LOCATION AND CONTACT INFORMATION

On Saturday, May 10, 141 degrees were awarded at the 99th commencement of Sweet Briar College. Ten graduate degrees were conferred — two Master of Education and eight Master of Arts in Teaching — and 131 undergraduate, one of which was awarded posthumously.
Anne-Claire Wackenhut ’98 (left) and Sophie Wackenhut Szymanski ’02 (right) help their sister, Celeste, with her mortarboard. Photos by Aaron Mahler.In some ways, the ceremony was everything one would expect in a college graduation — “Pomp and Circumstance,” fond memories recalled to a chuckling audience, admonitions to “never stop learning,” and challenges to be leaders and change the world.

But there also were some atypical things. Dark skies loomed, blustery winds threatened to carry off mortarboards, and the graduates wore pink ribbons pinned to their black robes in honor of Laura Jahnke, a beloved classmate who died of cancer in 2007.

A particularly touching moment was when Jahnke’s parents, Doug and Merilee Jahnke, accepted an honorary diploma on their daughter’s behalf. As faculty and students rose, clapping, to their feet and her father pointed toward Heaven, some in the crowd were driven to tears.

Speakers from the Class of 2008 included Katie Whitmire, Kristin Barnes and Mary Dance.

Graduates wore pink ribbons in honor of Laura Jahnke, a beloved classmate who died of cancer in 2007.In her speech, class president Whitmire talked about things that typify Sweet Briar. She reminisced about late-night Sheetz runs, walking the Dairy Loop, soaking up the sun in the dell on a beautiful spring day and “swimming in the fountain with our dresses on after Homecoming.”

Whitmire also talked about College traditions — step singing, lantern bearing, and junior banquet, among others — and said when her friends at home don’t get it, she just “gives up and says, ‘It’s a Sweet Briar thing.’ ”

In that vein, Sweet Briar College President Elisabeth Muhlenfeld later called leadership “the Sweet Briar thing.” The day before, she said, the College awarded its first certificates in its new Leadership Certificate Program.

“When you think about the future, I look at you … five, ten, twenty years down the road,” she said. “What I see is leaders.”

Barnes, student government association president, talked about college experiences, including study abroad, athletics, music and other pursuits. “My charge to you is to continue this path of adventure you’ve begun,” she said.

“Never stop exploring. Never stop learning. Embrace your path but remember this: You may not change the world, but you can always make a difference to those around you.”

Barnes also presented the Shirley P. Reid Excellence in Service Award to Cheryl Steele, dean of co-curricular life. Voted on by the student body, the award recognizes a staff member for going beyond the call of duty and for enriching the College community.

Barnes cited the many meals and gatherings Steele hosts for students at her house on Elijah Road. As for going beyond the call of duty, Barnes said, Steele once “beat the ambulance to the hospital” after a student broke her jaw.

Dance, chairman of the academic affairs committee, presented the Connie Burwell White Excellence in Teaching Award to associate professor of psychology Tim Loboschefski. The award is given by the student body as a tribute to a professor’s dedication to his or her students.

Before presenting the award, Dance talked about “this beloved professor.” She cited his degrees, honors and publications, and said, “In his spare time, he has made a lasting impression on the Sweet Briar students, performing as Shakespeare in the faculty show and as a scathing critic in the latest ‘So you think you can dance? Sweet Briar Edition.’ ”

Pai spoke, among other things, about her experiences as an immigrant.The keynote speaker for commencement was Anna Chao Pai, a 1957 graduate of Sweet Briar and a charter member of the College’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Pai is professor emerita at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Better known by the nickname “Chips,” Pai immigrated to the United States with her parents, who had fled the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Her family traveled first to Beijing, where Pai was born, and then on to America.

Pai has lived in this country since 1940.

In a speech entitled, “Challenges, Privileges and Obligations,” Pai talked, among other things, about her experiences as an immigrant — learning to speak English, dealing with discrimination, and the “generational and cultural gap” between her siblings and her parents.

“Being an immigrant is never easy, especially to a child who could not understand discrimination,” she said. “My life was full of challenges, but they gave my life meaning and direction. Challenges are a part of everyone’s lives. The most daunting ones can actually be an opportunity to achieve goals and become what we wish to be.”

On that line, Pai told the graduates they would continue to face “glass ceilings” and other obstacles because they were women — particularly the women of color. “But make no mistake,” she said. “You can be whatever you wish to be because of your education, and in part because of the lessening of sexual and racial discrimination in our society.

“But you will still need more — the determination to work as hard as necessary to succeed in your goals, the willingness to make mistakes along the way and learn from them instead of being beaten down by them, the courage to overcome the fear of failure and to try something daunting, balanced by the self awareness to go as far as you can.”

In closing, Pai said, “I give you one of my favorite lines that I heard once in a talk. A child wrote to his father serving in the Viet Nam War, ‘I hope you live your whole life.’ I can’t think of a more wonderful wish for every one of you.”