[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 68 (Thursday, May 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
RECOGNIZING BRIDGET A. GOODMAN, STUDENT COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER, WHITTIER 
                         COLLEGE, CLASS OF 1994

                                 ______


                       HON. ESTEBAN EDWARD TORRES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 1994

  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, this Friday, May 27, 1994, a former intern 
in my district office, Ms. Bridget A. Goodman, will deliver the student 
commencement address at the graduation of Whittier College's Class of 
1994.
  Bridget's speech, entitled, ``Agents of Change,'' reflects on the 
changes her class has seen during its education at Whittier and it 
reminds the class of the changes it will have to make in the years to 
come.
  Bridget is the daughter of Carol Goodman of Valencia and Stacy 
Goodman of Reseda. She has one brother, Phillip, 17, who will graduate 
from Saugus High School next month and will attend Johnson and Wales 
University in Rhode Island.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that a copy of Bridget's speech be reprinted in 
the Congressional Record and I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing 
Bridget well in her future endeavors.

       Dr. Ash, members of the board of trustees, members of the 
     faculty, fellow graduates, family, and friends, today we 
     celebrate the commencement of the Whittier College Class of 
     1994. It is a time for beginning and a time for change and no 
     one is more familiar with change than the students at 
     Whittier.
       Think back, fellow graduates, on the transformation of 
     Whittier College that we have witnessed. Four years ago, we 
     were eating in a tent, living three to a room, and awakening 
     at 6 a.m. to the sounds of bulldozers and buzzsaws. As we 
     leave, we can say we ate in the Campus Inn, lived in Turner 
     Hall, enjoyed speakers and dinners in the faculty masters 
     houses, and received our parking tickets from the re-staffed 
     and re-equipped Campus Safety.
       Of course, not all changes at Whittier have been so 
     positive. society housing was virtually eliminated; campus 
     housing became compulsory and more restrictive; some of our 
     best faculty and staff sought opportunities elsewhere; and we 
     discovered our Club was built for storage, not for dancing.
       More important than these events, however, is the fact that 
     by attending Whittier, we have learned to be more than 
     witnesses to change--we have become agents of change. At 
     Whittier, we reformed student government. We founded 
     organizations that increased social awareness. We 
     participated in school policy and appeals committees. Beyond 
     Whittier, we helped clean up and rebuild Los Angeles after 
     the riots. We gave money and counseling services to victims 
     of the Northridge earthquake. We became politically active, 
     working on election campaigns, initiative coalitions, and 
     voter registration drives.
       As we depart Whittier College, we must remember these 
     achievements because our work as agents of change has only 
     just begun.
       Our generation has inherited numerous social and economic 
     problems which must be dealt with in our time. The 
     environment, the economy, education, housing, and the health 
     care system are all in crisis. While we cannot spray the rain 
     forests with Whittier's quick-grow fertilizer, nor ask the 
     AMA to adopt the Student Health Center's slogan ``prescribe 
     erythromyacin for everything,'' we can work through these 
     seemingly insurmountable tasks because the faculty have given 
     us the tools to do so.
       Our professors showed us how to listen and to treat 
     individuals with respect. They taught us how to conduct 
     research and to establish networks in our chosen fields. And 
     they provided informal yet crucial support, sharing their 
     homes, a meal, or a good cry with us as we struggled through 
     the changes of post-adolescence.
       As students of Whittier College, we have all been given the 
     power to make a difference. As alumni of Whittier College, it 
     is our duty to use this gift to the best of our abilities. 
     Good luck.

                          ____________________