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Text: Senior class president’s remarks to the Class of 2022

Lesli Nolazco ’22, president of the senior class, gave remarks to the Class of 2022 during Baccalaureate on May 6, 2022. Here is the full text of her remarks.

Class of 2022,

It has been nothing short from an honor to represent each and every one of you as Class President the past two years. And as to all the people here in support of the graduating class, thank you for being here every step of the way.

When I think of this class and Maryville College holistically, I think about all of us. I reminisce on all things. The day we first touched the covenant stone, when we first stepped foot in this building as first-years, the endless laughs we shared when we should have been doing homework in thaw, and even the day we left for a two week long spring break and never came back.

That being said, it is very easy to feel like this time has completely passed us by. It amazes me the trials and tribulations and memories that have brought us here. I know there are many people who have all sorts of feelings to be here at this moment, the evening before the big day. Some bittersweet, some anxious and some excited to ring in this huge accomplishment. So, I want to leave all you with this before we meet again tomorrow.

In the book of Joshua, chapter 1, verse 9, it reads:

Joshua 1:9 Be Strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

So be strong and courageous, Class of 2022. For the Lord, your peers, faculty and family are with you wherever you go. It is a time of celebration and happiness. Be proud and be joyful, it is our time. I am beyond proud to be here before all of you, and I am more than excited to see us walk the stage tomorrow and all the amazing things we will accomplish, and to see all of us take over the world with continued kindness, perseverance, and hard work.

Sadly, it is also time for us to say “see you later”. And man, am I glad to have this place and these people to make saying “see you later” so hard.

Thank you. And Congratulations to all of us Class of 2022.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”