Class of 2024 Thanks Faculty at President’s Dinner

With their last final behind them, on Wednesday night the New England seniors gathered in Bl. Frassati Student Center to thank the faculty who have shaped their Thomas Aquinas College education.

After a brief cocktail hour, Head Chaplain Rev. Greg Markey offered a blessing, and all sat down to a delicious steak dinner. Over dessert, the evening’s program began, with a short performance from the Thomas Aquinas College Choir.

Next, Assistant Dean Stephen Shivone commemorated the senior prefects and Resident Directors: Paul Habsburg, Norah O’Brien, Miles Caughron, Margaret Duffy, and Kevin Heffernan (’22) and Sophie Cummings (’23). Dean Steven Cain then gave a heartfelt address to the Class of 2024, commenting on the closeness of the class and its tendency to unite, both in and out of the classroom.

To conclude the evening, President Paul J. O’Reilly reminded the near-graduates that memory is not everything; it is right understanding and judgment that will bring them success throughout their lives.

“Memory cannot be the source of our confidence if it is a memory without understanding,” he said. “An infallible memory is not essential to good judgment, but understanding first principles is, because, with an understanding of these principles, you can recall and articulate what is essential. Without such an understanding, all you have is memory — and that will fail you because memory without understanding is just words.”

The students then took turns offering toasts, both to their tutors and to each other, and all ended the night by bowling together at a local alley. Next up, Friday night’s New England Seafood Dinner for seniors and their families!