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Summer 2006
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Graduation 2006 Student Speaker Kathrin Spoeck
Photo by Monica Davey Kathrin Spoeck is pictured delivering her speech at the May 27, 2006 graduation ceremony at Masonic Center, San Francisco.
An old Chinese proverb says, “ Some roads aren't meant to be traveled alone.” Since I embarked on my journey a few years ago, I have never felt alone. City College of San Francisco has been my helpful and supportive guide through this most pivotal part of my educational career. Through the pressure of final exams, the frenzies of parking, and the long lines at the bookstore, we have all been there together. From the first time we stepped onto the road leading to our educational goals until today we have been there together. And more importantly City College has been there for us. I hope you agree that City College is an institution that has given us the right attitude, mindset, and training to achieve our goals and to fulfill our dreams. City College has done this by first, instilling in us a sense of community and secondly, providing us with the opportunity to succeed.
Main Points
I, like many of you here, came to City College as a foreign student. I know the anxiety that many of us felt entering a brand new academic and cultural environment. I clearly remember how nervous I was when I attended my first class meeting. It was a foggy, cold day. As you all know, Muni is often running late. That’s why I made sure to arrive early for my first class at City College. When people slowly started entering the classroom, my nervousness increased with every second. I was so afraid of not being able to understand the lecture and being alienated by my peers . When the instructor started her lecture, I realized that my fears and worries were unfounded. The class was called Psychology 26 - Human Relations and it was taught by Dr. Lisa Harrison, a wonderful Psychology professor. I remember that she always wrote extremely encouraging comments on my papers that turned my fear of going to school in this country into pure excitement. I soon learned that my psychology class was not the exception but the rule. All instructors I had at City College put great time and effort into their teaching. Most importantly though it is the students, us, that help to build the sense of community. In every single class, I was able to get to know wonderful people from all walks of life who contributed to a stimulating environment. I have met brilliant artists, inspiring activists, progressive thinkers, and most importantly, life-long friends.
I think City College has been a delightful beginning to a promising future. Since City College offers such a multitude of courses, I was able to gain insight into various fields of study and interests. Like most of you, I had to fulfill my GE requirements and therefore took all sorts of classes: Anthropology, English, Astronomy, Art, and Speech, just to name a few. Even though I felt a bit discouraged when I first realized how many classes I had to take, now I am so glad I had the opportunity to broaden my horizon. Some classes like Cultural Anthropology and Cosmic Evolution completely changed my view of this world. Having learned about the vastness of space and the complexities of time has made me realize the uniqueness of life is, and the importance of making this one opportunity count. I am sure many of you sitting here this morning have had similar experiences in the classes you have taken. City College has also provided me with my first job opportunity in this country. The work experience I acquired as a peer advisor in the Transfer Center in addition to the knowledge I gained a City College has helped me to jumpstart my career and has facilitated my transfer to a four-year university.
Conclusion I hope that today and for the rest of your life you will remember what City College has done for us by instilling in us a sense of community and providing us with the opportunity to succeed. I challenge you to make our community better than what it is today by showing others the qualities City College has instilled in us: Selflessness, tolerance, generosity, and academic success. I challenge you to fulfill your dreams, and perhaps more importantly, to inspire others to fulfill their own dreams. I want to wish all of you good fortune as you embark on your own wonderful journeys. Although we will end our journeys in different places, we have all shared a common starting point and it is here at City College of San Francisco. And as we say in Austria: Auf Wiedersehen!
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