How it actually went down

Ok, so I know that graduation was a while ago, but recently a few people have reminded me that I still haven't given them the final version of my speech. Considering that there are quite a few rather horrendous versions out there (including on this blog), I thought I would set the record straight by posting the final version of my speech. And as a bonus I've included some pictures too!

Here is me giving the speech. I know it's not the greatest picture, but I promise it's the best one I have (my mom had to zoom in quite a bit). The dean guy (or whoever he is) behind me looks really excited about what I'm saying!
The funniest part of the whole thing is that I (the giant that I am) spoke right before this crazy midget. I honestly thought that the podium was gonna break as it rushed from the lowest possible setting to the highest (it made an awful straining noise). Kev and I had a good laugh over it though.

Yay! I'm graduated! (Actually I think I was making a "Y" here for mom...I can't remember...but I was really happy regardless).
Alright, enough of this picture craziness. Here's the speech. I wish I had a really cool title for it, but I don't:

Good morning everyone! So the other day I was thumbing through a Calvin and Hobbes book and came across a comic in which Calvin makes the following observation:

“Know what’s weird? Day by day nothing seems to change, but pretty soon, everything is different…You just go about your business and one day you realize you’re not the same person you used to be.” (It’s a Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson p. 132)

Recently I had one of those moments of realization—other than still being a nerd, I’m really not the same person who came here to BYU as a shy, naïve, awkward, nerdy freshman who thought she had her life all planned and figured out.

But what exactly caused my gradual but drastic transformation over my years at BYU? Was it the opportunities I had to study abroad? To participate in mentored research? To go on internships? Was it the classes I took? The things I learned? The places I went? The service I did? The jobs I had? …the list goes on and on…(I was here for a really long time).

As I thought about it more though, I realized that in a way it was all of those things. But more than the actual experiences or circumstances, it was the people I encountered along the way who helped shape me into who I am today.

C.S. Lewis’ observation explains perfectly why the people in my life have had such a profound affect on me. He said:

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal…but it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit” (The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses [1980], 19).

I think we can safely add that…assignments, exams, grades, deadlines, jobs, money…these are mortal. And even though these “mortal” things are necessary, it is so critical to remember that the people who surround us every day of our lives—from the janitor we share an elevator ride with, to the friends we see every day, to the professor who inspires us during a lecture—are all immortal souls who each have unique experiences, perspectives, and insights that we can benefit from…if we choose to overcome our own prejudices, fears, and insecurities.

Since “there are no ordinary people,” it follows that there are no ordinary moments in life…or at least there never has to be.

As Elder Maxwell said, “We must look carefully…not only at life’s large defining moments but also at the seemingly small moments. Even small acts and brief conversations count, if only incrementally, in the constant shaping of souls.” He continues by asking, “What will we bring to all of those moments small and large? Will we do what we can to make our presence count as a needed constant in such fleeting moments, even in micro ways?” (The Pathway of Discipleship, Ensign Sept 1998, 7)

I will never regret those moments when I decided to choose immortal encounters over pressing mortal demands. When I chose to spend all night talking with my roommates about precious gospel principles instead of studying for the big test I had the next day. When I chose to spend Saturday throwing a barbeque with the girl I visit taught who was having a difficult time feeling like she fit in instead of working on a project that was due on Monday. When I chose to extend my office hours to help a student struggling with the material in the class as well as personal issues instead of finishing the assignment that was due in my next class.

Those, among many others, are the encounters that have shaped my soul over these past few years. And those pressing mortal demands? The test, the project, the assignment? I honestly don’t even remember what happened with them, because in the grand scheme of things they didn’t even matter.

I will also be forever grateful for those who took time to help me learn and grow despite their own mortal demands. The professor who, even though he was overwhelmed by more important matters took the time to go over a paper line-by-line to help one frustrated underclassman understand how to improve her writing skills. My friend who would always drag me out of the lab at lunchtime to make sure I got something to eat despite my protests that the Wilkinson center was just too far away from the Widstoe Building to make it worth it. The famous scientist-physician who interrupted his conversation with James Watson (of Watson and Crick) to talk with and later offer a position to an intimidated undergraduate from BYU who wanted to work in his lab.

These people are just a few out of hundreds who have made their presence count in my life in small and large ways whether they were aware of it or not.

So what is my advice? That memorable bit that I hope you’ll actually take away from all of this? For that I’ll turn to Horace’s famous directive “carpe diem.” Though it’s usually translated as “seize the day” I prefer the alternate translation “pluck the day” or my favorite, “harvest the day.”

So go out and harvest today because it’s a good, good day! But please don’t forget to harvest tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after. Whether you are going from here straight into a high-powered, high-paying job, graduate school, medical school, or to flip burgers at McDonalds, remember that those circumstances are merely mortal…but what you do with the immortal encounters in life on a moment to moment basis will shape your soul and the souls of those around you.

These soul-shaping opportunities are there if we will only pluck them! It is so easy to get discouraged by the fruits that haven’t yet blossomed in our lives, but if we’re constantly waiting by the tree that hasn’t born fruit yet we’ll miss out on all of the moments and encounters that the Lord has provided for us today to help us become who we need to be to harvest the fruits of tomorrow. And hopefully in that distant tomorrow we’ll be able to look back on today and realize that we aren’t the same people who walked across this stage, but we are better, stronger, smarter, more fearless, more compassionate, more humble, more loving, more Christ-like.

Thank you.