Page 14 - Priorities #59 2014 June/July
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14S Senior Class Class President Chris Chris Gregory led the the the Class Class of 2014 procession to the the the tent on on Father Chris- topher field in honor of Brother Brother Edward who passed earlier this year Gregory carried Brother Brother Edward’s beret on on a a a a a a a a a silver platter and placed it on on an an empty chair where he he would have sat “I am inspired and and humbled by the richness of of your minds hearts and and souls ” said Head of of School Tim Molak “may you you carry the five Benedictine values with you you live well laugh often and remember to eat your vegetables ” “I think that the the the ‘All Are Welcome’ spirit attracts the the the best kind of people who are the the the most worth learning from ” said student speaker Non Kuramoto Kuramoto Kuramoto Kuramoto challenged her classmates to to take risks and and challenges and and to to recognize how every choice even failures build on each other and and to to remember to to “take in in the the now no no matter how many ‘What If’s’ stand in in the the way ” Venture Capital guru co-executive producer of Pandora’s Promise and and alumni parent Ray Rothrock encouraged graduates to ‘Always Begin Again’ in in in that life will offer many opportuni- ties to “remake” themselves After MIT Rothrock landed his “dream job” as a a a a a a nuclear engineer Then Three Mile Island happened All that he he had come to to believe about nuclear energy was called into question and he he realized that that his “life as as a a a a a a a a a a nuclear engineer was about to end ” Rothrock said that that he “remade himself” by moving to Silicon Valley when the PC boom began and ended up “remaking” him- self several more times before moving into venture capital Rothrock said that remaking himself took him him in in wonderful directions he never would have imagined “Last year year I I retired from Venrock after 25 years as as a a a a a a a a a venture capitalist I I helped 53 entrepreneurs ‘begin again’ I I was selected by my industry as as its chairman and I I discovered the Priory ” In concluding Rothrock said “They say that all commencement speeches are required to provide advice advice Here’s my commencement advice:
a a a Don’t be afraid b b You will hit speed bumps c You may hit a a a wall d d When you do DO NOT CONSIDER IT A A FAILURE e e e e You have a a a a a chance to begin again f f f And if it all works out for you you someday you you too may have a a a a a a a a a chance to to look back and say it was “UP and TO THE RIGHT ” By Sean McLain Brown Photos by Jim Kirkland

































































































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