\n
Jack McNeill<\/strong><\/p>\n Student Commencement Speech<\/strong><\/p>\n May 6, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n Four years ago, in Paladin Stadium, my lacrosse coach quoted Mike Tyson before what would soon prove to be the worst physical exercise I\u2019ve ever endured.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody has a plan \u2019til they get punched in the mouth,\u201d he said. I thought my coach was speaking metaphorically, but he then proceeded to demonstrate that we would be boxing as a part of our circuit workout.<\/p>\n How bad could it be? Little did I know, my partner was a 6\u20193\u201d Texan who punched like a horse kicked, and his fist would slip off the bag and clock me straight in the mouth only minutes after I heard that \u201cinspirational\u201d quote.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t taken many physical hits to the face since that day, but a straw poll of some fellow members of the Class of 2017 found that we felt our time here could be described as a series of metaphorical punches to the face, heart, GPA, wallet, pride . . .\u00a0 and the \u201cpunching\u201d bags under our sleepless eyes to show for it.<\/p>\n The first part of The Furman Advantage is what we all hear about, the opportunity and rigor that President Davis has set the standard for, the pummeling that is four years at this institution. For some it was organic chemistry, for others the unrelenting nature of the business block, a psych department multiple choice exam, trying to find a study room in the library during finals or getting multiple parking tickets from \u201cOfficer 21\u201d in one day. The list goes on. This place finds a way to catch you off guard with a hook or a jab. Here we are, about to have President Davis hand us our degrees and give us the W, for this round.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to search for long to find a challenge within any major at Furman, ask anyone in a cap and gown seated here today. We\u2019ve all experienced those weeks that never end, but we survived punch after punch and sometimes wonder how we managed. I remember last spring exiting my last final hoping for a good omen after a rough week, frantically trying to move out of my apartment so I didn\u2019t get fined…my omen came in the form of a monstrous dumpster fire outside my apartment. I stood around it with numerous other students, and found I was not alone in my feelings when someone said, \u201cGuess this means I shouldn\u2019t check my grades when I get home.\u201d<\/p>\n The second part of The Furman Advantage is something that can\u2019t be expressed in a catchy slogan or well-made video, it\u2019s the preparation for the non-academic adversity you will face in life.<\/p>\n Through our four years here everyone has experienced a serious non-academic life event in one form or another…losing a family member, mental health issues, issues at home, breaking up with a significant other or the uncertainty of the future. I\u2019ve seen my friends and classmates take some hard hits through their Furman careers, but our time here has given us the mental resilience to endure the punches and fight through the adversity.<\/p>\n The challenges and adversity we\u2019ve faced in our lives over these four years have been made bearable because of the incredible support system that this university fosters–the final component of The Furman Advantage. Our professors and staff, like any good boxing trainers, help every step of the way, with our friends and family supporting us, and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for everything you\u2019ve done for us along the way.<\/p>\n That next big punch is coming, and some of us might feel like it\u2019s already landed. Maybe you\u2019ve got life on the ropes right now and know exactly what you\u2019re doing after graduation be it graduate school or employment. Maybe you feel like life has you in the corner and have no idea what the future holds. No matter what punches life is going to throw your way, remember that you\u2019ve made great friends here and have your family for support…every boxer has a trainer to clean them up between the rounds. Don\u2019t forget to breathe, and don\u2019t forget to ask for help.<\/p>\n We are all the sum of the adversity we\u2019ve faced, but we live in the era of \u201cthe highlight reels.\u201d Be it numerous updates of accomplishments on LinkedIn or that beautiful body, beautiful award, or breathtaking view on Instagram. Society celebrates the results, not the process. Your job or school search is just as important as the offer or acceptance. It\u2019s easy to see the end product, like a Furman degree, and not see the bruises or sleepless nights that got us here. But we\u2019re here, we did it, and we\u2019re ready for whatever comes next.<\/p>\n Class of 2017, take a second to look around at your friends and back to your families. Never forget what we struggled through together, never forget the tailgates, apartment parties, or downtown excursions. Never forget the support of those in the stands behind you, because you\u2019re their prized fighter, you\u2019re the favorite to win. We\u2019re ready for the next step. Class of 2017, this round is over, but tomorrow the next round starts. Keep your hands up and your elbows in, catch life off balance, and start swinging.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jack McNeill Student Commencement Speech May 6, 2017 Four years ago, in Paladin Stadium, my lacrosse coach quoted Mike Tyson before what would soon prove to be the worst physical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":6664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-biology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}