Be the Spark. Set the World on Fire.
It may feel like starting college at the Mount is no big deal. Campus may not be far from home. You may not even be living on campus. You may be transferring in semesters-worth of credit from a different institution, so it doesn’t really feel like a new start at all. It may feel like going to college is just what people are supposed to do, so here you are.
Or maybe you’re the first person in your family to go to college, and you’re feeling incredibly anxious: there is so much pressure on your shoulders. Your whole family is expecting you to succeed. Maybe things at home have been hard the past few years, and you’re feeling relieved to be here, finally in control of your own self. Maybe you’re feeling excited – super motivated – to take this concrete step towards your career -- as a nurse, an accountant, a science teacher, a graphic designer. You’re ready to help others, make a difference.
Wherever you’re at in this moment – whether this beginning at the Mount feels humdrum or buzzing with possibility – I want you to know, first and foremost, that you are welcome here. This is your space, and we are so happy to have you among us. I also want to reassure you, right now, that the journey you are about to embark on is incredibly special.
Take a moment to look around and really take in what you see around you. (No, really, look around. I’ll give you a minute.) The entire Mount Saint Mary College faculty is in this room with you. We canceled classes so everyone could be here. While you’re still looking around, consider what the past half an hour has been like. Why the bagpipes? Why the academic regalia with varying colors that represent our areas of expertise? Why the parade? Why did we applaud you as marched into this space, decorated with flowers? These are all markers that you are in the process of starting something very special. So special that we have to shake you out of your normal routine to mark it, to honor it.
The color on my robe is dark brown, which means I’m credentialed in the fine arts; my expertise is poetry. And as a poet, I want to call your attention to a recurrent symbol on our campus. It’s fire. Our web site says, “Be the spark: set the world on fire.” Have you seen the phoenix on the back side of the Dominican Center? Every image of St. Dominic on campus depicts a burning star above his head as well as a dog that carries a burning torch in its mouth. And those of you who participated in new-student orientation this summer remember: you lit a candle to symbolize the start of your journey with us. Fr. Greg keeps that flame burning in the chapel -- 24 hours a day – until mid-October. That’s when we celebrate Spirit Week, and your flame is used to light our giant, community bonfire Saturday night.
So what does this symbol mean? Is it the torch of truth? Is it the light of knowledge? Is it the shedding of things that no longer serve you and being reborn out of those ashes? Is it the fire of passion? Is it the shining of your true self, your spirit? Yes. It is. It’s all of it.
Dr. Howard Thurman was a spiritual advisor to community leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Reverend Jesse Jackson. He died in 1981, but he left us with these words: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Be the spark. Set the world on fire.
I said before that this journey you’re beginning is incredibly special – not because college is what you’re supposed to do or because your family has high expectations of you. The start of your journey at the Mount is special because these next few years are your time to figure out what makes you come alive. It’s your time to identify your spark. And once you do, you might be surprised. Just like the phoenix rises from its ashes, you might find yourself rising in a completely new field and discipline than where you started. And let me reassure you – if that happens -- we, professionals in this room, your faculty and staff, are going to applaud you again. Because when you graduate, we want you to have more than a job. We want you to be a personally fulfilled, engaged member of your family and community. We want you to be a mature, confident person who knows who you are. We want you to be forever curious, maintain a wonder for the world, crave the learning and growth that comes with new experiences, value the beauty in diversity and the dignity in inclusion. And, to get you there, we’re committed to helping you discover what makes you come alive now. (Actually, part of what makes us come alive is serving as guides on your journey.) And if you already know what your spark is, we’re going to help you tend that fire so it burns more fiercely. And so you can sustain it for as long as you want.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Be the spark. Set the world on fire.
Welcome to Mount Saint Mary College. We can’t wait to see you shine.
Thank you.
