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Photo of a college senior standing at a podium and giving an address
Outgoing senior class President Josh Cornell ’26 addresses his fellow graduates at the Maryville College Baccalaureate service on May 8, 2026.

Text: Maryville College senior class President Josh Cornell ’26’s Baccalaureate remarks to the Class of 2026

May 8, 2026

Josh Cornell ’26, president of the senior class at Maryville College, delivered the traditional remarks from that office to the Class of 2026 during the Baccalaureate service held on Friday, May 8, 2026. Here is the full text of his remarks.

Class of 2026, graduation is right around the corner. In just a few hours, we’ll walk across that stage, hear our names called, and finally get the diplomas we’ve been working so hard for. In a way, that means our years at Maryville College are coming to a close. It’s a strange, bittersweet feeling to reflect in the space wherein we once began our college journey, and now, we are getting ready to leave, wondering how time managed to fly by so fast. A little nostalgia comes with that… and maybe a quiet wish for just a bit more time.

So where did all that time go?

Honestly, it never really left us. Every hour we spent here is still alive in our memories with each other, and all the little moments that shaped who we are today.

All of it comes together like threads in a tapestry, weaving together the story of our Maryville College experience. It’s something that will guide us and keep us connected through the rest of our lives. But there’s still one thread missing from our tapestry.

Graduation.

When I wrote the first half of this speech back in August, I hit a roadblock and decided that I should put off writing the second half until it was a little closer to graduation. I really wanted some powerful inspiration. Then it hit me one night in late March as I was scrolling through Instagram before bed. I saw a post of a men’s choir singing the song “The Parting Glass.” For some context, it’s a Scottish folk song that people often sing at the end of a gathering, as a touching final toast before going their separate ways:

Since that night in March, the lyrics have been percolating in my head.

Here’s a bit of it:

Of all the money that e’er I had

I spent it in good company

And all the harm I’ve ever done

Alas, it was to none but me

And all I’ve done for want of wit

To mem’ry now I can’t recall

So fill to me the parting glass

Good night and joy be to you all

To me, these words sum up all the emotions that come with graduating. The mix of saying goodbye, feeling grateful, and hoping for the next time we reunite. In times like these, the lyrics remind us that leaving isn’t necessarily permanent, but rather a patient wait for reunion.

So as we begin to part ways, it feels right to pause and simply say thank you. Thank you for the laughs, the tears, the memories, and the connections that will last far beyond this place. And with that, I want to raise a metaphorical glass to all of you.

Goodnight, and joy be to you all.

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.”