Alumni Graduation Speakers 2021

Each year, graduation speakers are GUS alumni who have recently graduated from college - who were graduating eighth grade themselves when the current graduating class was finishing up kindergarten. The 2021 Graduation speakers were Jack Norton ’13 and Sarah McGrath ’13. Each shared words of wisdom and advice with the graduates and reminisced about their shared fondness for the 8th grade humanities map project.

Jack Norton ’13

Class of 2021, you’ve done it. So, I want to start off with another round of applause… To be fair, your resilience in the last year alone deserves more rounds of applause than I could possibly give you. But we know this. And whether you’ve attended Glen Urquhart for two years or nine, today is the day. You did it. You’re graduating. Since I sat where you are eight years ago, I have done quite a bit. I graduated from Governor’s Academy, and then from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania. Along the way, I got my driver’s license, wrote a lot of essays, led an acappella group, directed a musical, taught myself how to weld, and never learned to like avocado … (I just don’t, Mom) …

At first, I didn’t know what to say to you all. Should I tell you to work hard in your classes? Of course, but you already know that. Tell you that your parents get cooler? I mean they do…a little.

Eventually, though my mind turned to one piece of paper that has been with me through it all, since my time at GUS. Not a certificate or diploma. When I moved into my dorm room at Gov's in the fall of 2018, without hesitation, I hung my world map from 8W Humanities on the wall. For fun, I even began to add new labels to it, new borders, even new illustrations. And there it stayed. A fixture of every room I lived in. Just a month ago, I removed it from my bedroom wall in my college fraternity house for the last time. Thanks for the 8-year décor influence, Mr. Bartsch. More than that, though, my world map was a constant reminder of GUS, and so it became a window into a different kind of map—my own personal one.

Everyone has this kind of map, parents, grandparents, all of us. It is shaped by people you meet, places you go, and experiences you have. So naturally, and beautifully, each is unique. You may see it as a path. A town. Maybe it’s topographical. But you all have one. And for all of you graduating today, Glen Urquhart has become an important part of each of your “maps.” We have that in common. Think about the teachers, mentors, and classmates that you have met. Each has a place on your map that can last for years. I still talk to my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Stowe … (Hi Mrs. Stowe!) … and in fact, I wrote this speech sitting in a café with one of my best friends who graduated from GUS with me. We met when we were 5. Eighteen years later, here we are. My first bit of advice: hold on to those connections. They are really, really special. Now, though, let’s focus on the other map direction. Forward. You’re moving on from 74 Hart Street, and for all of you, this part of your map holds some uncertainty. And rightly so. It hasn’t been explored. It’s clouded over—not yet unlocked. While right now the next step might seem daunting, here is the other part of my advice: uncertainty can be exciting.

This is my little challenge to you: wherever you go next, lean into the unexplored. This doesn’t mean going so far out of your comfort zone you can’t even locate it anymore. Rather, try a new bite, introduce yourself to someone, join a club, sit with new people at lunch. These little leaps offer so much possibility. We are all here today to celebrate how much you, members of the class of 2021, have accomplished so far. Everyone here is so proud of you and can’t wait to see what you do next. So be curious, be confident, and every once in a while, (parents, earmuffs) be impulsive. And wherever you go, remember your map.

Sarah McGrath ’13

Hi everyone. Thank you to Ms. Forsyth, Members of the board of trustees, faculty, staff, parents and you, class of 2021 for having me today.

It is so good to be back here with you all. No matter how many years separate me and my time at GUS, I still get the same warm feeling every time I come back to campus. My graduation day was a little different from this one. It rained so hard that instead of processing in we ran into the tent from Braemar while people held umbrellas for us. That was fun but this is quite an improvement. I know this day was a bittersweet one for me, as I am sure it is for you. I was filled with memories of my eighth grade year. I still have the giant map I drew in Mr. Bartsch’s class. I can still picture my entire class covering the halls of the Upper School building, working for weeks on end to finish our drawings. The eighth grade play remains a favorite memory for me as well. Our year the play was the Ugly Duckling, and while I did not have a big role due in large part to my lack of musical ability, I did have one scene where my job was to wave a stick with a ribbon attached to it, to emanate snow. Mid scene, the ribbon fell off my stick so I was just waving a stick while everyone else pretended to be in a now much less snowy storm.

Needless to say, while there are many exciting things ahead, I was sad to be leaving GUS.

I have been thinking a lot about what to say to you all and I thought I would start with the time I was sitting exactly where you are now, graduates. When I graduated from GUS, I went on to a high school I had always wanted to go to. I quickly found my place there, in the summers I got a job that I absolutely loved, I had good friends, and life was pretty good. I had very rarely, at this point in my life, faced any sort of rejection. But eventually, high school had to end and I began applying to colleges. For the first time in my life, I was faced with rejection and failure in a big way. I was not accepted to any of my top choices, and I promptly told my parents that I was not going to college. As you can imagine, this did not go over swimmingly. At one point I even suggested I move to Jamaica. You’ve heard of a midlife crisis? Well, this was a very premature one. After some deliberation with my parents, I agreed to go back to the college plan. Now it is true that I ended up in just the right place and it all worked out, but the last thing you want to hear about rejection is that it is meant to be, so instead, I will tell you this. It is quite rare that life goes to plan. This does not, however, mean you cannot be in control. You are still you, no matter what happens to you. I lost sight of this when I received those college rejections in the mail. Stepping back, though, I realized what I wanted from college was still available to me. I wanted a place where I would learn inside and outside the classroom about myself and the world, a place where I could see myself making friends and becoming a more independent young adult. I still had the ability to do this at some incredible colleges. I could still be me, I could still achieve what I wanted to achieve, it would simply happen in a way other than the way I had imagined for myself. Don’t let life deter you from who you are and where you are going. You are in control of that.

Fast forward some time to this past winter, when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Early on, amidst many meetings with doctors, one imparted a piece of wisdom. “Do not be afraid to hope,” she said. Perpetually positive and cheerful, my mom did not need this guidance. You could throw absolutely anything at my mother and she would remain optimistic. This, however, proved to be a helpful recommendation for myself and the rest of my family. It seems obvious. Why not be hopeful whenever possible? Yet remaining hopeful is often easily forgotten in the face of a challenge or in a moment of fear. It can open the door to possible disappointment later on, and it may feel easier, to be realistic rather than optimistic, or to focus on the difficulties that lie ahead. I believe that hope is a mental habit, though. You can train your mind to possess it, or you can let your mind do just the opposite. If you are brave enough to have it, you may realize it comes more naturally over time. I can tell you that my family and I do not regret a single ounce of the hope we held over this winter. I can promise you it will fill your days with more joy.

Lastly, I want to close with a quote from the poet Wendell Berry. He wrote, “Be joyful, even though you have considered all the facts.” Though at times this may prove to be tricky advice, you are ready to handle what life will throw at you. You are in control, you can go and be whoever you want. My advice to you is to do so with hope and joy. You have been educated here by some incredible people, many of whose wisdom I still carry with me today. You may surprise yourself with how much you are capable of doing.

You got this, you are in control, and hope will take you far. Life can throw a lot at you, but there is much to be joyous about. Today is one of those days for you, Class of 2021. Congratulations, I am so sure you will do amazing things. Trust and go forward.