Lost in the moment

The 6,000 members of Penn's 250th graduating class met for the last time Monday morning for their sendoff by University President Amy Gutmann and the Commencement speaker, actress Jodie Foster.

The 250th Commencement ceremony was attended by a large number of graduates, faculty, University administrators, family members and guests -- despite cool weather and a persistent spring rain.

The graduates of Penn's 12 schools gathered Monday morning in Hamilton Village and marched to Franklin Field to hear words of inspiration and messages from Gutmann and Foster, who called on them to improve the world and live up to their full potential.

"This day marks the major turning points in your lives: no more final exams, no more Hey Days, and no more late night visits to Greek Lady after Smokes closes," Gutmann said. "I know that each and every one of you has the power to solve a problem, create a daring work of art, unlock a mystery of the human mind, break new ground, and improve the world in bold and unpredictable ways."

Chair of the Faculty Senate Vincent Price also greeted the crowd with advice for the graduates.

"This is a time for pride but also for humility," said Price. "This day in the end is not principally about the past ... This is now your day, and we have every confidence that you will rise, Franklin-like, to the occasion."

Foster, who was introduced by Provost Ron Daniels, spoke frankly to graduates about what lies ahead of them.

"You will undoubtedly hear... sayings like 'the hope for this country's future'... And if you are anything like I was, you will spend the next six months in bed watching reruns and feeling like a complete idiot," Foster said. "But somewhere in the middle of free-form post-graduation survival, the journey of your life has a way of sneaking off the starting line."

She invoked memories of the September 11th attacks and Hurricane Katrina as ways of showing graduates that their world needs improvement.

"How do you live down that mark, a scar that will haunt America and the fabric of its communities for decades to come?" Foster asked. "No, this country is not better now than it was four years ago, the world is not better now than it was four years ago, and that will be part of your story."

Foster called on graduates to claim the world as their own and not be constrained by the actions of leaders past and present.

"How will your experience pave the way for a new voice in America?" Foster asked. "I hope it will take you out these doors, out into the open air. You will breathe it in your lungs and say, 'From now on, this life will be what I stand for, dammit. Move over, this is my story now.'"

The speech was concluded by Foster quoting Eminem: "You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime."

An honorary doctor of arts degree was conferred upon Foster. Other guests also received honorary degrees, including African-American studies Chair at Harvard University Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Shirley Ann Jackson, the president of Rensselaur Polytechnic Institute, Lawrence Klein, Judith Klinman and Stephen Wynn.

The ceremony ended with the singing of "The Red and the Blue" and the recession from Franklin Field.

Afterwards, graduates, who initially raised controversy when Foster was first announced as the commencement speaker, reacted to the actress's speech.

Wharton graduate Kelsey Schwenk said she was "pleasantly surprised" with Foster's speech.

"I loved it. I was surprised how much she connected with us," Schwenk said, adding that in general she heard a lot of positive things about the speech. "At least all my friends were happy with how things went."

College graduate Elana Caplan also had positive things to say about Foster's address.

"I thought it was very engaging, more so than the one at the College ceremony," Caplan said. "I thought it was humorous and light [and] the people I've spoken to enjoyed it, specifically the rap at the end."

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