“It’s a lot to live up to,” she said of the Harvard diploma. “I suspect I’m not alone in feeling suspiciously less erudite.”
But the ultimate message of Fitzpatrick’s speech echoed another theme of the afternoon, gratitude.
“The great thing about ‘How High,’ about all of these portrayals of Harvard and its students, is that they help us remember just how special our experiences have been,” Fitzpatrick said.
First Class Marshal Samuel B. Novey ’11 ended the ceremony with a challenge for the class of 2011, inviting them to speak out against the problems they see in the world.
He told the audience that the world is a better place because new generations consistently “ask why things have to be the way they are,” quoting his mother’s reflections after reading a draft of his sociology thesis this winter.
“If we’re lucky enough to return for our 70th reunion, we will have to be ready to answer to the graduating class of 2081,” Novey said.
—Staff writer Stephanie B. Garlock can be reached at sgarlock@college.harvard.edu.