BSU\u2019s graduating class also included 53 Native American students, the most in the school\u2019s history, and 39 military veterans.<\/p>\n
Distinguished Minnesotan Will Weaver<\/h3>\n
Weaver said his long history as a professor of English at Bemidji State \u2014 where he taught from 1981 until he retired in 2006 \u2014 gave him a perspective on today\u2019s celebration that differed from other commencement speakers.<\/p>\n \u201cCommencement speakers often don\u2019t have a close connection to the school at which they speak: they fly in, make their remarks and they fly away,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I have an advantage today \u2014 I can speak directly to the outcomes of BSU grads just like you. They were my students. I know what\u2019s become of them. I know how their lives have unfolded because they stay in touch.\u201d<\/p>\n He shared brief stories about BSU graduates with whom he has recently interacted \u2014 an airline pilot, several teachers, a Ph.D. in literature who owns a computer repair business, a Russian translator at an embassy in Washington, D.C., a mother who\u2019s returning to school after 20 years to pursue a master\u2019s degree, and a former student he referred to only as \u201cDarren.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDarren is a guy who, in the words of the poet Dylan Thomas, has forked no lightning in life. He\u2019s not an airline pilot, he\u2019s not a teacher, he doesn\u2019t have his own company. But he\u2019s a guy who brings the fun,\u201d he said. \u201cHe makes people laugh and he makes us smile. And we need Darrens.\u201d<\/p>\n Weaver reminded graduates that their classmates sitting next to them had their own powerful stories to share, and that they should take every advantage of opportunities to meet those people and learn their stories.<\/p>\n BSU President Faith C. Hensrud opened her remarks by giving graduates one final assignment \u2014 to get their phones and send a message to a special person who helped them reach their goal of graduation.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like you to take it out, and then send a text, post a message to Facebook, send a Snapchat, or tweet, or post to Instagram to thank that special someone for helping you achieve this goal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Hensrud recognized the graduates as being part of a special milestone class at Bemidji State \u2014 the 99th class of graduates as the university prepares for its Centennial anniversary.<\/p>\n \u201cI hold up this institution\u2019s journey across 10 decades as a metaphor for the life journey each of you graduates is about to begin \u2013 to commence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She recalled Robert Frost\u2019s poem \u201cThe Road Not Taken\u201d and said it reflects the consequences of life\u2019s choices. She recalled her own journey as the first of seven children in her family to attend college, a journey which saw her earn a bachelor\u2019s degree, join the Army, become a mother and arrive as president of Bemidji State.<\/p>\n She said in hindsight her path was a direct result of her own choices, and she encouraged graduates to make thoughtful choices along their own journeys and to take full advantage of the opportunities found in those choices.<\/p>\n \u201cNot one of us can say where your particular road will take you. But, I am certain of one thing: Years from now, many of you will be amazed at how far you have come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Daniela Maltais, a graduating psychology student from Bemidji, said her own experience as a person who emigrated to the United States from Colombia showed what was possible if her fellow graduates were willing to overcome obstacles and define their own futures.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I came to America, I did not know English. I was raised by a mother who also did not speak English well,\u201d she said. \u201cI had a family member with mental and physical illness. These challenges \u2014 the challenges within my life \u2014 were exactly what I needed to guide me toward a career I am passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n She challenged her fellow graduates to be both farsighted and shortsighted as they traverse the paths ahead of them: to keep their eyes on their futures, but not lose track of what\u2019s around them in the present.<\/p>\n \u201cNearsightedness teaches us about the value of being present and in the moment,\u201d she said. \u201cMake a choice to do something that scares you the most. Live with purpose. Be authentic.<\/p>\n \u201cNever let where you began, or where you are today, define your future. You have the power to choose how your story ends.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/05\/201805-Commencement-banner-weaver.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBSU President Faith C. Hensrud<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAddressing the Graduates: BSU Student Daniela Maltais<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAddressing the Graduates: Minnesota State Trustee Roger Moe<\/h3>\n