Dickinson College Class of 2018 Graduates With 'Packs Already Loaded,' Says L.L.Bean CEO
Members of the class of 2018 move their tassels from right to left, marking their transition from students to graduates. Photo by Carl Socolow '77.
Video by Joe O'Neill.
Class of 2018 urged to make the most of their journeys by constantly looking in their 'backpacks'
by Matt Getty
Dickinson College celebrated 530 new graduates of the college on Sunday, May 20, as Commencement speaker and L.L.Bean President and CEO Stephen M. Smith '92 urged them to make the most of their journeys by constantly looking in their "backpacks."
"Your packs are already loaded," he said, noting that Dickinson's interdisciplinary, useful liberal-arts education has prepared the class of 2018 for success. "So pick a destination, start moving towards it and start filling your pack with more. And when you hit a crossroads, don’t freak out—just take off your pack, look at what’s inside and decide how you want to navigate from there."
Stephen M. Smith '92, president and CEO of L.L.Bean, urges student to make the most of life's journey during his Commencement speech. Photo by Carl Socolow '77.
Smith's advice followed his own "backpack story," during which he described how he metaphorically looked in his backpack throughout his career to see which experiences or skills were missing and then decide his next professional move accordingly. Then, to drive the analogy home, he announced that L.L. Bean would be sending each of the graduates one of its new Allagash Pack Basket in the coming weeks.
"Think about your life as a journey, and actively think about adding experiences as you move through the next exciting chapters of your lives as Dickinson graduates," he said. "Don’t be afraid to move forward, backward or sideways to add new skills, experiences and fulfillment."
Award Winners
Jillian Paffenbarger '18 (left) and Natalie Ferris '18 earned the John Patton Prize for High Scholastic Standing and The James Fowler Rusling Prize respectively. Photo by Carl Socolow '77.
Throughout the ceremony, several faculty members and students were recognized with awards, which are given out each year at Commencement.
- Assistant Professor of Political Science David O’Connell earned Dickinson’s Constance and Rose Ganoe Memorial Award for Inspirational Teaching during the ceremony. Bestowed annually, the honor is determined by a secret-ballot vote conducted by members of the graduating class.
- Associate Professor of Sociology Dan Schubert earned the Distinguished Teaching Award.
- Natalie Ferris '18 (physics) earned the James Fowler Rusling Prize, which recognizes excellent scholarly achievement. She will be working as a research assistant at the Harvard-MIT health sciences & technology Wellman Center Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital.
- Jillian Paffenbarger '18 (law & policy, French & Francophone studies) earned the John Patton Memorial Prize for High Scholastic Standing. This year, she received academic prizes in her respective majors and is the only student to receive departmental honors in two departments.
- The Hufstader Senior Prizes, which are awarded annually to two graduating seniors who, in the judgment of the college president, have made the greatest contributions to the good of the college, were awarded to Edward Brown '18 (American studies) and Nastia Khlopina '18 (international business & management). Brown served as president of the Dickinson Christian Fellowship and was deeply involved with the Center for Spirituality, Service & Social Justice. He also is a member of the Order of Scroll and Key men’s honor society and was recently named "Student Leader of the Year" by the Office of Student Leadership & Campus Life. Khlopina was a member of the women’s volleyball team, Wheel and Chain women’s honor society and the strategic planning committee. She served as a peer advisor and co-founded We Introduce Nations to Dickinson (WIND).
- Toni Ortega '18 (international business & management, policy management) was named the new Young Alumni Trustee. During each Commencement since 2011, Dickinson’s Board of Trustees has chosen a Young Alumni Trustee from among nominated seniors to represent young alumni on the board and serve a two-year term.
Hufstader Senior Prize winners Edward Brown '18 (left) and Nastia Khlopina '18 (right) pose with President Margee Ensign (center). Photo by Carl Socolow '77.
Honorary degrees and Rose-Walters Prize
In addition to Smith, who received a Doctor of Business Management honorary degree, Dickinson awarded three other honorary degrees during the ceremony:
- Albert Alley '60, a recently retired ophthalmologist well known for his dedication to fighting blindness abroad and at home, received the Doctor of Humanitarian Service Honorary Degree.
- Nancy Hooff '75, a co-founding principal of Somerset Development Company, LLC, a socially responsible real estate development firm, received the Doctor of Social Entrepreneurship Honorary Degree.
- Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., the recently retired curator of northern baroque painting at the National Gallery of Art, received the Doctor of Art Honorary Degree.
The Sam Rose ’58 and Julie Walters Prize at Dickinson College for Global Environmental Activism was presented to Our Children’s Trust, which has gained national attention for supporting 21 young people who have brought a landmark lawsuit against the president and multiple federal agencies. Julia Olson, Our Children’s Trust’s founder, executive director and chief legal counsel, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
The old stone steps
The ceremonies ended with each graduate making the traditional walk down Old West’s "old stone steps" to complete the symbolic journey they began four years ago by walking up those steps to sign in to the college. Among the graduates:
- 79 percent earned bachelor of arts degrees, while 21 percent earned bachelor of science degrees
- 62 percent studied abroad
- five have been awarded Fulbright scholarships
- three seniors will join the Peace Corps
- three have accepted positions with Teach for America
- 10 will receive their commission into the U.S. Army as 2nd lieutenants
- and more than 170 have reported already landing jobs or being accepted into graduate schools.
Members of the class of 2018 descend the "old stone steps" as they officially become graduates of the college. Photo by Carl Socolow '77.
As the graduates prepared to leave campus to begin their futures, President Margee Ensign, who was participating in her first Commencement as college president, challenged them to make the most of their educations. "As you leave your college years behind, you are taking Dickinson with you—you are taking our values, our revolutionary education with you," she said, before sharing a conversation she had a year ago with one of the Nigerian women who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram militants before being able to study at American University of Nigeria, where Ensign was president before joining Dickinson. "I asked her, 'What does education mean to you,' and she said, 'Education gives me the wings to fly, the power to fight and the voice to speak.' May the class of 2018 spread its wings, feel its power, and raise its voice."
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Published May 20, 2018