Concordia College Celebrates the Class of 2020: Text of Highlights Video

This is the room where it was supposed to happen. Your family members your friends your personal fan club cheering you on. Faculty staff and fellow graduates marching in with you. Nothing in all creation can dim or diminish our pride in what you've accomplished and I can't  wait to watch you walk into this world, equipped with a Concordia education, accomplishing the more that is meant for you. 

Concordia College has made me feel like I was standing in front of an arena filled with people who genuinely loved and cared about me. Though it may not have been the perfect ending that we hoped and dreamed of, that doesn't take away from our amazing accomplishment! I know how excited we all were to walk across that stage today. I know how disappointing and challenging these times are. There will always be hard times, but with the help of our passion, purpose and service, you will rise up and face all odds that come against us. 

You have learned resilience that will make your generation one of the greatest classes of graduates to ever walk this planet. We need you! I charge you to be world changers, because you are meant for more. 

What if we were all to take every day as an opportunity to affect change? Your years in education here at Concordia College have embedded a wonderful foundation in each of you that will move mountains. 

I started my journey on this field so I thought I would end it here as well. 

I got offered a full-time position.  

The diverse school that always puts God first. 

We can't watch you walk across the stage today, but you have walked across our lives and into our hearts. You will not be forgotten. Stay safe. Stay in touch. And stay committed to lives of passion, purpose and service. Congratulations!

So I'll shout it from the rooftops! I am so proud of you. You have arrived at your big day, but I know that you are meant for more than resting on your diplomas. I know this because you are Concordia College New Yorkers. 

The 19th century abolitionist tax resistor and poet Henry David Thoreau put it like this: “The majority of people live lives of quiet desperation and then go to their graves silently with their song still in them.” I challenge you and charge you not to be silenced. Resist the silencing. Refuse to be defined by any circumstances or the environment around you. Sing your song. Dance your dance. Dare your dream. Live your life and be the you that God meant you to be!