Even though the DeSales Winter 2016 commencement ceremony was cancelled, we would like to share with you the welcome speech that was to be delivered by DeSales ACCESS graduate Elad Orenstein ’16, Business Administration:
President O’Connor, honored guests, other members of the platform party, faculty, graduates, and their family and friends, I am honored to have the opportunity to welcome all of you today to share in what, for many of us, is our greatest achievement to date.
While the roads that we have each taken to reach this point vary greatly from one another, the importances of our accomplishments do not.
I believe that I speak on behalf of all of my fellow classmates when I say that this journey would have been far more challenging without the love, support, and encouragement that you have all offered throughout this process.
Personally speaking, the impact that my education has had on those close to me, particularly my wife Inbal and two sons Eli & Oz, has been paramount in driving me to set and reach new goals that I had not previously considered a possibility.
Likewise, I’m sure that every graduate in attendance has had someone in their lives to whom they attribute a great deal of their own success.
For this reason, today would simply not carry the same amount of weight to us without every one of you here to share it with. So as we gather to celebrate as our countless hours of hard work come to fruition, I would like to once again thank all of you, not only for being present, but also for everything that you have done for us along the way that has made today possible.
So, please enjoy the ceremonies along with us. And to my fellow graduating class of 2016, congratulations and good luck in whatever path you may choose and opportunities you may take the chance to capitalize upon.