Presbyterian College formally declared the opening of its 145th academic year Tuesday with a celebration of the Class of 2025.
Processing into Belk Auditorium behind the PC faculty and led by a bagpiper to the familiar tune of “Highland Cathedral,” seniors donned their caps and gowns for the first time to kick off the final leg of their undergraduate journey.
In her welcome to the senior class, PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson noted that Opening Convocation is a fitting bookend to their final processional at commencement.
“But perhaps it is really just a bookmark, because after you graduate, you will continue to be part of the PC family as you join the community of alumni around the globe,” Gustafson said. “We are really a community here at PC. The Oxford Dictionary defines community as, first of all, a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
“And secondly, community is a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. PC provides a unique opportunity that won’t be available during other phases of your lives. To live in the same place. To learn and grow as part of a residential academic community. To have characteristics in common. So, treasure your time that you have together.”
Interim provost and vice president for academic affairs Dr. Erin McAdams also addressed PC’s first-year students, sophomores, and juniors.
“Class of 2028, your graduation is the farthest away, so your future is filled with possibilities – from making new friends, exploring different academic areas, and embracing every opportunity available to you,” McAdams said. “This is a time for exploration, so remember to engage fully in the life of our college community.
“For our sophomores and juniors, you are standing at pivotal points in your journey as you continue another year at PC. For you, now is the time for reflection and growth. This year is an important opportunity for you to leave an everlasting mark here. Remember that the networks that you create with peers, with staff, and with faculty will be invaluable as you move toward your senior year and beyond.”
McAdams told seniors that their final year at PC is about the culmination of their undergraduate career and a transition to their next chapter.
“As you stand now in your graduation gowns, you are not only students, but emerging leaders,” she said. “Though you must continue to work hard, continue to uphold PC’s honor code, and contribute to the PC community, I hope that you will embrace this year with gratitude, excitement, and a lot of celebration.”
Attorney Leah D. Mayo ’15, the assistant district attorney for the District Attorney’s Office in Rome, Ga., and PC’s 2023 Outstanding Alumna, delivered the keynote address, “To Move Forward, You Have to Give Back.”
Mayo congratulated the Class of 2025 as they wore their caps and gowns for the first time.
“I congratulate you on getting to this moment,” she said. “This is the beginning of the culmination of your hard work, dedication, and plans thus far. But as you embark on your senior year, the final step in your plans towards an undergraduate degree, I hope you will still keep an open mind about the opportunities that may come and what your senior year might look like.”
At the beginning of her senior year, Mayo said she had not yet decided to do honors research, add another major, or study abroad.
“Believe it or not, none of those things were a part of my original plan for my senior year,” Mayo said. “But they ended up becoming the very best parts of that year. I was able to do honors research in creative writing and complete a collection of essays that I am still very proud of. I was able to figure out how to get enough hours in my final two semesters to earn two bachelor’s degrees. And I ended up doing a spring break study abroad trip to Cuba with the political science department.”
Mayo also encouraged seniors to pay attention to deadlines, recounting the time she nearly failed to meet her deadline to apply for a law school scholarship. Luckily, she said, dedicated faculty members and staff helped her meet that deadline and earn the scholarship to Mercer University, where she earned her juris doctor.
“It speaks to the kind of community that PC is – the kind of community that helps each other, that lifts each other up, that is willing to put other things aside when one of our own needs it,” she said. “That PC is the kind of school that wants its students to succeed and have the very best opportunities. It’s the same spirit of community that President Gustafson demonstrated when she helped me with my freshman year courses, when I was up on the roof of the staff hut all those years before.”
In that spirit of community, Mayo urged seniors to return the gifts PC has bequeathed them.
“You can support students by helping with mock interviews or recruiting for job and internship opportunities,” she said. “You can engage with other alumni by attending or hosting alumni events in your area. You can grow enrollment by referring prospective students and sharing your PC experience with others. You can give financially, however much, and invest in current PC students. Whatever form it takes, give back so that this wonderful, special, True Blue community and family can continue to flourish.”
