2007 Commencement Student
Address by Natalie Gaspari ’07
 In April, on Friday the 13th actually, I received a letter
telling me how much I owe for my college education.
It was a scary moment, and I stopped and thought, ‘Was it worth it?’
When I first heard about Albright College, I had
no idea where it was. I remember my mom telling me
that we were going to Reading, Pennsylvania, and
I said, ‘Like the Reading Railroad on Monopoly?’ I
visited three times and on my third visit my admission
counselor came out of his office to tell me I was
accepted. Not many colleges tell you in person that
you are accepted.
I’ve thanked my mom many times for taking me
to Albright that rainy day. Looking back, I remember
feeling a part of the Albright community right from
the start.
I was so excited to go to college, but when I got
to campus I was startled by some upperclassmen
who jumped in my car and carried my stuff away
while screaming songs and cheers. It was weird, but
eventually I became one of those screaming upperclassmen
too.
The POPs [Peer Orientation People] became my
peers in classes, sports and campus activities.
I could have gone to a college just for a degree in
education and not been involved, but at Albright I had
the opportunity to learn on all different levels. It’s so
easy to get involved at Albright and I made it a point to get involved as much as possible.
There aren’t many other places where you can
design your own major or find people with the same
interests who want to start a club. There are so many
opportunities at Albright. My advice for underclassmen,
take advantage of all of them like I did.
I learned so much from the people around me,
especially my professors. Almost all of my professors
taught me things both in and out of the classroom.
And how many colleges can say that they have class
in a coffee shop? This semester my theatre class met
in Jake’s Java once in awhile. It may not sound like a
great learning environment, but when the learning is
discussion based, the more comfortable the environment
the better.
My education adviser was a retired superintendent,
which makes him the best source for up-todate
knowledge about school districts today. And,
although I haven’t been a psychology major since
freshman year, I still talk to my psych adviser.
At Albright, my professors have become more
than educators, they’ve become friends. I’m so glad
I didn’t go to a college where I was one of 400 in a
classroom and the professor only knew me as the girl
in the 15th row. No thank you!
One of my best experiences at Albright has been
the Theatre Department. We might be a small school,
but that definitely does not mean we have limited
resources and opportunities. Over the past four years,
I’ve been an actor, a designer, a technician, a director
and a stage manager.
Plus, I met a family that will always have a
special place in my heart. Albright College is a family,
and we as graduates know that we will always
have that family.
This must sound like an admissions talk, and it
actually resembles a lot of the things I tell prospective
students on tours. The reason why I tell these stories
on tour…I LOVE this place!
I wear my red and white with pride and cheer
for my friends and classmates at sporting events. I
participated in theatre and music, have been a student
leader, joined a sorority, gone mud sliding, hid from
Public Safety, and spent lots of money at Jake’s Java.
I have matured into an adult over the past four years,
and have found out what it means to find true love,
have friends from all walks of life, and sisters who
will always be there for me no matter how far away
they are.
We’re not all actors, but we will all be on stage
today and receive freedom, freedom from homework,
from classes, from papers and from exams. What we
will not be free of are the memories and education we
have gained at Albright.
Now it’s time to give back. I’m not talking about a
million dollars because we all know we’re going to be
in debt next year. But come back to every Homecoming,
be active alumni and support the organizations
you were once a member of. I know I’ll be back for
every Domino Players production, and even though
I’m not giving thousands of dollars, I’m telling the
College ‘thank you’ for getting me where I am today.
By the way, don’t forget to thank your parents;
they’re the ones who cheered for you on the sidelines
and gave you help when you needed it. Thank you,
Dad and Mom!
Now, when I look at that scary letter with those
scary numbers on it and ask myself, ‘Was it worth it?’ I
know the answer is simple…YES, it definitely was! |
