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Dear Student Affairs Colleagues,
This is a time of year that we celebrate the accomplishments of our students and offer them those final affirmations and encouragement as they transition into the next stage of their personal, professional, and academic journeys. One of the great joys of guiding, mentoring, or teaching students is seeing them grow and flourish as learners and human beings. In the process, we develop lasting bonds of mutual appreciation and connection—bonds that sometimes make it difficult to say goodbye. At the same we time, celebrate their achievement and lament the loss of core members of our community, this is the normal cycle in a place of learning.
On Monday, I was honored to be invited to participate in Hindu Yuva’s Guru Vandana. Seeing how students honored their teachers and mentors in this traditional ceremony was an inspiring demonstration of the powerful role educators play in the lives of those who walk the path of learning, while also a deeply spiritual reminder of the connections that forge between educators and their students. I was profoundly honored to be recognized as having played a role in a student’s path of learning and growth and reflect fondly on how our students have continued to influence my own continuous growth and refinement of practice. Thank you, Hindu Yuva, for this honor and thank you to all the students and learners that daily inspire us to be practitioners with an enduring commitment to student success and a thriving community.
I look forward to continue celebrating almost daily from now until graduation with all those who shape our community with their leadership and presence as educators and learners. The exchange of knowledge and the support of community is fundamental to the human experience and so we continue in the unbroken chain of teaching and learning once more with all the joy and challenge that comes with it.
With appreciation,
Eric
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