Welcome Speech: DeSales University Graduation
Welcome Speech
Diya Stephen, President of the Class of 2025
DeSales University Commencement
Diya Stephen, President of the Class of 2025
Welcome, Fr. Greenfield, Board of Trustees, distinguished guests, alumni, faculty and staff, family and friends, and my fellow graduates! I am honored to be standing before you today as your senior class president. I would like to start off by congratulating each and every one of you for your hard work, dedication, and perseverance throughout your time here at DeSales University. Today marks a celebration of all that we have accomplished throughout the last four years.
Like, I’m sure, many of you, I have been feeling a lot of mixed emotions about today. How has it already been four years? I remember it like it was just yesterday, being a scared freshman, driving up at the start of orientation to Tocik Hall where the Character U staff was waiting to take my belongings in. Fr. Greenfield knocked on our car door, introducing himself and telling my parents not to worry, that DeSales would take good care of me throughout my time here. And DeSales has done just that for all of us standing here today.
To the faculty, we would not be here without your constant support and guidance. Thank you for your open door policy, your constant willingness to help us out, and your commitment to improving our lives, both academically and professionally. Whether it be the mailroom staff, cleaning and maintenance staff, those working in the SEAL offices and healthcare suites, and all the other staff on campus, your inclusiveness and welcoming attitude does not go unnoticed. Thank you for always greeting us with a smile and making DeSales a home away from home.
To our family and friends, thank you for your unwavering help, encouragement, and love. Not to mention, your financial support. None of us would be here today without you, and we are so very grateful to have you as our support system. I speak for a lot of us when I say my parents are my biggest role models, my biggest inspirations. Thank you for all that you have done for us and we hope to continue to make you proud.
To the Class of 2025, we are ready. Everything that we have gone through in the last four years has led to this moment. All of the exams, the challenges, the mistakes, the successes, DeSales has prepared us. We have all had adversity, whether that be in the lab, the hospital, the court, or in our personal lives. But we have overcome them and made it to the other side. The core values that DeSales has ingrained within us, gratitude, humility, gentleness, hospitality, and wisdom, are principles that we will carry on with us far beyond our days in Center Valley. Our time together at DeSales will leave us with memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. I hope that you are proud of what you have accomplished and who you have become.
As we move on with our lives, I urge you to continue to uphold what DeSales has taught us. Let us continue to be lifelong learners, growing in knowledge and wisdom. Continue to serve the community and be as welcoming to others as DeSales has been to us. And let us never forget the friends that DeSales has introduced us to, the people we will call family for the rest of our lives. I am forever grateful that I chose a small college in Pennsylvania that exudes community and inclusiveness. Where everyone knows you by name. To my fellow Medical Studies students, I’ll see you guys in class on Monday. To everyone else, this is not goodbye, this is merely a see you later.
Congratulations, Class of 2025! Enjoy your moment and make DeSales proud. I’d like to end with a quote we all know very well. As you move on in your life, remember to always “be who you are and be that well.”
Thank you.
*Diya Stephen was also awarded the President’s Medal at the ceremony.