Commencement ceremonies to feature four student speakers
Four Harpur College students will address their classmates during commencement ceremonies on May 18 and 20.
Jack Dillman, a cinema and English double major, will speak at the 8:30 a.m. ceremony on Sunday, May 20, at the Events Center.
Binghamton University was the only college Dillman visited. “My older brother went to Albany and transferred here,” he said. “I felt like I belonged here, it felt like home.
“I got in my second semester and ended up living on campus,” he added. “I loved it so much that I’ve spent every year on campus and I’m an RA.”
Because he was a second-semester transfer, Dillman mainly hung out with his roommates until one day he walked through the Dickinson Community.
“There were people throwing a football around and they asked me if I wanted to play and that’s why I do co-rec football,” he said. “It made me feel like part of the community and why I feel I belong here. That’s why I’m an RA because I want to do that for people, too.”
With a few connections through family and friends, Dillman will move to California following graduation to work in the film industry. “I want to write and direct movies.”
Tamar Ashdot, an English and Judaic studies double major, will serve as the student speaker at the 12:30 p.m. ceremony on Sunday, May 20, at the Events Center.
This was the most intense four years of Ashdot’s life - “but in a good way; I learned about myself and my ability to persevere,” she said.
Expecting to attend a small, private college, she ended up at Binghamton. “I now feel very grateful for my public education,” she said. “I took a gap year before starting college, and Binghamton is very supportive of students who defer, so that was influential in my decision. It’s a great school, it’s not far from home, and I was excited to know my undergrad wouldn’t set me back too much financially.”
What Ashdot will miss most is the thoughtful and vibrant atmosphere she finds in the classroom. “I can always learn on my own and read books and do research, but I’m really going to miss being in a class and listening to what others think,” she said. “That’s why I’m looking forward to going back to school for my graduate degrees.”
Ashdot’s favorite experiences as an undergraduate were when she was a student in Professor Maria Gillan’s Graduate Poetry Seminar and when she was selected as a Harpur Fellow, she said. The poetry seminar helped solidify Ashdot’s love for writing poetry and her desire to pursue poetry post-graduation. As a Harpur Fellow, she combined her interest in international affairs and Judaic studies by traveling to Argentina in the summer of 2017. In Argentina, she volunteered at a Jewish day school, primarily in music classes, while also assisting in the English conversation and Hebrew conversation classes.
Ashdot is interested in returning to school to become a professor of poetry.
“It’s a dream of mine,” she said, “but I’m passionate about so many different things, like Jewish history and international relations, which are also options for a master’s degree. I love learning and being in an academic setting and I’m sad that it’s ending already.”
Mary Golden, a double major in English and music, will speak at the last Harpur commencement ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at the Events Center.
Binghamton University wasn’t originally Golden’s first choice for college.
“I wanted to go to Princeton, but I thought that I had no shot of getting in,” she said, “so I applied to seven or eight schools and Binghamton was the last school I applied to. It ended up becoming my first choice because I loved it and I was kind of floored that I ended up getting in.”
Golden has so many good memories of Binghamton that it’s hard to pin one down. “One of the best memories I have is when I musically directed the Rocky Horror Show for the Dickinson Community Players,” she said. “It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had and I met some of my best friends doing that show.
“Another fond memory was when I was inducted into my fraternity, Mu Phi Epsilon, which is the only professional music fraternity on campus,” she added. “They are my forever family and I was so happy that I joined last semester, even though I’m a senior. Best decision I could’ve made during my final year here!”
Following graduation, she will attend graduate school for musicology at West Virginia University.
A fourth Harpur College student, Risa Scharf will deliver her remarks at the Tekes Siyum Commencement Ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 18, in the Chamber Hall.
The alternative graduation ceremony will be held to accommodate observant Jewish students who would otherwise be unable to attend their graduation because it falls during Shavuot.
The Jewish holiday begins at sundown Saturday, May 19, and ends the evening of Monday, May 21.
Scharf was originally interested in being a nurse and came to Binghamton because of its excellent nursing program, rigorous academics and strong Jewish community. “When I came here, I soon realized I didn’t want to be a nurse so I utilized the resources on campus and found my perfect major in applied behavior analysis with a minor in education. My college experience has been very rewarding and I am grateful for my time here.”
Scharf first realized she fit in at Binghamton during her visit to campus as a prospective student. “When I visited the college with my father it was raining - obviously - and we got coffee. I was impressed by the coffee at Einstein’s!”
Scharf will be busy following graduation. “I have a job working at a pluralistic Jewish community school for language-based learning disabilities, and I’ll be pursuing a dual certification at Hunter College in childhood special education and general education.”
She starts her job and certification at the end of August. Until then, she plans to work at a daycare and substitute in an elementary school, both of which she attended as a child.