May 17, 2009
Feely, of St. Louis, presents Senior Address to fellow Clark graduates
WORCESTER, MA—Ms. Nora K. Feely, of St. Louis, gave the Senior Address at Clark University’s 104th Commencement on Sunday, May 17.
Each year, an outstanding Clark senior is selected to stand before peers, faculty, administrators, family, and friends to offer a student’s-eye retrospective on the years leading to graduation. Feely started her speech by sharing with her fellow Clarkies a quote from by Steve Jobs, founder of the Apple Company: “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to change the world, are the ones who do.” She continued, “the world we’re about to graduate into needs a lot of work, and it’s going to take people who are passionate and crazy enough to think that they can change to the world, to actually do it, and make it a better place.” Feely described Clark as a place that encourages idealism. She recalled with delight how professors, advisors and administrators encouraged, rather than discouraged her idea to break from her studies and work for Barack Obama after he secured the Democratic nomination. They dubbed it “a once in a lifetime chance for [her] to help push the human race and [her] country forward.” “My friends who go to big schools don't really understand our quirky little school. They wonder what we do without game days, Greek life, or the ability to sing our fight song on command,” said Feely. “But while our classmates may not know how to recruit people to a sorority, they do know how to recruit students to work at the University Park Campus [School] and participate in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program here in Worcester.” “Maybe we don't tailgate on game days but we do volunteer for Just Do It Day to help clean up around our community,” she said. “We're taught at Clark that as privileged college students, we have a responsibility to the community around us.” Walter Wright, Dean of the College, said Feely is “an exceptionally well-rounded Clarkie.” “She is an athlete, an activist, and a scholar,” said Wright. “But her first love is civic engagement—especially politics.” Wright mentioned that since her high school years, Feely has been involved with political campaigns at the state, local, and national levels. Feely graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree. She majored in English with a minor in Government. On campus, Feely was active in the Student Alumni Relations Committee (SARC) and was an award-winning member of Clark’s Mock Trial Team. Feely is the daughter of Kevin and Christine Feely, of St. Louis. She is a 2005 graduate of University City High School. During its 104th commencement exercises, Clark awarded 537 bachelor’s degrees, 359 master’s degrees and 32 doctorates. Steven A. Minter, an Executive-in-Residence and a Fellow in the Center for Nonprofit Policy & Practice at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, delivered the keynote address. Minter’s speech contained three themes: unanticipated consequences may bring unexpected opportunities; central cities and their neighborhoods are once again becoming places of choice; and persistence, resilience and passion pay dividends. Minter shared several twists of fate in his career path that led him to unexpected opportunities to break through old barriers. He encouraged graduates to volunteer strategically and make a difference, and to move into diverse communities. He even suggested some grads might become community organizers. “I know someone who did pretty well by that. His name is President Barack Obama,” he said. Minter, who spent 28 years at The Cleveland Foundation building a strong and vibrant community and improving the quality of life in Greater Cleveland, applauded Clark’s role in restoring the neighborhood and in helping disadvantaged students excel at University Park Campus School. “This university is a leader in public/private partnerships in economic development, education and workforce development,” he said. Clark’s commencement ceremony was available live via Webcast. Commencement news and photos, along with a full transcription of Ms. Feely’s Senior Address, is available online at http://www.clarku.edu/commencement/. Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research university with more than 2,200 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Since its founding in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in the United States, Clark has challenged convention with innovative programs such as the International Studies Stream, the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the accelerated BA/MA programs with the fifth year tuition-free for eligible students. The University is featured in Loren Pope’s book, “Colleges That Change Lives.”