Speech
by Sophie Kim '06
 Thank
you, President Walsh. And welcome honored guests, faculty, administrators,
family and friends. On behalf of the Class of 2006, thank you
for being a part of our lives and for allowing us to share this
moment with all of you. I would also like to extend a very special
thank you to our Class Dean, Joy Playter, whose guidance and
counsel we have all sought; thank you for your commitment to
our class, and your confidence in each of us. Finally, to the
members of the Class of 2006, so many of whom I am proud and
fortunate to call my good friends, I share this stage and honor
with all of you.
When we entered Wellesley—not a “girls’ school,” but
a women’s college, not as freshmen, but as “first-years”—perhaps
the farthest thing from our minds then was the Commencement exercises
of which we are now a part. We could not have imagined then the
ways in which we would change, and the people we would become over
the course of the past four years. I hope you are proud of your
many accomplishments, however great or seemingly trivial, and consider
the person you are today among the successes of your time spent
here at Wellesley.
We have taken different
paths to this common point, but we are finally here in this moment
together, prepared to embark upon another
set of distinct journeys as we begin this next phase in our lives.
We acknowledge that Wellesley is not the place for everyone. But
it has been the place for all of us these past few years. We have
shared a common space, but found ways to make Wellesley and our
experiences distinctly our own. A certain degree of ownership naturally
evolves from making something “our own,” and it is
my hope that we will carry with us a sense of ownership over this
place when we leave.
We are continuing on
with our lives outside of—but not apart
from—Wellesley. Whether it is on the crowded streets of New
York City, or in Cape Town, South Africa, we know that Wellesley
women are indeed everywhere, and it is very likely that you may
notice the Wellesley canvas tote bag she is carrying even before
you recognize her face. For this reason, among others, I have come
to realize that our association with this institution and what
it represents in its values, history and its past and future legacy
is almost inescapable—we are, and will forever be, “Wellesley
Women.”
As students and alumnae,
we also have the opportunity to define what Wellesley is and
what it will become. Wellesley will remain
a part of our lives and exist as a part of our identities as much
as we allow it to. I choose to remain invested in the future of
this institution. If you are like me, you did not choose to attend
Wellesley because it was a women’s college, but over the
course of the past four years, you have found yourself more committed
to the purpose and mission of our college than you ever would have
thought.
 Gender equality is more
of a reality today than it was even in our parents’ generation,
but there is still more progress to be made, particularly in
promoting the advancement and visibility
of women in all sectors of society. Some of the notable challenges
of the past year, namely a certain university president’s
regrettable remarks about women’s aptitude in the sciences,
have demonstrated that there is still more work to be done in reversing
the stereotypes about women’s innate intellectual abilities.
The media’s proclivity for the sensational, whether in an
article printed in the Boston Herald or the Harvard Crimson, only
compounds the stereotypes about women generally, and a women’s
college specifically, illustrating the ignorance we still face.
Thus, there is still
a place for institutions like Wellesley in our world, where a
woman’s ability, capacity, leadership
and intellect are unquestioned. I am confident that Wellesley will
continue to be the leader in educating women who will not only
make a difference in the world, but who will also be a leader in
educating those individuals who are misguided about a woman’s
place and the difference that we do make. I hope that we, as alumnae,
will continue to see the relevance of a women’s institution,
and ensure that Wellesley remains committed to its mission.
Whether it’s on
the streets of Wall Street, the halls of Capitol Hill, in the
classroom of an elementary, high school or
graduate school, your home, or on the grassy lawn of Severance
Green in your cardboard box, I hope you will aim to find meaning
in the work that you do and the life that you lead.
Earlier this year, I
lost my mother to a short-lived battle with cancer. In my mother’s passing, I came to understand what
it means to live, and to live well. I often thought to myself that
had my mother been given the same opportunities she fought so hard
to give both my older sister and me, that she, too, could and probably
would have attended Wellesley. My mother embodied the spirit of
a “Wellesley Woman”—confident, poised, passionate,
smart, bold, a leader in her community and thoroughly engaged with
the world around her. But above all of these things, she demonstrated
what it means to live a full and good life by serving others with
heart, humor and genuine good will. My sister said it best when
she said, “It does not matter the number of days we live,
but how we live the number of days we have been given.” Making
each day count, and exemplifying our college motto, my mother lived
her life ministering to others.
The following quotation, attributed to the American thinker Ralph
Waldo Emerson, is an eloquent expression of how one might define
a life well lived:
He said,
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal
of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a
garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have
lived;
This is to have succeeded.
Whatever
social, political, professional or personal revolutions we commit
ourselves to now and in the future, I hope we will seek
to live each day deliberately and mindfully. Our community’s
loss this past semester of Jennie Lee ’07 reminded me how
important it is to be cognizant of the people around us. With Jennie’s
passing, I became committed to engaging more with the individuals
around me, and allowing other people’s struggles to burden
my heart. I have also come to realize that thinking about the ways
you might like to be remembered at the end of your life can profoundly
inform how you live. Therefore, live meaningfully, live purposefully
and strive for something greater than yourself all the while pursuing
your passions. Live your life’s legacy—beginning now.
Make your mark in the world, Class of 2006. Our footsteps are
already imprinted on this campus. I am looking forward to the years
ahead and the things this class of women will surely do. Congratulations
and take care; I look forward to reuniting with you all in five
years!
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