Schools
Pace Class of 2012 Graduates in Style [VIDEO]
More than 400 undergraduates took the walk across the stage in Friday's commencement.
"Stories are not static, but dynamic. They continue to evolve in ways we can anticipate and in ways we can't."
In his commencement speech to the Class of 2012, Executive Director Stephen Apkon (a Pace alumnus) encouraged the graduates to use their knowledge and experience to shape their own stories as they continue their journeys, yet be open to "uncommon sense."
"So, what will your story be?" he asked.
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For Alison Lee Goshgarian—a Dyson College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate and one of the 433 students who walked across the Goldstein Fitness Center stage in Pleasantville Friday—her story started off with an unexpected turn of events.
"When I was a senior in high school, I was rejected from every college I applied to," she revealed to the crowd of 3,200 attendees. "That damper on my self-esteem is what turned my life into a complete different direction."
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U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) also shared a personal anecdote that changed his life. As a young man, he was offered an all-expenses paid opportunity to travel around the world, but chose to stay home with a girl he loved...who ended up leaving him shortly after.
"There I was—no scholarship, no trip around the world...no girl," he said. "I said to myself, 'What a loser you are.'"
After moping around "for several months" and then attending law school, Schumer decided to change courses again and run for office.
"Don't forget—go for it!" he told the graduates.
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