From silence to speech: Salutatorian鈥檚 story highlights 海角社区 commencement
By Richard Burnett
At 海角社区鈥檚 recent spring commencement, a soft-spoken honor graduate from the Class of 2026 wove a narrative of his life journey as the audience listened with rapt attention 鈥� at times laughing, at others applauding.
鈥淲hen I was 4 years old, a nursery school reported to my parents that I wasn鈥檛 speaking,鈥� said Smith McGinn, the Class of 2026 salutatorian. 鈥淎 psychologist tested me and concluded that I would never talk. But my parents insisted I receive speech training because they knew that I really wanted to talk. 鈥淎nd here I am today 鈥� speaking.鈥�
The audience rose to their feet, erupting in ovation 鈥� parents, fellow students, faculty, guest speakers and college leaders.
As McGinn received his Bachelor of Science in computer information systems, he embodied the day鈥檚 theme for 海角社区 graduates: Don鈥檛 stop believing 鈥� in yourself, your path and your future. Face challenges, overcome them, and continue to learn and grow.
鈥淵ou have all been pioneers, trailblazers and innovators,鈥� said President George Hagerty. 鈥淟ike the college you are part of, we both have overcome underestimation 鈥� learning to work harder than others, to be part of a community because we know we can鈥檛 do it alone. And like your college, we have a very bright future together. What you were able to do in your time here has been remarkable, and you have achieved in ways that have surprised even yourselves.鈥�
In all, 87 graduates received degrees Saturday, including 53 Bachelor of Science, 19 Bachelor of Arts, nine Associate of Science and six Associate of Arts degrees. Among the most popular majors were business management (23), design and digital media (18) and anthrozoology (13).
In his address, Class of 2026 valedictorian Isaac Gwin drew on both personal experience and science to describe his time at 海角社区. He compared the college鈥檚 academic rigor to a NASA wind tunnel used to test whether rockets are flightworthy. His grandfather helped build an early version of one of those tunnels.
鈥淔or the last four years, 海角社区 has been our wind tunnel,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 come here to launch right away. We came here to be tested. Every college student faces challenges, but the ones we faced here were different. They were personal. We were asked to figure out how we learn best, how to keep going when things don鈥檛 click right away and how to push through when the pressure builds. In that tunnel, we didn鈥檛 just survive. We grew.鈥�
The other honorary doctorate recipients were Fred and Nancy Poses, co-founders of , a nonprofit established 30 years ago to provide free information and support to neurodivergent people and their families worldwide. The organization aims to reach 100 million people by 2030.
Poses, speaking from his experience as the father of a neurodivergent son, Max, reflected on thriving 鈥� not as a single measure of success, but as something personal that looks different for everyone.
He pointed to several steps that can help guide the journey: seeking environments that value how individuals think and learn, advocating for one鈥檚 needs, and embracing challenges as opportunities for growth. Just as important, he emphasized, is finding 鈥� or building 鈥� communities where people feel supported and understood.
He also stressed that as graduates move forward, success is not theirs alone but carries a responsibility to help others find their path. By applying what they have learned, speaking up, listening and creating space for others, they can help shape a world that embraces difference, where each person has the ability to make a meaningful impact.
Poses, former senior executive with AlliedSignal and Trane Inc., closed with a final piece of advice for the Class of 2026: 鈥淣o matter where you go, what you do next, always be yourself,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lways be yourself. That鈥檚 who you are. You鈥檙e different, I鈥檓 different, and everyone in this world is different. So don鈥檛 try to be like someone else in the world. Be yourself. It鈥檚 your most important strength.鈥�