Vassar Student Association Remarks

By Gabi James ’22, President, Vassar Student Association (VSA)

Hello everyone. Good afternoon. It’s great to see everyone here. I can remember sitting in the, very warm, chapel during my first-year at Vassar three years ago. Sitting with my student fellow group, that I didn’t really know that well yet, and thinking about how far away my senior year seemed, and now I’m here. Seniors, here we are for the first time in our cap and gown together.

Although, the times are quite different from when I first arrived at Vassar. I’ve thought a lot about how this first-year class applied to Vassar in very trying times in the midst of the pandemic and you may not even have visited the college. You’ve heard this from me before during orientation week, but, once again, congratulations for your admittance into the College.

I think many of my fellow classmates in the Class of 2022 are able to say that we aren’t the same person we were at our first convocation. And by this I mean, we’ve grown as people and students. We’ve developed new interests, figured out what we liked and didn't like. Like joining an org email list, never going to a meeting or maybe going to one, and now you’re still receiving emails that you don’t read.

But that’s okay because there are several opportunities available to take advantage of. And that’s one of the things that I love most about Vassar, is that while you’re here, you can explore.

At Vassar I have made friends and memories that will stay with me for a long time. I wish everyone the best as we continue to adapt to the unexpected and prepare for whatever comes at us next in the world we’re living in right now. It’s still pretty early in the semester but I hope you all remember to make time for yourselves as the semester continues. I’ll see you all around campus and I’ll see some of you again in our caps and gowns in the near future.

Thank you.