GILL — As rows of students prepared to walk across the stage at the Northfield Mount Hermon graduation on Sunday afternoon, senior adviser to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett delivered inspirational words for the commencement speech.
“Remember that life is not a sprint: so pace yourself,” said Jarrett, under the graduation tent at Thorndike Field. “Go forth and tackle the challenges of this world together because we are counting on you.”
A graduate of the NMH Class of 1974, Jarrett came to the school to wish students well on their next chapter of life and to share the lessons of her journey from Northfield Mount Hermon to the White House.
Often described as the president’s closest and most influential advisor, Jarrett told the newly minted graduates to get outside their comfort zones, maintain their grit and always respect others.
As she reflected on her time at Northfield Mount Hermon, Jarrett thanked the faculty and staff for making the school the wonderful place that it is.
Although her time at the school was decades ago, she said she remembers it vividly. She recalled the studying that kept her up all night and the general feeling of exhaustion that followed. “Keep in mind that this is only the beginning: That is why they call it a commencement,” she said.
When she arrived at NMH in the ’70s, the academic challenges of the first few weeks took her by surprise.
“At first, I really struggled to find my footing,” she said.
The rigor of the classes eventually evolved into a challenge that she welcomed.
After graduation, she was bound for Stanford University, where she planned to become an anthropologist working under Jane Goodall. When she arrived and found out that Goodall was on a two–year sabbatical, her gears shifted.
She ended up going to law school at the University of Michigan, where she developed an interest in public policy, later working as the deputy chief of staff for Mayor Richard Daley in Chicago.
Today her life is unlike anything she would have imagined as a student. Every day she drives through the gates of the White House and thinks about how fortunate she is to be able to have a ringside seat at history.
Jarrett oversees the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls.
In an average day she is shuffling between meetings on criminal justice reform, the spread of the Zika virus and reducing gun violence. She has been an informal mentor to Barack and Michelle Obama for 25 years.
“My life is as good as it gets and I wish the same for you,” she told the graduates.
In her time working in public service, she has also advocated to strengthen the middle class, raise the minimum wage and boost the economy.
She told the students to pace themselves, to trust their gut instincts and to fully realize all the possibilities that lay before them. Be open to new ideas and disagree without being disagreeable, she said.
“Don’t worry about what you want to be, think about what you want to do,” she said, quoting a line that she has overheard Obama say to White House interns.
After the speech, teary-eyed parents and grandparents watched as rows of students in black caps and gowns walked across the stage.
Pablo Borra Paley of Ashfield, Catherine Kinsman of Bernardston, Hailey Raymond of Bernardston, Brook Rulewich of Bernardston, Simon van Baaren of Bernardston, Brian Shaw of Conway, Gus Cantieni of Deerfield, Vivian Brock of Greenfield, Brett Miner of Greenfield, Nicholas Seretta of Greenfield, Ellen Arena of Mount Hermon, Delaney Corrigan of Mount Hermon, Zachary Leeds of Mount Hermon, Anna Messer of Mount Hermon, Erika Burakiewicz of Northfield, Bonney Couper-Kiablick of Northfield, Jessica Crooker of Northfield, Celine Joy DeLa Cruz of Northfield, Lauren Downes of Shelburne Falls, Melody Cheng of South Deerfield, Thaddeus Niemiec of South Deerfield.
You can reach Lisa Spear
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