'Behind every new person you meet, there is a sea of faces'
by Christin R. Crabtree ’03

Following is the Commencement ceremony speech presented by Christin R. Crabtree, Weekend College Class of 2003 representative.

The first Weekend College course I attended at Augsburg was in 1988. I had ridden in a car for four hours from Brookings, South Dakota, and I was thrilled to be at college. I was 7 years old. My mother is a graduate of Augsburg Weekend College, where she obtained her elementary teaching license. I am honored to follow in my mother's footsteps, as a graduate with a degree in history and a secondary education teaching license.

Augsburg has been a force of change and growth for our family. My mother has a job working in a charter school that she loves. My sister was able to begin college here at age 17, leaving her junior year of high school to become a freshman at Augsburg majoring in social work. There have been countless times that my 3-year-old son, Jacob, has attended psychology classes here, with my fiance, Adam. He has met every history professor in the department!

A wise woman I know told me once, "Behind every new person you meet, there is a sea of faces." This truth is one I carry with me daily. I may never even know the people whose lives I affect through my actions. Because of this truth, I must carry with me into life the ideals of love and tolerance for all people. I must be honest, possess integrity, and above all maintain spiritual health. In living up to my ideals, my time on earth will result in positive relations with those who surround me.

When Don Warren founded the StepUP program, I am sure he knew his actions would help hundreds of youth and their families. However, the ripple effect of the founding of StepUP reaches far beyond these students and their families; StepUP serves as a catalyst for change across the country through the fine example being set for other colleges. The example of Augsburg sets a precedent of success and service for universities around the nation—through its Weekend College, the CLASS program, and through StepUP.

As graduates of Augsburg, we all have the opportunity to have a ripple effect upon the world we occupy. We have been given the gift of finding a vocation, a chance to work in a field where we find meaning, and where we can use gifts given to us by God. We can positively affect our communities through the simple acts of smiling at our neighbors, voting at every election, and advocating for our future generations, our children.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Augsburg community for the effect you have had upon my life. My experiences at this institution have inspired me, and changed me. To see faculty and staff believe in students and the one-to-one interaction that occurs is amazing. Watching young, recovering, chemically dependent students enter college and graduate with honors is a gift.

Witnessing McNair Scholars achieving goals beyond what they thought possible is an honor to observe. To see a blind man attend class with his seeing-eye dog, never losing his positive attitude or his dream, is a memory that will stay with me forever. As for me, I have been given the gift of a drive to succeed above all obstacles. Know that these effects upon me inspire me to be a positive force in the world around me.

When I first came to Augsburg, I had little study skills, nor did I have the faith that I could succeed. As a youth, I had been though turbulence and trials that children should not ever have to experience, and I had lost faith in myself and in God.

At Augsburg, my professors helped me to reach beyond what I ever thought I could achieve. Because of the existence of Weekend College, I was able to work full time to support my son while maintaining my enrollment in college.

You have brightened my future and that of my son. My faith in God, and in the inherent goodness of humanity, has developed here. My dreams for the future seem real now; there was a time it seemed I may never graduate from high school, and I stand here today, speaking at my college commencement. My goal for the future is to advocate for those with no voice, and to always give back to the world around me, be that through teaching, public service, or some other avenue. Through faith anything is possible, and the people we touch along the way are the largest gifts of all. You may never know the sea of faces existing behind the lives you touch. Thank you, Augsburg, for the effect you have had in my life, upon the people I love, and the sea of faces beyond each of them.students.