
commencement
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