Georgetown Preparatory School celebrated the Class of 2020 at the Liturgy Service and Commencement Exercises on Saturday, July 31, the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Commencement Exercises that were originally scheduled for May 22 and May 23, were rescheduled for July 31. To accommodate students who were not able to attend in person, Georgetown Prep hosted a hybrid event, both in-person (following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines, and local and State health protocols) and live-streamed. One hundred and three members of the graduating class and two family members or guests attended in-person; 29 members of the Class of 2020 participated virtually.
The community gathered on the Chapel field to celebrate the achievements of the graduating class. Prep's Headmaster, Mr. John Glennon Jr., served as the Master of Ceremonies at the Commencement Exercises.
Peter Connolly, Jr. '20, who attends Georgetown University, received the Hillenbrand Medal, which is awarded to the President-of-the-Yard. Rev. James R. Van Dyke, S.J., Prep's President, also presented Christopher Singleton, Jr. '20, who attends Gettysburg College, with the Jeffrey L. Jones award in honor of Prep's former Headmaster, Jeff Jones.
Patrick Gaul '20, who attends Williams College, won the Hamilton Medal, Georgetown Prep's oldest graduation award.
Michael Emerson '20, who attends Georgetown University, delivered the Commencement address.
Speaking to his classmates, Michael shared what Georgetown Prep and Jesuit education has meant to him. The following is an excerpt:
However, I think on this day, July 31st, the feast day of St. Ignatius, we can see just why Ignatius intended for young men to be educated according to the ideals of the Society of Jesus. My father pointed out to me a significant pattern with our class. Most of us were born in the months leading up to or directly following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Never before had the United States experienced such an immediate, large-scale, loss of life in the heart and soul of the nation. A year later, our parents had to duck and hide on their morning commutes because of the DC Sniper of 2002. Mass shootings and terrorist attacks have only been on the rise since our births, and climate change is ramping up each year. To top it all off, the coronavirus came and inflicted massive amounts of sickness, death, and financial ruin, as well as snatching away these last few months of classes on this campus. In many ways, it could be argued that we are a doomed class. But this is not true. We are the answer. Our whole generation was born and raised in the ashes of trauma and anguish, and from these ashes we will rise to combat global threats as Jesuit-educated men.
This is the truest form of generosity: using one's talents to serve God and others. For the past four years, our teachers have taught us about the inner workings of the natural world and humanity's story in it. We've learned how a Christian ought to view the world, and what actions it takes to bring about justice. Though the COVID-19 pandemic will end, the coming years will see the need of fresh hands to lift our global community out of the rut and up to new heights. The pandemic provides a key example to show how the world needs a new generation of Prep men. Health care professionals will be needed to reinforce the front lines against diseases and other kinds of bodily ailments. Businessmen will be demanded to come up with new strategies to reinvigorate the crashing economy. Policymakers must step forward with plans to bring aid to populations in need. Lawyers will be called upon to administer justice through our legal system. Journalists will be counted on to disseminate a true account of the state of our world. Engineers will be required to innovate technology to improve the standard of living for those in need. Georgetown Prep has produced such men time and time again, but what's different about our class is that we will be worlds more motivated than most classes before us to use our talents to help our communities prosper. We will have a healthy chip on our collective shoulder for the loss of these last few months at Prep. We will not take "no" for an answer when told there is nothing more we can do to aid the marginalized, that is, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, to clothe the naked, and to visit the prisoner, as mandated by Christ himself. Every last one of us will have an irresistible drive to excel in the next steps of our education. Nothing can stop the procession. We're ready. We wouldn't be here if we were not all open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice. It is true that we all "grinded" to reach this point in our educational careers. All of us have had to leave our comfort zones, become disciplined, and show grit to grow into the competent men that Prep has proudly produced since 1789. Through the service we've done while at Prep, the Class of 2020 has discovered that caring for the less fortunate is not a "grind"; it's actually what brings us the greatest joy in life.
So, let's go set the world on fire! Even though we will go our separate ways, when we leave Prep today, we will leave as brothers for life. While the Class of 2020 has had its share of adversity, we all have been equipped with the proper tools to go out and begin our adult lives doing everything for the greater glory of God.
