Dear Class of 2011,

I have been here at Wesleyan for three years, and have had the pleasure of getting to know many of you. I want to let you know that it has been a blessing to have you around. I am sad that it’s your time to leave, but even if I cry, nothing will stop you from facing the outside world.

I hope that as you venture out into the world, you keep some of Wesleyan with you. Look at how many friends you have met–you had a family at Wesleyan and a strong network of your peers.

I hope you will all stay in touch—and even use the power of social media to keep us all in the loop of your great achievements. Social media is an incredible thing—10 years ago graduates did not have such easy ways to stay in touch. Let’s appreciate that you have your friends on your laptop, that Facebook and Twitter can be used to trace your friends and what they are up to in life.  We are the luckiest generation, as in our contemporary time we will always be able to connect with our friends.

I’m sure that while some know of you what you are going to do after graduation, the majority of you are still unclear. This is the time to relax and breathe. You don’t need to bow to the pressure. You have worked so tirelessly for four years and graduation is the reward. You don’t need to know your future just because you are graduating. The world outside is brimming with opportunities of all kinds. Wesleyan has prepared us for the world but not for our final career. The career is a gradual process that comes with time and life experience. You don’t need to hurry. Every day in every aspect of our life, there is natural growth. What we think we want to be now might not be what we want to be in five years. So it will be unfair to restrict our selves because of this pressure, as pressure can ruin our life. I can just encourage you to meditate, relax, and appreciate how lucky you are to graduate from a place like Wesleyan.

I will also urge my fellows at Wesleyan, to stop asking the class of 2011 about their plans after graduation. They are tired of such questions. “So what is your plan after graduation? Do you have a job already? Have you sat down for your standardized test? Which state are you going to live in?” These kinds of questions put pressure on our beloved class of 2011. We need to celebrate the graduation, we need to show them that they made it and that we are proud of them. It is a time for celebration of the past and the present – not a time to worry about the future.

The class of 2011 will succeed with flying colors in anything they do.  I say to the class of 2011, go to the world and just be yourself.

Your brother in Red and Black,

Kennedy Odede is a member of the class of 2012.