“I'm not one to let opportunities pass me by. I feel like I've taken every opportunity at Union seriously,” said Sarah Bills, who graduated today with a bachelor of arts in German and Music. “It's been a really great run.”
Bills, the daughter of Robert and Caryl Bills of Granby, Conn., was this year's student speaker. She was the winner of the Hollander Convocation Musician Prize and the Victor Herbert Prize for students who show the most promise of making a contribution to American music.
“Life isn't measured in standardized testing and high school rankings, but in experiences and by the people and community that surround you,” Bills told those gathered in Hull Plaza this morning. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of this intelligent, witty, outgoing and fun-loving group of people who are as driven to learn and succeed as they are to enjoy themselves in the process.”
For Bills, Union's tight-knit community was a constant marker of College life, whether dealing with such changes as a new president and Minerva system to such traditions as campus crawls and naked Nott runs.
Citing academic events, lectures, research grants and student activities, Bills said she and her classmates “were given just about every opportunity to gain knowledge through experience. As Mark Twain once said, ‘Knowledge is nothing without experience.' For me, Union was the perfect blend of both.”
Bills was director of the Garnet Minstrelles a capella group, assistant for the Union College Choir, a member of the German Honor Society, an orientation advisor and former president of Delta Delta Delta.
Once fearful of what the future might hold, she said that in her waning days as an undergraduate, “I came to realize that the skills I have gained at Union both in and outside the classroom have prepared me for whatever lies ahead. What's more, the people I have lived and learned with for the past four years make up a network that can never be replicated.”
Musing on life at Union the week before Commencement, Bills cited Music faculty, staff members and others who have been teachers, mentors and friends, including Professor Dianne McMullen, who supervised her during junior year Steinmetz research, “Philosophy and Performance: A Study of Songs by Johannes Brahms and Hugo Wolf”; Professor Hilary Tann; Administrative Program Director Kathie Herrington; and voice teacher Judy Avitabile.
Bills also had warm words for German Professor Karin Hamm-Ehsani. “I appreciate all her time and effort. I didn't speak German before I came to college, and she helped me through writing a thesis, in German, on music in the concentration camps.
“I gained so much in the classroom, in and outside, but it's the people who have really affected me the most here,” Bills said.
Following is the complete text of the student address, which focused on “UNION: An unforgettable journey”:
“The last thing I thought I would be doing at Commencement was standing in front of my peers delivering a speech.
“I had envisioned myself sitting in the bright, early sun eagerly waiting for the moment my name was called and I could triumphantly make my way across the stage.
“Instead, I stand here today feeling a little less triumphant and a little more trepidation about tripping over the gown that is obviously too long.
“That aside, I'm pleased to have this privilege of addressing the students, faculty and administrators who have made my time at Union so memorable.
“It would be impossible to cram four years of classes, friends and new experiences into five minutes of narration. And, being a German major, I fear my skills in the English language have gotten a little rusty. I will be the first to say, thank God for those WAC courses.
“But looking back, I remember freshman orientation in Memorial Chapel, when the head of Admissions told us, “This class, the Class of 2006, is the brightest group of students Union College has ever admitted.” Impressive, I thought. Well, this past fall, while I served as an orientation advisor, I heard a very similar speech – only the year 2006 was substituted with 2009.
“This isn't to be taken the wrong way. I knew the speaker was referring to “brightest” in terms of SAT scores and class rankings, and, statistically speaking, the class of 2009 may have given us a pretty good run for our money.
“Yet life isn't measured in standardized testing and high school rankings, but in experiences and by the people and community that surround you.
“For that reason, our class truly stands apart from all others in so many different ways.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of this intelligent, witty, outgoing and fun-loving group of people who are as driven to learn and succeed as they are to enjoy themselves in the process.
“But enough compliments. When the opportunity arose to compose this speech, many of my peers strongly encouraged me. They said, “Sarah, you should definitely write a speech; you pretty much know every single person at Union.”
“I mean, I do have 362 Facebook friends, but if I were to take a closer look around, there are plenty of students I have never taken a class with or even met. However, this only strengthened my desire to speak today.
“I've come to realize that even though some of us aren't acquainted personally, together we make up the tight-knit community that is Union College.
“Whether you are a Greek house member, a pre-med student, an athlete, artist, engineer, volunteer or all of the above, each of us has at least one thing in common.
“We have all spent the past four years together at Union College called Union.
“We have witnessed a change of College president, changes in the fraternity system, the introduction of the Minerva system.
“We have lived though fire alarms, all-nighters and campus crawls.
“We became acquainted with G-Pets and Jamaican Beef Patties; we painted the Idol and ran unclothed around the only 16-sided building in the Western hemisphere.
“And we pretty much agree that no matter who you are or where your interests lie, 8:20 a.m. classes are never – and I mean never – a good idea.
“The way we experienced and understand Union is unique to the class of 2006, and has shaped each of us into the people we are today.
“I used to be petrified of what the future held for me. This time last year, I was seated at Commencement thinking, “This is it. That's going to be me up there next year, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with my life. I'm a German and Music double major, for gosh sakes.”
“But as the year progressed, I came to realize I didn't need to be so scared; the skills I have gained at Union both in and outside the classroom have prepared me for whatever lies ahead. What's more, the people I have lived and learned with for the past four years make up a network that can never be replicated.
“(I mean, why do you think I have so many friends in the economics department? I need someone to do my taxes later in life.)
“Regardless of our majors and concentrations, we are all graduating from a school of great academic prestige with an expansive alumni network and loyal following. This is one of the reasons that I have faith that each and every one of us is bound to do great things in the future. As commonplace as that may sound, I doubt I will be proven wrong.
“College is something we will never experience again, that can never be replicated or even imitated.
“When else will you live in a cramped dormitory that houses people ages 18-22?
“When else can you hear a different speaker every week or attend a concert almost every weekend?
“And when else can you plan your schedule so your obligations are only Tuesdays and Thursdays?
“These experiences make our Union College experience unique.
“In our four years here, we were given just about every opportunity to gain knowledge through experience, whether through academic events, lectures, research grants or student activities.
“As Mark Twain once said, “Knowledge is nothing without experience.”
“For me, Union was the perfect blend of both.
“With the help and support from our parents, professors and friends, we have ultimately achieved what each one of us set out to do four years ago. What we couldn't know were the countless number of irreplaceable experiences that would make our journey though college unforgettable.
“Now, on our graduation day, we can enjoy this moment of personal and academic achievement. And in the future, we can think back to the memories that made our time together at Union College what they were – a wealth of experience to guide us, encourage us, reassure us, inspire us and last a lifetime.
“Thank you, and congratulations to us all.”