[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 92 (Thursday, June 26, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S6555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS OF PATRICIA FERRONE

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I was given the opportunity recently 
to read a speech prepared by my Executive Assistant, Patricia Ferrone, 
on the occasion of her graduation from the University of Maryland 
University College. I think this speech embodies many of the ideals we 
often talk about here on the floor of the United States Senate, and I 
commend all of our colleagues to take a moment and read her very 
thoughtful and insightful perspectives on education today. I ask it be 
printed in the Record.
  The speech follows:

       Commencement Address, University of Maryland Class of 1997

       My name is Patricia Ferrone, and two years ago I enrolled 
     in the Open Learning program at the University of Maryland 
     University College. Today, I am thrilled to be a member of 
     the University of Maryland's class of 1997.
       Twenty years ago, I adhered to a strict interpretation of 
     Mark Twain's adage that you should never let schooling 
     interfere with your education. After all, how in the world 
     was I to get on with my life if all I did was go to school? 
     How could I find a good job, make a living, and gain 
     experience if all I did was sit in a classroom?
       What I didn't realize then was that education is not 
     designed to limit our experience, but to broaden our 
     perspective. I didn't realize that education is a rite of 
     passage from darkness to light, from ignorance to analysis, 
     from having a narrow vision to acquiring a sweeping view of 
     the immense, rich, and colorful world around us, and from 
     living in one moment in space and time to understanding 
     ourselves and our place in history and in the universe.
       Twenty years ago, I didn't realize that education is much 
     more than day to day experiences in a limited world. But 
     today, I know that education is the difference between being 
     and becoming; it is discovering that the world I live in is 
     not the only world that exists. Today I know that education 
     is timeless, and I've learned that education is a rite of 
     passage to a true understanding of society, the world, and 
     ultimately of ourselves.
       The education we've been lucky enough to receive here at 
     the University of Maryland, has not been about sitting in a 
     classroom and learning to parrot mathematical functions or 
     names and dates, or other people's ideas. It is more 
     fundamental. Here, we have been taught how to think for 
     ourselves and how to look into ourselves and our history and 
     learn the reference points of civilization so that we fully 
     comprehend and appreciate the times in which we live.
       Therefore, it is important for all of us to understand that 
     the education we have acquired here is not some kind of job 
     training program. Because if we think it is, if we treat it 
     like it is, then we will have failed, for we will have 
     trapped ourselves in our time, never understanding that 
     civilization is a continuing journey, and that there is a 
     precedence for our failures and our success, and we must 
     learn what they are.
       Our society and our personal lives will always contain 
     areas of uncertainty and confusion; we will always be 
     confronted by more questions than answers. Education alone 
     will never be a panacea for curing society's ills or for 
     defeating our own personal challenges. But I am convinced 
     that obtaining an education is a moral imperative for 
     improving the quality of our own individual lives and, 
     ultimately, improving the quality of life around us. Today I 
     am certain that education is the key to the treasures of the 
     universe, and it is also the key that unlocks the riches that 
     lie inside each of us.
       Over the past several years, we have all worked hard to 
     earn our degrees. During the process, we were confronted by 
     the anxieties of new possibilities, but our commitment to our 
     goal inspired us to meet the challenge. We all refused to 
     believe that we had limitations. So our graduation today is a 
     personal rite of passage that we should all be proud of and 
     should celebrate. But, my hope for all of us is that the 
     passion that drove our commitment does not end here.
       I can stand before you now and say with certainty that Mark 
     Twain and I were wrong. It is through schooling that we learn 
     the broader view of where we have been, and therefore 
     understand where we are, so that we can logically think about 
     where we want to go. I know the education I have received 
     here has been my compass. It has set me on course and given 
     me direction.
       I am eternally grateful to all my instructors and to the 
     University of Maryland University College for making this 
     experience one of the richest and most profound learning 
     experiences of my life. Now I understand that education is 
     the catalyst that turns knowledge and experience into 
     wisdom--and gaining wisdom is more than a rite of passage, it 
     is a lifetime process.

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