Commencement Dinner at Stanford to Honor the Class of 2025 on the Eve of Graduation on June 15, 2025.
Commencement Ode to
the Class of 2025
Tonight we celebrate
the Eve of 134th Stanford
University’s Commencement
Tomorrow members of
the Class of 2025 will receive their
degrees to start their careers and to make this nation and world a better place
from the campus be sent
The members of the Class
of 2025 are students among the brightest and the best
Who have acquired all
the knowledge Stanford had to offer and honed their problems solving skills to
meet any of life’s or careers’ tests
While building strong
physical and emotional bodies and enhancing their eleemosynary goals a grateful
nation will need
For those whose
degree cart is full and need no advanced degrees to in their careers proceed
And for those who
need further degrees to in their chosen career path succeed
The knowledge gained here at Stanford will make it easier in your career paths to
lead
In either case some
advice to remaining current in knowledge trends to the wise
To welcome advances in knowledge you learned to flourish and not be subject to
demise
A Stanford mind stuck
in the status quo that does not grow
Is a terrible waste
to avoid with knowledge acquisition to in your careers and life sow
Join the Alumni
Associations near you and seek out the improvements to knowledge their programs
have imparted
And to honor Luck and
the Stanford Athletics Department join the Buck and Cardinal Clubs to bring
back the Axe which during your 4 year stay has departed
To enable Stanford to
in contests in all sports with ACC opponents or at large opponents have a
decent chance to defeat
Without when it comes
to admission standards to obtain a highly sought after athletes engaging in from
those standards a retreat
To the parents may
you bask in your decision to support your children’s wishes to Stanford be sent
As you follow their
post Stanford careers you will relish that it was time and money well spent
Well-deserved
accolades for Stanford’s President, faculty, coaches, administrators, employees
and Trustees current and emeriti for a job well done
As the now alums head
to the tracks, lace up their spikes and begin life’s and career’s run
After tomorrow’s to
the Stadium Wacky Walk
To hear Katie Ledecky’s
motivational and inspiring talk
Our alma mater song may be subject to a slight tweak
To encourage the
Class of 2025 in the prosperity and
endeavors they will seek
“From the Foothills to the Bay, Hail Stanford Hail
The Class of 2025 will
succeed in their endeavors and when any stormy waters are over the bows and rails
The Class will have
the time and money to the swamping waters bale
To hoist more canvas
to reach the ports of safety, prosperity and charity in a quicker sail”
Go Stanford, Go the
Class of 2025
May your dreams, prosperity and eleemosynary endeavors thrive
© 6/14/2025 Michael
P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet