Community: Fletcher Commencement
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f there is one word that exemplifies Fletcher, it’s community. This collective spirit was ever present throughout this year’s commencement ceremonies. The festivities opened with the Clam Bake, an annual tradition where graduating students network with alumni who have come back to Fletcher for reunions. Participants this year enjoyed traditional New England food as they listened to live music.
The next event was Class Day, where Fletcher presents awards to distinguished alumni and welcomes the graduating students into the alumni community. Peggy Kirby, class of 1937, greeted the students by describing what Fletcher was like over 70 years ago. Her class had 16 students: twelve men and four women. The inclusion of women in this early Fletcher class shows just how progressive the school was from the outset. Although Fletcher opened as the nation’s first foreign policy school, at that time women were not permitted to work at the State Department.
Kirby and her women classmates knew they would never be employed in their desired field. But Fletcher’s faculty recognized their talent and ambition and admitted them anyway. Kirby went on to pass the written Foreign Service exam but was warned that she would fail the oral exam due to her being a woman. She instead pursued a career in the jewelry industry where she reached the level of vice president at her company. Today, although well into her 90s, Kirby continues to actively participate in the Fletcher community and speak at conferences. She closed her remarks by assuring the students that no matter what hardships they face, their experiences at Fletcher will help them break through every impasse.
Graduation ceremonies the next day continued on this theme of flourishing in the midst of challenges. Professor Kim Wilson, recipient of the James Paddock Teaching Award, spoke to the students about the importance of planning—and of dropping one’s plans entirely. She quoted Winston Churchill: “Those who plan do better than those who do not plan, even though they rarely stick to their plan.”
Wilson drew vigorous laughter from the audience as she cited students who fall into a panic when they cannot fit a certain required course into their schedule. She joked that missing one course could prevent the entire Fletcher education from being useful, ruin an otherwise promising career, destroy any hope of having a happy family, and hinder self-esteem. When the crowd stopped laughing, Wilson reminded them that while planning is critical to finding direction, what matters is being flexible in one’s plans and embracing opportunities as they arise. After all, Wilson herself was rejected from Fletcher when she applied there as a student. Now she is a loved and respected professor.
Two class speakers followed Wilson: Dahlia Shaham of Israel and Hasham Mehmood of Pakistan. Shaham opened her words by noting that having a Jew and a Muslim as class speakers had nothing to do with political correctness even though class speakers are elected by their classmates. She noted that Fletcher is not always the most “politically correct” place, as there is a strong sense of community where students of different backgrounds poke fun at one another like family. Shaham expressed hope that Fletcher alumni would take this attitude to their future workplaces and create warmth among people of different backgrounds.
Mehmood followed up these words calling for the graduating students to maintain the Fletcher community beyond the school’s walls. His speech was the most apt ending to a ceremony brimming with vitality: “We are the Fletcher Mafia. We stand strong so long as we stand together. We will change, we will adapt and we will confront every challenge that comes our way with a smile, with dignity and with honor. We will survive to lead this world. We will be the change we want to see in this world. We will shape it and transform it and we will make it a place we can pass on to our posterity with pride.” This is the credo of the Fletcher community.
Cybele Cochran F09