2009 Valedictory Oration

Delivered by Holger Staude Commencement - June 2, 2009 - Princeton University Class of 2009 Thank you, President Tilghman, for giving me the opportunity to speak to my classmates today. Transitions can be unpredictable. It can be difficult to leave behind the places and the people we know and daunting to think about what's coming next. So I can't help asking myself if today - Commencement - is a happy day. Leaving FitzRandolph Gate is fundamentally an expedition into uncharted territory. And no, this one won't be like Outdoor Action, although graduation may feel to us like the beginning of a trip into the wilderness. Two years ago, a friend and I departed for a six-week hike across the uninhabited tundra of Iceland.