Congratulations to the Class of 2009 although it came faster than many of you would have liked, your time at the College is complete.
After completing your distributives, dragging yourself to language drill and proving that you know how to swim, the College has deemed you ready to meet the challenges of the real world. Hopefully, the skills you picked up surviving the 1902 Room, dancing the Salty Dog Rag and weathering the Hanover winters while your friends were in Barcelona will help you out later, too.
More importantly, in the past four years, you have left a lasting impression on the Dartmouth community, whether through classes, organizations, DOC Trips, pong dates or stories that can never be retold. This is not only because we are stranded in the wilderness, but because as individuals and a group, you have contributed memories to our Dartmouth experiences that will remain with us long after you have departed.
After four years in the bubble, you are about to step into a world where one card can no longer serve as identification, money and a key. Despite this mild set-back, we are confident that the knowledge gained in and out of the classroom at Dartmouth will provide you with ample footing for your next strides into the real world. For we know, the granite of New Hampshire will never leave your muscles and your brains, and the only things you need to make your very own pong table is plywood and some nails.
We will remember you, we will miss you, and, as we are beginning to realize, we will soon follow you.
