F&M Stories

Congratulations Franklin & Marshall graduates, Class of 2020.

We have been planning for this opportunity to celebrate your Commencement for almost a year.

Nearly every morning, I would walk through your campus with my daughter on our way to the coffee shop in preparation for a day of online work and school, and I would think about this day.

Dr. Altmann and I were in continued conversation, looking for the perfect time and the perfect conditions. The perfect time to celebrate your accomplishments. The perfect time for me to fulfill the honor of addressing all of you as a guest speaker at your commencement ceremony. I started to wonder, would there be a perfect time?

Then again, maybe this is the perfect time, to not only celebrate this accomplishment, but to celebrate you — your resilience, your adaptability, your focus, and your resolve.

For all of us, this pandemic turned our world upside down. However, it gave us life experiences like no other, and lessons that we will not soon forget.

On Friday, March 13, the Governor of Pennsylvania announced the closure of all K-12 schools throughout the Commonwealth to address the health and safety of our students and communities in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. That day, I had the distinct responsibility to serve the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as secretary of education and as part of a team that had to lead through a global pandemic.

On the surface, our role was fairly cut and dried: focus on continuity and modalities of instruction.

However, in reality, the challenge was much broader. The immediate issues for us to address were the basic needs of our communities - food and housing security.

We needed to respond to: how students who normally ate at school could access nutritious foods and meals while social distancing at home or throughout closed campuses; where students facing housing insecurity might live; and how families could access much-needed life-sustaining resources and supplies.

We learned an important lesson that day. All of the hard work and preparation and all of the systems we created in response to almost every foreseeable condition were challenged.

Although wrapped up in the novel occurrence of COVID-19, the circumstances and conditions that our most vulnerable communities faced are not new. They were just exasperated or even highlighted under the weight of discovery.

As graduates who have recently entered the workforce and the world in your new role, you are going to learn quickly that the skills and conditions you spent years developing and sharpening are the foundations you will use to build all future life decisions, and they will be challenged early and often.

After all, you not only endured the hardest conditions ever met in academia, you created a new pathway for all future learners.

As you work to become a leader at work and or in your community, remember the best way to make it through challenges is by focusing on the talent and the resources around you.

A year ago, we didn't know what we were facing, but we asked critical questions and surrounded ourselves with many individuals who broadened our knowledge and understanding.

Never stop listening and learning.

Over the course of many months, educators and community partners were able to serve over 12.5 million meals.

They found housing for thousands of students across Pennsylvania.

They ensured education continued for millions of our students.

Their creativity resulted in learning modalities ranging from online platforms, to paper packets, or even via public television for hard-to- reach communities.

For us, that is the point of pride through this pandemic - communities stepping up to support members of their community and beyond.

It makes you wonder: How did everyday members of our community step up and do the extraordinary things we witnessed this past year?

Because they focused on the "why".

They did not allow the audacious figure of 12 million plus meals paralyze them into submission; they focused on feeding a neighbor in need. Why? Because that neighbor was hungry.

They didn't worry about the challenges of finding the square footage to house students and families, they focused on putting a roof over a head. Why? Because that neighbor was homeless.

They didn't ponder on how a community in the 21st century couldn't have access to reliable connectivity. They pulled resources and locations together to offer instruction. Why? Because they know education is a pathway to prosperity.

They knew at times it wasn't perfect, but they continued to move forward.

So as you continue on your path to success and prosperity, whether you are continuing your education or entering the workforce, stop early and often and remember your "why." Ultimately, it's your "North Star" to guide you in times of uncertainty.

Ultimately, my "why" drew me to transition from a job I enjoyed and colleagues I greatly appreciated. Not because I was unhappy, but because I was presented with the opportunity to continue to follow and advance my "why" and do my part to address the inequities that were brought to light by the worst pandemic of our lifetimes.

As you look to make life and career decisions, remember why you chose to enter your profession, and ask, will you love what you're doing? Can you make a living doing it? And do those around you need it? If the answer is yes, you have found your path to success and happiness.

Again, I congratulate you, the Class of 2020, and thank you for the privilege of sharing this moment with you.