2017 Dragon Fall

The Class o
From left to right: Connor Thomas, Liliana Rodriguez, Sophie Whitman, Samuel Taylor and Ian Thomas.
Valedictorian Eunice Jung talked about how
O’Dowd’s unparalleled community in diversity challenged
the members of the Class of 2017 to grow and
develop. “We are a one-of-a-kind class comprised of
different voices, identities and interests,” she said.
“But the diversity you see in our graduating class is
only a small microcosm of the diversity you will be
exposed to in the next part of your life,” she said.
“In a world where there are bans and walls to separate
identities, it is even more important to recognize
that there needs to be love for diversity now. The
metaphysical definition of love is the cosmological
force that brings two unlike things together – a unification
of opposites. Diversity is love, it is energy, it
is passion, it is growth, it is today and it is the future,”
Jung said. “Whether you realize it now or not, the
diversity that surrounds you allows you to visualize
a world greater than your own. So instead of trying
to isolate differences, appreciate the fusion of differences
– even if they may clash with you. Because
the energy that results from the clash of love is what
brings progress and the creation of the future.”
One of the highlights of the Commencement was the
presentation of the Cor Unum Award to Kathleen
Sereda Glaub ’71, who made brief remarks.
Named for the school’s motto, “One Heart in Christ,”
the Cor Unum Award is Bishop O’Dowd High
School’s highest honor. It is presented each year to
select members of the O’Dowd community whose
lives and work embody the core values of leadership,
service, social justice and intellectual competence
expressed in the school’s mission.
4 // Dragon