Go Big Grad | Katrina Liane Jagodinsky

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12/19/2022 Added

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Katrina Liane Jagodinsky, Susan J. Rosowski Associate Professor of History at UNL, delivers remarks at the December 16, 2022 graduate commencement ceremony.

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[00:00:02.310]Thank you for this tremendous honor. We are here to enjoy a beautiful and joyous
[00:00:08.400]celebration on behalf of each of our graduates today. The first thing I want you
[00:00:14.491]to hear is that we the UNL faculty, staff, and administration are so incredibly
[00:00:20.506]proud of you. In completing the requirements of your graduate or professional
[00:00:26.371]degree, you have achieved what only 15% of Americans have done. Soak that
[00:00:31.935]accomplishment in. Savor it. Know that for everyone in this room, there are no
[00:00:37.875]guarantees that dreams and goals will come to fruition. And that this moment is
[00:00:43.890]one you can mark for a lifetime. To get to this moment, each of you had to
[00:00:49.530]overcome challenges and sustain losses. None of us got this far without a
[00:00:55.094]support network of some kind. Some of you enjoy the support of family and
[00:01:00.658]friends, many here with you today to help you navigate an arduous journey.
[00:01:06.298]Others of you no doubt lost some family and friends, perhaps to COVID or other
[00:01:12.238]tragic circumstances, or perhaps because not everyone understood the sacrifices
[00:01:18.253]you were making to pursue your graduate or professional degree, and so a
[00:01:23.742]distance grew between you. If that is your experience, celebrations like this
[00:01:29.607]can be a somber reminder that the pursuit of lifelong learning and excellence
[00:01:35.472]can sometimes be isolating. In such moments, it is important to acknowledge that
[00:01:41.562]you and your achievements deserve to be celebrated. Find ways to mark and honor
[00:01:47.578]the journey for yourself. The second thing I want you to hear is that all of you
[00:01:53.668]deserve to be recognized and that this regalia we wear, while humbling and
[00:01:59.308]perhaps unfamiliar, marks us as members of the same community. In recognizing
[00:02:05.173]your own accomplishments, and taking stock of all that has come to pass and will
[00:02:11.263]be, I hope you will also recognize each other as partners on that journey, and
[00:02:17.203]as allies moving forward. In this spirit of shared community and recognition, I
[00:02:23.219]invite you to draw on the relationships you've built along the way to sustain
[00:02:29.084]you in your ongoing pursuits of lifelong learning and excellence beyond you and
[00:02:35.099]l. While we are here marking achievements that few others will attain. Our
[00:02:40.738]graduates are also on their way toward a new chapter, just beginning to explore
[00:02:46.754]how they will apply their finely honed craft, their specialized knowledge and
[00:02:52.619]rigorous training in personal and professional settings. Some of you may have a
[00:02:58.634]very clear path ahead, one perhaps defined by the discipline you've chosen.
[00:03:04.348]Others of you may be less certain about your next steps. With many applications
[00:03:10.364]for your expertise ahead. All of you will need to stay ready. Stay ready for
[00:03:16.154]unexpected opportunities to serve to learn and to grow. Because none of us knows
[00:03:22.244]what lies ahead for certain we can all take steps to take ready in the pursuit
[00:03:28.184]of lifelong learning and excellence. Here's how. One seek new and diverse
[00:03:33.748]perspectives. Your own academic and professional training has been a constant
[00:03:39.613]pursuit of new to us scholarly perspectives and approaches. Continue to seek out
[00:03:45.704]new voices in your disciplinary field to stay connected to your professional
[00:03:51.494]community, but also to engage with new trends in your discipline. As you seek
[00:03:57.359]out new ideas and practices consider whether you are encountering diverse
[00:04:02.923]perspectives as well. Engaging diverse perspectives often requires us to take
[00:04:08.788]intentional steps to build an inclusive community of friends and colleagues.
[00:04:14.577]Seeking out diverse perspectives allows us to think more critically more
[00:04:20.066]creatively more compassionately to develop powerful solutions to local and
[00:04:25.706]global problems. Put more Put, put more bluntly, diversity makes us smarter. And
[00:04:31.796]so staying ready for lifelong learning and excellence requires us to seek those
[00:04:37.812]new and diverse perspectives in our day to day lives. UNL alum Patsy Mink used
[00:04:43.752]this strategy to confront racism and sexism as she built a legal and political
[00:04:49.692]career as the first Asian American woman and woman of color in Congress. For
[00:04:55.482]more In 40 years, she sought new and diverse perspectives to learn about
[00:05:00.971]critical issues and propose creative policies like Title Nine, and initiatives
[00:05:06.911]serving the needs of children, women and families throughout the United States.
[00:05:12.926]If you want to achieve excellence, it will require that you are also proactive
[00:05:18.866]about surrounding yourself with new and diverse perspectives, so that you can
[00:05:24.731]take on the world's challenges one day at a time to take risks and prepare to
[00:05:30.596]fail. Most of you have been told that failing to prepare is preparing to fail,
[00:05:36.536]as if we should avoid failure. But none of us is here without having learned
[00:05:42.326]something and valuable from a moment of failure. Everyone here is an
[00:05:47.514]overachiever, a trait you share with the other 15% of people in the United
[00:05:53.154]States with a graduate or professional degree. Often this drive to achieve comes
[00:05:59.244]from a desire to succeed and please those around us. But such a need to please
[00:06:05.184]and succeed can become limiting, discouraging us from innovation and creativity
[00:06:11.200]while we recycle familiar ideas and practices. Occasional failure means you've
[00:06:17.140]pushed yourself to new limits, that you're testing new strategies, and that
[00:06:22.854]you're avoiding complacency to pursue excellence. With the support of the
[00:06:28.419]diverse community you've built by seeking new and diverse perspectives, you can
[00:06:34.434]take bold risks and prepare to fail in a supportive environment that allows you
[00:06:40.449]to self assess as you develop new skill skills and prepare for unexpected
[00:06:46.013]opportunities. UNL alum and now Professor Emeritus Ted Kooser, pursued his
[00:06:51.653]passion for poetry as a young graduate student in English, struggling to
[00:06:57.142]maintain the GPA required to retain his fellowship. Rather than abandoning his
[00:07:03.082]creative work, and considering this moment an indication of failure. Kooser
[00:07:08.797]continued to write poetry, becoming a two time poet laureate, Pulitzer Prize
[00:07:14.586]winner and an influential narrator of Great Plains everyday life, being
[00:07:20.000]undaunted by failure allowed coozer to take the risks needed to achieve such a
[00:07:25.940]claim. Three, ask why every day to ensure that you don't lose sight of your
[00:07:31.655]personal and professional mission, ask yourself why you are doing what you do
[00:07:37.520]each day. Some of us seek personal stability, sustained relationships,
[00:07:42.858]adventurous engagement with our world. Many of us aspire to serve others, or
[00:07:48.648]address critical and pressing problems like climate change, health disparities,
[00:07:54.663]social justice, whether you are whether you are at work on a daily goal or a
[00:08:00.453]lifetime achievement, a personal or global mission, remembering your why will
[00:08:06.318]keep you focused and energized over the long term. asking ourselves why is
[00:08:11.958]important? And so is asking why of our organizations, institutions and
[00:08:17.296]associations. A sincere commitment to lifelong earning, learning and excellence
[00:08:23.311]invites constant evaluation of our institutional assumptions and practices. Your
[00:08:29.402]own Graduate Student Assembly is in the midst of this process currently asking
[00:08:35.342]why assistantship stipends and health insurance rates have fallen so far behind
[00:08:41.357]our big 10. Peers, staff, student, faculty and administrator participants in the
[00:08:47.448]end 150 Commission asked why UNL does what it does, and proposed a future where
[00:08:53.463]we attract bold thinkers in the quest for knowledge and the search for truth
[00:08:59.253]greater than ourselves. teams across campus are working to achieve benchmarks by
[00:09:05.344]2025 that provide innovative student experiences and impactful research and
[00:09:11.058]creative activity that broaden Nebraska's engagement increase interdisciplinary
[00:09:17.073]endeavors to solve critical challenges and participation in professional
[00:09:22.562]development, while also promoting inclusive excellence and diversity. Today's
[00:09:28.427]graduates are evidence of our work in these areas. But as alumni, it will
[00:09:33.992]continue to be your responsibility to hold you and Allah accountable to these
[00:09:39.857]lofty ambitions. Whether you're transitioning from one institution to another,
[00:09:45.797]or simply moving day to day through a lifetime project. Ask why as you strive
[00:09:51.662]for excellence.
[00:09:53.910]Finally for say yes, when it serves your why Given the expertise you've
[00:10:01.650]developed in your graduate or professional program, many will ask for your time
[00:10:06.750]for your input for your assistance in coming months and years. When faced with
[00:10:12.000]just causes and friends asking favors, it can be difficult to say no without
[00:10:18.060]feeling guilty or selfish. Accepting all requests can quickly leave you
[00:10:23.520]depleted, with little to show for your own efforts. However, knowing how and
[00:10:29.460]when to say yes or no is a crucial step in realizing your own potential and
[00:10:36.450]recognizing your own value. People who have learned this lesson report increased
[00:10:42.570]feelings of self confidence and receive more positive responses from others.
[00:10:49.410]They experienced less anxiety in social situations, as well as decreases in
[00:10:54.780]physical complaints. Many Nebraskans learned this lesson from beloved Extension
[00:11:00.540]Educator Herb lingkaran, who made putting families first his life's work until
[00:11:07.350]he passed in 2006. When you evaluate requests for your time and expertise,
[00:11:13.980]consider saying yes, when it serves your why, if a new partnership introduces
[00:11:21.030]you to new and diverse perspectives, say yes. When a failed endeavor introduces
[00:11:27.360]a new application or venue for your work, say yes. When a cause you are
[00:11:33.240]passionate about can benefit from your unique expertise or skill set. Say yes.
[00:11:39.930]But if you can't connect that request to your why, recognize it as someone
[00:11:45.180]else's opportunity, and consider nominating a colleague or friend who is able to
[00:11:50.160]say yes when you need to decline. Staying ready is a daily exercise that yields
[00:11:56.250]tremendous rewards. Savor this moment. Be proud of what you've achieved. Share
[00:12:02.550]your joy with one another. But don't let your degree be the conclusion of your
[00:12:07.650]story. Be ready to surprise yourself. seeking new and diverse perspectives
[00:12:14.250]ensures you continue to grow. Taking risks and preparing to fail delivers
[00:12:20.280]unexpected opportunities. Asking why and knowing when to say yes will help you
[00:12:26.250]stay focused and productive. My hope is that these steps will make lifelong
[00:12:32.100]learning a habit and put excellence within your reach. We've been grateful as
[00:12:38.700]your faculty, your staff, and your administration to be a part of your
[00:12:44.610]professional and personal growth so far, and we can't wait to see what you
[00:12:49.470]achieve in coming years. Hold your heads high. Wear your robes proudly. And in
[00:12:56.880]the words of Garrison Keillor be well, do good work and keep in touch

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Go Big Grad | Katrina Liane Jagodinsky

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