Together we are a Masterpiece
On a gorgeous spring day in April, President Susan Schultz Huxman welcomed Grebel’s graduating students to the 2016 Convocation ceremony. Making up a group of almost 700 people, friends, family, faculty, staff, donors, and board members, the Grebel community marked the hard work of undergraduate and graduate students who had lived in residence or participated in Grebel’s programs of Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, Mennonite Studies, and Theological Studies.
“It doesn’t matter how you came into the doors of Grebel. What matters is how you’re leaving them,” counselled convocation speaker, John Neufeld (BA ’96), Executive Director at House of Friendship in Kitchener. “Grebel has given you the gift of extending the table. A table where all faiths, cultures, backgrounds, and academic disciplines gather and listen to each other and learn from each other. And during this time at Grebel, we each experience a little taste of what justice could look like; a little taste of what a more humane world could look like.” Based on social justice activist Bryan Stevenson’s teaching, John gave students four pieces of advice and explained how these lessons are all modeled at Grebel:
- You need to get approximate to the problems you care about.
- Change the narrative of fear.
- Remain hopeful.
- Sometimes we have to do uncomfortable things.
“We need each other to be whole. We are a community of the broken going into the broken world,” finished John. “I challenge each of you: Look around the table. Who doesn’t have a seat at the table? What can you do? What role do you play? Be bold. Be brave. Work towards a society where others can have a seat at the table.”
Graduating students shared their future plans with the audience, revealing plans for graduate studies, marriage, relaxation, new jobs, volunteering, job searching, starting businesses, travel, and changing the world!
“Four or five years ago, we all made a choice,” reminisced undergraduate valedictorian, David DeVries. “We chose to do something hard–to come to Waterloo to study. And here we are at the other side of that choice, and I’d say it was worth it. Whether it was those courses that kept you up to sunrise, studying instead of playing one more game, stepping outside of your comfort zone, or chatting to 3 AM with an assignment due the next day, you all did these things, knowing that they were hard. Similarly, for those of us who lived inside of Grebel, we took on the challenge of spending nearly every living moment with each other, requiring us to push ourselves to be critical members of a complex social ecosystem. And we were rewarded with heightened understanding, loving friendships, beautiful expressions of who we are, and memories that will not soon fade.”
“I challenge all of us, every single one of you,” concluded David, “to make the right and often hard choice, even if the rewards aren’t immediately evident. Our passions do not often align with that which requires minimal effort , but rather with that which inspires and drives us to push farther and harder. I wish you all the best on these challenging journeys.”
Representing graduate students in Peace and Conflict Studies and Theological Studies, MPACS graduate Aly Ostrowski based her speech on a beautiful metaphor of Grebel’s iconic chapel windows. “To appreciate the beauty of stained glass, we need to start with a grain of sand, gradually transformed into a piece of glass in a high temperature oven. Depending on the minerals involved in the process, glass takes on a distinct colour. Individual panes of glass are scored and cut into a unique shape and soldered into one composition.”
“When we first arrived at Grebel, we were like particles of sand,” explained Aly. “We were individuals seeking to fulfill a personal calling or a quest for higher education. We were eager to learn. Soon, the pressure started to build as we struggled to balance school with work and family life, while trying to make our way through endless lists of readings. Tinted by our personalities, perspectives and talents, we have been refined into uniquely shaped pieces of stained glass.”
“Faculty, in particular, have nurtured critical thinking and encouraged deeper self-awareness through reflection and contemplative prayer. Their depth of knowledge astounded us and yet in their humility, they have treated us as colleagues. As a community, we have been taught, fed and funded by those who represent the lead on a stained glass window that solders us together.”
“In this community, we as professionals have also shaped each other through kindness, respect and creative discussions. Through these collaborative efforts, we have constructed a rich and diverse mosaic! It reflects our perseverance, our commitment to excellence and our collective wisdom. As Grebel graduates, we have together become a stained glass masterpiece!”
“For a masterpiece to be revealed in its full splendour, the stained glass must be illuminated. With light pouring through the coloured panes of glass, the images come to life! A picture becomes an experience. Going forward, for us to shine to our fullest potential, we must connect with something greater than ourselves. Something bigger, brighter, more powerful. Wherever we go, our uniquely shaped and shaded piece of glass will become part of a new community, a new supportive structure and will hold new creative potential. Let grace and humility shine through us to form a truly illustrious chapter in our lives, brightly illuminated by something greater than ourselves.”
