Commencement speech (excerpts) by Audrey Dever
Looking back on the four years we’ve spent together, I am so proud of how we, as a class, have softly but strongly developed a sense of character, discovered and honed our passions, and fostered meaningful and lasting relationships with one another. Through a combination of our own hard work, the support of our families, and the guidance of our teachers, we have grown as individuals, equipped to conquer all that may lie ahead of us.
I believe that the catalyst of such immense personal development within each and every member of our class is the love that is woven into the fabric of our community. After all, the first of Padua’s cultural norms challenges us to “Act Out of Love.”
These cultural norms, created by students to describe the community we aspire to be, articulate the values we embrace each day. And, of course, as Padua is affectionately known as the Big Box of Love, this first cultural norm has certainly taken root in not only our community, but in each of us. St. Clare of Assisi, one of Padua’s patrons and the figure who inspired my middle name, wrote that “We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.” “We become what we love.” Since taking my first steps up the marble stairs on Broom Street, I have continually found new qualities to love about Padua. …
Each of us began our time at Padua with different hesitations and hopes, and each of us discovered a community that invited us to choose to love. As we’ve grown older, we’ve paid that love forward to the next generation of students by happily welcoming them at our Open House, by cheering our sisters on at volleyball games, tennis matches, musical performances, and more, and by passing along the advice we wish we’d known.
We embraced a community of support as we discovered that we could also love learning. With eagerness and gratitude for the abundance of opportunities Padua offered us, we explored what it meant to be academically curious and intellectually engaged throughout the past four years. In fact, whether it be through classes, clubs, extracurriculars, or even field trips, many of us have discovered passions for certain subjects that we hope to eventually pursue as professionals. Maybe learning about our peers’ heritage and traditions at Culture Day sparked an interest in international relations.
Or perhaps participating in a biology lab freshman year ignited a passion for medicine. Or possibly even leading PATV, Padua’s very own live news broadcast, inspired a fascination with journalism. Regardless of the origin, our love for these interests has helped us to uncover important aspects of our identities, to embrace who we are as scholars. I
t is not surprising that we have discovered such intellectual passions, as our teachers’ love for us is ever-present in the ways they endlessly encourage us to explore our interests at a deeper level. Supported by their immense dedication and unwavering belief in us, we have gained knowledge, experience, and skills that will allow us to make valuable contributions to the world.
There is no way to speak about the tangible experiences of love at Padua without touching on the incredible friendships that we made over the years. Since the start of freshman year, we have spent over 5200 hours together, and now we rely on one another for advice, encouragement, and laughter. It is to one another that we look when we consider the most impactful lessons Padua taught us about love. As we will sing in the Alma Mater before today’s ceremony concludes, “With the help of God’s grace, we’ll travel from this place with friendships that are strong and true.” Without question, our class has grown more confident, more empathetic, and more connected as a result of our friendships with one another. God’s grace is certainly present in these friendships that will sustain us far beyond the past four years. True to Padua’s pillar of sisterhood, the bonds we established through class projects, long practices, smiles in the hallways, AST study sessions, and praise and worship sing-alongs will undoubtedly remain strong even as our physical distance from each other grows.
In every aspect of our lives, I see how the love we have given and received as part of the Padua community has helped each of us grow into creative problem-solvers, collaborative leaders, and compassionate innovators. We will carry this love with us and apply it to the new challenges we face. As we meet new friends, apply for jobs, and most especially, encounter the unforeseen difficulties of life, we are rooted in love that will help us push forward.
On many occasions, we have sung that final line of the Alma Mater: “We’ll leave her walls someday, but a part of us will stay at Padua.” Each and every one of us can be proud of the permanent impact we made on Padua Academy. Just as we have been transformed by this community we love, so has this community become something greater, thanks to the love we poured into it. Our contributions to Padua’s academics, athletics, clubs, theater, service, and culture will forever remain as the threads we have sewn into the fabric of our school. As we say our goodbyes and make our final memories together as Padua Academy’s Class of 2025, I encourage each of you to look out for how the loved ones surrounding you have shaped the person you are, and how you’ve shaped them in return. No matter what lies ahead, we have the power – we have the love – that is needed to permanently shape the world around us.
