Remarks

By Tamar Ballard ’19, President, Vassar Student Association

September 12, 2018

Hello everyone, and a special hello to the Classes of 2019 and 2022.

So today’s my birthday, which means that right now, as of 7:35 this morning, I’m officially 22 years old and celebrating my last birthday as a student here at Vassar.

Before coming to college, I spent my birthday the same way: eating red velvet cake, watching Spongebob at some point in the day for hours on end, and opening whatever present my mom was able to afford to get me for my birthday; sometimes it was just a card, but sometimes the back to school sales would happen right around my birthday, so she would buy me a couple of extra pairs of jeans or a t-shirt, and promise to get me something better later on.

However, they became a little different once I came to Vassar. Birthday cakes became dozens of cookies from the Deece delivered to me in Tupperware, cards became Facebook birthday messages from my friends featuring pictures of me at my worst angles, birthday wishes from my mom became 5 minute phone calls she’d try to squeeze in during her lunch break, and my wishes for time to speed up have been replaced with me hoping time would slow down. But even though today has experienced many changes over the last couple years, one thing that has remained constant is the love and support I receive from the people I care about the most. And even though my birthday is only one day out of the year, it’s the little moments like that that have gotten me through Vassar, and I’m sure all of you can think of your own little moments of sunshine and warmth.

One of the most important lessons I have learned during my time here has been to acknowledge the tough moments but live in the sunshine. That’s not to say that those tough times aren’t a part of what makes us people, because they are. Every obstacle I’ve encountered, every stress headache I’ve endured, and every time I’ve questioned my worth, has made me into the person I am today. And I’m grateful for all of them. But a year from now, I won’t remember the exact moments when I was nervous or anxious or the times where self-doubt and self-consciousness caused me to forget about self-care and self-love. I will remember the moments where I smiled a little wider, laughed a little longer. And the times where the love of those around me was undeniable.

So I want all of you, as you continue on with the year, to stop and breathe in those moments. It’s easy for us—as we begin to think about life after Vassar—to forget how important it is to take care of ourselves and each other. Class of 2019, we have a lot of important decisions to make and not a lot of time to make them. There’s tests to take and grad schools to pick out. Jobs to hunt for and theses to write. When people ask us what we’re doing after we graduate from Vassar, we’re expected to have an answer now. But with all of that, there are so many wonderful memories that are waiting to be made, so make your happiness a priority, too. Look in the mirror every day and remind yourself that you are worthy of life and love, and do something that brings you joy. Breathe deeply, take everything one step at a time, and remind those around you to do the same. And most importantly: remind yourself that you’ve made it this far and you have so much more to see.

Thank you.