To the graduating class of 2025 — congratulations.
To the faculty and staff, family and friends, we appreciate your efforts throughout the years to help our graduates arrive at this day.
I would like to thank President Samhat for this opportunity. I am very honored. Thank you for all you do for Wofford.
I am fortunate to have my father, Henry Davis Green, a proud 1959 graduate of Wofford College, and my mother, GG Green (graduate of SC), here with us today. Thank you for all your love and support and for the gift of my Wofford education.
To my husband Mike, daughter Cooper (a Sewanee graduate) and son and today’s graduate, Davis, thank you for always supporting me and making me a better person each day.
Today, we have gathered here to celebrate you, the Class of 2025!
Congratulations again! This marks a big day in the many milestones and achievements yet to come. What an incredible and awesome chapter in life!
I reflect on my own Commencement day, May 17, 1992. Interestingly, I do not remember much. Apparently, I was a little tired from all the festivities … maybe like you!
My mother, who remembers everything, loved the speech given by Rudy Mancke, a Wofford graduate and well-known naturalist from the award-winning TV program “NatureScene.” Perhaps, one of you will speak to the Class of 2055.
You have heard that these years at Wofford are the best years of your life. I loved my years here at Wofford, and I still talk about my favorite Interim, when I traveled Route 66 from Chicago to L.A. with three of my best friends, or the time spent just hanging out with friends in the dorms or at the Row. Several of these friends are in the crowd today as parents of current graduates. However, know that you have so much to look forward to — the next chapters of your life. I think about myself, when I was in your seat, and I realize how I have been changed by the experiences, opportunities, successes, failures, relationships and all things life that have occurred since then.
After my Commencement, I was ready to get to work. I had a job with Sonoco Products Company in internal audit, and I started on June 8. I was going to be a CPA so that meant I had to begin studying immediately for the CPA exam. Beyond those plans, I really did not know much more about my path forward. After a year or so, Mike and I were engaged. I was moving back to Spartanburg. He was the assistant basketball coach here at Wofford (yes, we dated the end of my senior year, but do not tell anyone.) Mike is a great coach, and I loved supporting him when he was here and now at Virginia Tech.
This is when I began my 30-plus-year career with PwC in Spartanburg, and it is hard to articulate the appreciation and the thankfulness I have for the many experiences and opportunities my career has afforded me. I will share with you the key aspects that shaped my journey and my career over the past three decades.
First, strive to be a lifelong learner. Today marks the culmination of years of your hard work in the classroom, and Wofford played a significant role in this. The world we live in is ever-changing, and the ability to adapt and grow and change is more crucial than ever. Lifelong learning is not just about acquiring new skills or knowledge; it is about embracing a mindset of curiosity and openness. Every day offers a new lesson, and education does not stop when you leave the classroom; it is a continuous journey that will enrich your life in ways you cannot yet imagine.
Second, seek out opportunities for new experiences to learn from, to grow and to further develop. These experiences will come to each of you in different ways, based on what you are doing. For me, I recall my mentor “voluntold” me to work on a massive bankruptcy project in Coudersport, Pa. Despite the challenges and discomfort, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I learned so much, and I met other partners with whom I am friends to this day. Embrace opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone; it is a sign that you are learning and growing. I like the saying, “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” You will have a lot of these moments in life.
Like you, I am at a point of reflection in my life, because I retire June 30. A wonderful chapter in my life is ending like it is for you. The third area of influence, and I think maybe the most important that stands out to me, is the people and relationships that you have made here at Wofford and ones you will develop and cherish as professionals and citizens in the communities in which you live.
I get asked all the time, “What kept you at the firm for so long?
The people is always the answer, and I have heard many other partners answer the same way.
The people — they make the difference.
I reflect on the relationships that I forged here at Wofford. I think of the faculty members that helped me (Mrs. Wylie and Dr. Proctor) and my friend group that represents some of my most important friends today. Matter of fact, we have a group text and are in constant contact. We get together annually. We have continued to invest in our relationship since we left this campus on May 17, 1992.
I think about all the mentors and coaches I have looked up to over the years. I think about the clients and our people that I have worked with at various times over the past 30 years.
One thing begins to stand out to me, and it is not what these people are that made a difference in my life. It is who they are.
It is not because they had important titles or labels. It is because I saw how they treated others, how they gave back, how they impacted my life as well as many others. I imagine many of you already have a vision for your future, whether it is becoming an attorney, nurse, doctor, CPA, teacher, coach, entrepreneur, researcher, social worker, preacher or any other role. These labels or titles will accompany you throughout your journey. They will define what you are. My bigger question and challenge for you today is who will you be when you leave this campus?
When folks find out I am a CPA, they often comment, “You must love numbers, accounting or auditing.” I did like math when I was growing up, and I was the dork that came to Wofford knowing I was going to major in accounting. The only reason I wanted to major in accounting was because I knew I would get a job. But accounting is not why I have loved my career. I have loved my career because of the people. I cherish the relationships with our incredible clients and staff. I have a fellow partner in the crowd, Phil Petros, who is the father of a graduate, Logan Petros. I know Phil would say the same.
At PwC, we talk about “Your Legacy” and how do you want to be remembered when you leave the firm. I would prefer, and certainly hope, to be remembered as someone that helped our clients solve important issues, one that built high-performing teams; one that helped create opportunities for others to grow and develop and become partners; one that gave back to their community and tried to make a difference. That is what I am passionate about. It is the who that can make this world better. Who will you be? The what will define you; however, the who will never change, and your integrity and character will define your true worth. Jobs, titles, roles come and go but what will never change is who you are. When faced with challenges, will you stand up for what is right? Will you treat all around you with respect, no matter the differences? Will you be kind to everyone? Who will you be?
My wish for you today is to remember that you have the power to shape your destiny. Continue to learn, seize new opportunities, nurture meaningful relationships, and focus on becoming the best version of yourself. Strive to be a person of empathy and compassion, someone who listens as much as they speak and who gives as much as they take. In the end, it is who you are, not what you are, that will leave a lasting impact.
I hope you will choose to return to ole Wofford often and to share your treasures and talents.
Congratulations, Class of 2025! The world awaits your brilliance. No one says it better than Dr. Seuss:
“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So … get on your way!”
Go Terriers! Thank you.