As Eric Goodchild blew the first notes into his bagpipes, New England College students emerged from the shelter of a covered bridge into the bright sun shining over graduation day.
“Today is the day we are no longer students,” undergraduate speaker Melissa Gerardi told her classmates. “Today is the day we become adults and students of the world.”
A group of 539 students listened before receiving their doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s and associate’s degrees at the center of the Henniker campus Saturday. From a series of speakers, graduates received several tips for a successful life: be happy, work hard, stick to your path and always, always keep your cell phone, wallet and keys in the same place.
The last piece of advice came from Trustee Distinguished Service Award recipient Tom Farmen, a 1974 alum. He also told students to “never be the last one to leave a party,” and he had every graduate raise his or her right hand and repeat after him: “I hereby pledge that in six months, I will not be living with my parents.”
Parents in the audience applauded.
Though seriousness wasn’t necessarily the tone of the day, Farmen did reflect on the educational wisdom – in addition to life hacks – that he gained from New England College. It turned an “average student” into a man able to teach, coach and act as headmaster at Rumsey Hall School in Connecticut for 42 years.
“I owe a big part of it to my NEC family,” he said.
The school has prepared education student Kayla Fullam, who will begin her job as a paraeducator this fall in her hometown of Littleton.
“I definitely feel ready,” she said moments before walking to her seat at the commencement ceremony.
Fullam said she intends to continue down a path towards her career, one step at a time. She and her classmates were encouraged to do so by graduate student speaker Patricia Anderson, a student from California who began her online courses for a master’s degree in managment in 2014.
It took Anderson 26 years to continue her education after earning her undergraduate degree in 1988, because, she said, money, relationships, time and life circumstances always seemed to be in the way.
“There were just so many obstacles to get around,” Anderson said.
It wasn’t until she was teaching a friend how to ride a bicycle on the road, and encouraged the friend to look at and follow the smooth path, not the potholes and bumps surrounding it, that Anderson learned her own lesson and decided to go back to school.
“I quit looking at all the things that were impossible,” Anderson said.
Following Anderson’s encouragement, the commencement address speaker, Gov. Maggie Hassan, continued the same line of thought, but issued a challenge on top of it.
“At times your path will be difficult, but you all have worked too hard to let obstacles stop you,” Hassan said. She pushed the graduates to consider how to further fairness and inclusion in their community, and how they might build on the progress already made there.
“Ask yourselves, what am I doing for freedom today?” Hassan said. She added, “I look forward to all that you accomplish.”
Many students had that same anticipation Saturday. Connor Abbatessa, who studied criminal justice as an undergraduate, said he wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do in life, but trusted he would find his way.
“For right now it’s up in the air,” he said. “I’m kind of going to go with the flow and see where my path takes me.”
Whatever various paths students would be following at the end of Saturday’s ceremony, New England College president Michele Perkins asked for one thing: for students to find happiness.
“There’s no silver bullet for happiness,” Perkins said. But, she added, education can enrich people’s inner lives and help them find personal satisfaction and contentment, and that – not money, objects or power – is the golden key.
“Education alone will not lead to happiness, but it will lead us on a path,” said Perkins. “We know you have learned this at New England College.”
That was true for Jasmine Aguon-Rayford, who was grinning just after recieving her diploma for a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. She also wore cords denoting her status as an honor student.
“I feel great – it’s a great feeling,” Aguon-Rayford said. She plans to return to her hometown of Owings Mills near Baltimore, where she plans to start her own business.
“I’ve never had the honors and degrees I’ve got,” Aguon-Rayford said. “This school really helped me see my potential.”
(Elodie Reed can be reached at 369-3306, ereed@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @elodie_reed.)