Dear Georgetown Class of 2020,
Congratulations to you on the momentous occasion of your college graduation! Wow!
I graduated in 2015, majored in American Studies, and rowed during my time at Georgetown.
I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of pride and inexpressible gratitude at my own graduation. I’m sorry that you and your loved ones won’t get the classic celebratory experience you deserve. My business school graduation has been canceled too and I feel your disappointment. That said, I hope you take time to reflect on the years of work that have led up to this moment, the endeavors you’ve enjoyed and ways you’ve grown at Georgetown, and all of the people who have supported you along the way.
At this significant ending — one without proper closure — I want to tell you that your connection with Georgetown lives on. I have been surprised and delighted by all the ways that Georgetown continues to enrich my life. In the five years since I graduated: I’ve started dating someone I met on my freshman floor – Darnall 5. I’ve rowed in alumni boats on the Charles and Schuylkill rivers. I’ve said “Hoya Saxa” to someone wearing a Georgetown shirt during my travels to a muddy mountaintop in Sapa, Vietnam. I’ve worked with bosses at two separate internships who both graduated from Georgetown. I’ve met fellow Hoyas through the Philadelphia and Chicago alumni clubs. I’ve returned to campus for the 50th anniversary of the American Studies program. I’ve met up with a former teammate in London and gotten to know my rowing coach as a peer. I’ve interviewed prospective students who can sense the magic of four years at Georgetown. You are a Hoya for life, not just in name but in practice.
Blessings to you as you close this chapter and transition to new pursuits.
-Julia B., (C’15)