Being one of the largest colleges on campus, the College of Fine Arts and Communications hosted three separate convocation exercises on Friday, April 25, 2014.
The first exercise combined graduates from Dance, the School of Music and Theatre & Media Arts at 8am.
Dean Rodger Sorensen spoke first on the meaning of life and death. He compared life to that of a “crucible of dark decay,” explaining that in life, we go through the refiner’s fire in order to prepare for the life to come.
“In life’s crucible, the purpose is to die,” he noted. “But the purpose of death is to live. Let us live well!”
Students Adam White (TMA) and Amy Bukarau (Dance) spoke next about their respective fields. White addressed the importance of balancing both love and knowledge with theatre as the facilitator in the balancing act.
Bukarau spoke about her long-time experience as a ballroom dancer and how to enjoy the journey no matter the outcome or award given at the end of a competition.
The Department of Communications started their program at 11am with Professor McKinley first addressing the audience. He emphasized the importance of students deciding beforehand how their career will impact their future family life and values.
“Determine now what you want from your career,” McKinley stressed. “Otherwise your career will exact...what it wants from you.”
Public relations student Shelby Hintze gave a humorous speech about hashtags and her experience in the communications program dabbling in both PR and broadcast journalism.
Communications studies student Dane Christensen recounted his trip to indigent Mexico and how it greatly influenced him in realizing that (social) media could make real change possible.
The last exercise started at 2pm and was comprised entirely of Visual Arts students. Professor Robert Barrett used a myriad of inspirational quotes in his speech in order to indicate that students can achieve the dreams they aim for as long as they are diligent.
Ellie Newell, a studio arts major, described how through her study of art, she was able to reconnect with her Japanese ancestors.
To conclude, Tyson Cantrell, a graphic design student, emphasized the importance of bringing forth our own inner light to influence others for good.
All speakers set the tone for a hopeful look towards the future. By the end of the ceremony, graduates and their families were all smiles as they took in their final moments on BYU campus ready to face the world head on.
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