'Graduation is Not Just One Day But a Journey'

Hi, everyone! My name is Jinny Choi, and I am so honored to speak to all of you today. I was very surprised to get this request from the university events team—mostly because I don’t know much about baseball and couldn’t tell you if you won games played at Fenway by touching down or by shooting hoops. 

But all jokes aside, I do want to start by acknowledging how much hard work and many late nights have gone into planning two commencement ceremonies with only a little more than a month’s time to prepare—so thank you so much to everyone involved in the planning for giving students and families a chance to celebrate in person.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize those who were unable to be here today—Ahmed Maruf, Max Evensen and Patrick Coffey—and to thank their families for sharing their light, love and laughter with us and the Bentley community.

When preparing for this speech, I started by thinking of what major themes commencement speeches normally have and naturally, "resilience" rang top of mind. But the thing about resilience, at least for me, is that it feels a little dismissive of how tough it actually can be until we’re through to the other side.

That state of “being resilient” isn’t a trophy—rather a mosaic of smaller badges won after each challenge along the way. College is a time of growth and learning, and we’ve all faced such unique challenges to get to where we are today. Being in this moment, we forget that graduation is not just one day but a journey. 

So whichever badges you’ve collected along the journey, you belong here. 

If you identify as first-generation: It could not have been easy to navigate a completely new environment without a lot of guidance. But you deserve to be here because you are determined and trailblazers. 

If you have left your home country to study in the U.S.: You have brought fresh perspectives and languages and challenged the Bentley community to think in ways we didn’t think to before. You have earned your place here because of your courage and your ambition. 

If you worked jobs in college, not because you wanted to but because you had to: It isn’t easy to balance personal responsibility and the frivolousness of being a college student who just wants to have fun. I applaud you for your hard work and sacrifice.

And for our Black students, alumni, staff, faculty, family and friends: You are so deserving of your places here. The Bentley experience would not be as enriching, vibrant and strong if not for Black voices and stories. Black lives matter and enhance everything that they touch. 

I wish I could continue, but I was only given four minutes. If I had more time, I would individually share with each and every one of you, family and friends included, why you are a valued part of this ceremony and community. That despite having such different circumstances that brought us here, the one thing we have in common is having experienced the journey of a Bentley graduation.  

Thank you to the Bentley staff and faculty for pouring your hearts into us. Thank you to our friends and family for constantly lifting us up. Thank you to the senior class cabinet who worked extremely hard last year for our class. And lastly, thank you to my parents. 엄마하고아빠한테는 고마운 게 너무 많고. 계속 열심히 일할게. 사랑해. (Translation: Mom and Dad, there are so many things that I am grateful to you for. I will keep working hard. I love you.)

Thank you all for being resilient, and I mean truly resilient. There was never going to be an easy way to end up here today, and although unconventional, we are here and have certainly earned our places.

Congratulations to the Class of 2020, we made it!