16 Years, 10 Years

Let’s all give David Wingfield a hand on the eve of his birthday. David, as many of you know, has been with the SAU Honors College since its founding 16 years ago. He has seen it grow from a the tiny acorn it was back then when his office in the English department was the Honors College. He, along with founding director Dr. Lynne Belcher and former president Dr. David Rankin worked together to create the vibrant entity you are joining today. I am celebrating ten years with the Honors College and I can assure you it has become the pinnacle of my academic career. I can imagine nothing better than being the director and helping you succeed.

            You are joining more than 600 former SAU students who matriculated in years past. Today, you heard from one of those distinguished graduates, a new tradition we hope to continue. Hopefully, one of you sitting here will someday we invited to welcome a future matriculating class.

            Look around, these are your classmates. Watch out, one of them might be your spouse someday. That has already happened far more than David and I thought possible. Many of them will become your lifelong friends. All of you came to SAU for your own reasons but you have several things in common. You are more than simply intelligent, no, you are driven to learn, to succeed, to make a difference. For you, SAU is not the end of your life’s intellectual journey. It’s a step along the way of a journey that began early in your lives. Recently, you crossed high school off of your bucket lists. Now you are beginning the short-span called college. The few years you will spend here will speed by much faster than you can imagine. Who knows what the next steps on your paths will be. Wherever that path takes you I can assure you that much of it will depend on what you accomplish here in the next few years.

            In 2011, on her Bucket List, Kara wrote:

 “To me, the whole purpose of life is to live, so that is the biggest dream that I want to fulfill before I die.  I want to live my life to the fullest with no regrets.  I want to take chances, smile, make others smile, and make my dreams come true.  I want to dance, sing, laugh, and love.  I want to be true to myself and the values I hold.  I want to live my life in a way so that when it comes to an end I will be proud of the life I have lived.”

You too have dreams, will take chances, and live your lives your own way. Now is the time for you take that next step boldly, without regrets, and to be true to yourselves. I realize you may not yet have seen where your steps will soon lead. So, be aware of your surroundings, take advantage of the opportunities you will have here and outside of SAU.

            There is no past and there is no future. Only now truly exists and it makes the future and obliterates the past. Carpe diem, seize the day, now is the time.