TRANSCRIPT: Good evening students, family, friends, and staff of DDC. My name is Jennifer Jiminian, and I will be graduating A. Philip Randolph next month, and I will be attending Gettysburg College. [Applause]. I want to thank each and every single person here because this program was a huge part of who I am today, this program gave me the opportunity to learn so much about myself, and push myself to new limits.
I joined the Freedom and Citizenship where I had no choice but to be open-minded, and to support my arguments through the seminars that we had. Although there were times when topics like citizenship, liberty, racism, inclusion, and human rights were brought up, although I felt uncomfortable in many situations, I had to remain open-minded, which was a great growth experience. This program fueled my curiosity I already had by opening the door to new insights academically as well as socially. It drilled me to take a deeper interest in truly learning and understanding a multitude of concepts. Learning how to not only listen, but to speak my mind made me generally excited about learning then, as well as in the future.
When I think back to my summer of 2017, all I think about is the memories I made with Freedom and Citizenship. From rushing to get to seminar to running around and playing tag in the stacks to holding dorm floor meetings, and the basement lounge, the seminar was full of laughs as well as eyebags from reading philosophy and writing a paper every night. I remember being in the library and procrastinating but always having people in my group motivate me and put me back on track. Regardless of it all, it felt like a safe place and I remember leaving on Friday afternoons, dying to come back on Sunday nights. I came into this program not particularly being close to anyone, but came out with three of my closest friends, Mangbe, Menelek, and D'Asia [Applause]. I saw people around me personally grow, not only academically but be able to think critically and be challenged to question their beliefs. I have also seen people change their beliefs when being exposed to people with touching personal experiences. I've seen people go from being shy and never speaking, to standing proud and using their voice for what they believe in.