New Student Welcome
President Julie Sullivan
September 16, 2023
I extend a warm welcome to everyone gathered this morning. Students, you probably didn’t know that your first assignment at Santa Clara would be to show up so early on a Saturday morning for a welcome 😊.
We are happy you are here and delighted many of your parents, guardians, and other family members are here to share this moment with you.
I extend my immense gratitude to our Enrollment Management team. We thank Eva and her team for all the time they have spent reading 19,000 applications, getting to know you and your families, answering your questions, and helping you discern that Santa Clara is the right place for you. Thank you, Eva and team!
Now, on behalf of our exceptional faculty, staff, fellow students, and alumni, I formally receive you, our new students, into the Bronco family!
You are now a Bronco for life! (And so are your parents. More about this later.)
Class of 2027 and our transfer students (who I hope will be graduating a little sooner than that)
I look forward to celebrating with you and congratulating you right here in this stadium for earning your degrees.
But right now, I would like to reflect on a few things that might help you make the most of the time in between.
I want to reflect on the question we all ask ourselves: Why do I matter?
You may be sitting here this morning believing that you matter for any number of wonderful achievements or future accomplishments. What might these be?
I matter because….
I always get good grades
I am a gifted athlete
I have a lot of friends
I am physically attractive
I am going to be a doctor, entrepreneur, lawyer, journalist, engineer, policy maker, scientist, investment banker, artist, …..
I am going to save the world.
A problem with believing you matter because of any one or more of these things is what happens if all of a sudden you are NOT that thing –
You make a bad grade
You don’t want to be a lawyer
Does this mean you don’t matter? Of course not! But it can be very hard to see this if your identity is tied up in whatever you then seem NOT to be achieving.
So, what is the ENDURING reason for why you matter?
You matter because you:
- Are a unique and beautiful creation of God.
- Are loved by God and those closest to you here on earth – family and friends.
- Have the capacity to love and care for others. In Jesuit “speak” – we say you are a person for and with others.
So, during your time at Santa Clara, get to know the real you – not the shiny, perfect version of you that you might sometimes portray on social media or to others. For to be human, is to NOT be perfect!
Get to know yourself at a deeper level. Take what you are learning about and hearing in your classes, residence halls, Mass or other spiritual settings, clubs, etc. and absorb its meaning for you. This is the only time in your life where you biggest job is to learn more about others, the world, and YOURSELF. Sit with yourself and with your God and listen. What do you hear? Discern your purpose. And you will be a better person for and with others.
Get to know the REAL other – learn about their stories
Eva shared some wonderful statistics about you as a group. You are talented, you are kind, and you have diverse perspectives and lived experiences.
Get to know each other’s stories. Each of you is in a new environment, and some of you know many people and some of you know no one. Some of you are excited. Some of you are lonely. And some of you are both. Some of you can’t wait to meet new people, and some of you are sad because you just broke up with your boyfriend or girlfriend.
Get to know the real other. Learn about their stories. Find out what they are feeling. Find out what they really enjoy. Find out what makes them unique and beautiful. Learn from what makes them different from you, as well as similar to you.
This is the time when someone like me often gets up and says, “Look to your left and look to your right, and one of you will not be here at the end of the year.” Well, I certainly am not going to say this because it’s not true! We have extraordinary retention and graduations rates, and relationships are formed here that last a life time. So, I am going to say, “Look to your left and look to your right, and you might see someone you are going to marry or whom you will be vacationing with 20 years from now.” 😊
Parents and Loved Ones – a word for you
As I said before, you also are a Bronco for life. When I hosted my first of ten alumni receptions around the country last year, we were in Portland. I gave my remarks, and many people lined up to share their stories or ask questions. I noticed one woman letting others approach me first and patiently waiting. When we had the chance to speak, she shared that she did not go to Santa Clara and was the parent of an alumna who now lived and worked outside of Portland. She shared that she came without her daughter because she still felt a part of the Bronco family and wanted to meet me and learn more about what is happening at Santa Clara. I had similar conversations with parents at the other nine receptions. So, you too now are Broncos for life!
Thank you for trusting us with your young adult – who will always be your precious and cherished child (my oldest is 42 years old and stands 6’2” tall, but he is still my little boy).
We (faculty, staff, other students, and alumni) will love and care for your child and are committed to helping them become the best version of the wonderful and unique individual God created them to be.
I invite you to tell your student before you depart this weekend why they will always matter to you.
Before I turn the podium back to Lilly, I also want to invite parents and loved ones to visit campus often. You don’t have to wait until Family Weekend in February.
In addition, I want to invite all of you - students, parents, and loved ones - to join us for our Mass tomorrow morning (starts at 10:00) and ALL (any faith and spiritual inclination) are welcome!
God bless and GO BRONCOS!!!
Julie Sullivan
President, Santa Clara University