May 14,
2007
Class of 2007: In one senior’s words
Jason Buitrago ’07, president of the Senior
Class Council, will give the University’s first student address
during the College Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 20. A math major
from New York City, Buitrago plans to work in higher education after
graduation. He recently shared his thoughts about the four years past and
his expectations for the Class of 2007.
“When the academic year began, I started
thinking about Commencement almost immediately. I was lucky enough to have
served as a Commencement usher during my freshman, sophomore, and junior
years. I guess one of the reasons I volunteered as an usher was that I
wanted to observe the ceremony and see how I could make it even better.
“One thing I noticed from the ceremonies of
years past is that student involvement was very limited. I found that odd
since, after all, it’s really about the students. So I approached
Rich Feldman, dean of the College, in January and spoke to him about ways
to involve students more. My ideas were a little vague at first, but I did
mention that having a student speaker could provide some sort of closure,
especially if the speaker was from the Senior Class Council.
“Four weeks ago I was chosen to deliver that
student address to the graduating class. I’m very excited because it
is the first year that a student will officially speak during the ceremony.
My vision for the address is to reflect on the last four years and how the
Class of 2007 came in as a bunch of young boys and girls and are leaving as
fortified men and women. We all look back at mistakes made, hearts broken,
and harsh lessons learned but must remember that everything eventually
recedes into fond memory—that’s definitely something I will
touch on in my speech.
“I also will encourage my classmates to always
have that connection to Rochester. One thing I know for sure is that the
last thing that I will say in my speech will be ‘Meliora.’ I
wouldn’t have it any other way.
“This group of students will be remembered as a
true Renaissance class, knowledgeable in all fields, so innately interested
in everything. The student leadership is very impressive, and they are
motivated by a desire to give back to the community, back to their class.
That is always something that has impressed me about this group. It’s
a class that has seen a lot of changes within the College and the
University as a whole. It’s a class that definitely sticks together
and feels that connection is an important part of an undergraduate
career.”
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