“At Flagler College- for the past four years- we’ve learned about our passions through academia and now we are standing on the edge of the great world before us,” Senior Ann Beverley said in her invocation of the ceremony.
Like last year’s ceremony, Baccalaureate began with a processional of faculty and featured student speakers, an address from President Delaney, performances by the Flagler College Key of Seas Choir, and an alumni pledge to core values.
True to many academic milestone ceremonies, sentiments of hopefulness for the future and pride in all that has been accomplished were common themes among speakers. But keynote speaker, Professor Tracy Upchurch, took his address as an opportunity to remind students of the value in their wildest dreams and child-like passions.
Following the “surfer kid’s” lead
“Deep inside of you- in the pit of your stomach, in the depths of your heart, swirling in your brain- are the things that excite you, the things that engage you, and the things that give you joy,” Upchurch said.
There’s one group of people, Upchurch said, that have helped him realize the value of honoring your true passions: “surfer kids.”
Near the beginning of his courses, Upchurch has students write and present 300-word introductions for themselves. Inevitably, he said, the “surfer kid,” after detailing their basics will say, “My life is all about surfing.”
“I would snicker to myself,” he said. “I would do the proverbial eye roll, not that anyone could see, and I would think, ‘How cute, a high school kid who will be changed and transformed while they’re at Flagler.’”
Something he used to perceive as a cliché and amusing response from these students turned out to be a catalyst in Upchurch’s reconsideration of how we should spend our time and energy.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized, ‘Here’s a kid who knows what excites them, that knows what gives them joy.’”
He referenced elements of surfing like the athleticism required, the adventure of surfing with hurricanes offshore or in different countries, a love of nature- understanding how the wind and tides work or how the slop of the beach affects the waves, and “certainly” the companionship of doing this great thing with your friends.
“These are all wonderful things that can excite a person, that can give them joy,” he said. “That sounds so simple: just do what gives you joy.”
It’s never that simple
The problem, Upchurch acknowledged, is that “just doing what gives you joy,” is not simple at all.
“There’s a compelling counterargument that speaks just as simply, and in many ways, more powerfully,” he said. “That counterargument says something like: Grow up. Be mature. Be responsible. Assume your duties.”
Upchurch warned these upcoming graduates that many people spend their whole lives wrestling between the ideas of “speaking to our joy,” and “responding to our duties and obligations.”
“For me, it has not been wrestling, it’s been a barfight,” he said. “I have struggled with this my entire adult life.”
Keeping your passions alive
Upchurch said he hoped students would consider that, despite this common battle, following your passions doesn’t have to jeopardize your sense of security or responsibility. He reminded them that he’s not encouraging a pursuit of “either/ or,” when it comes to chasing dreams and “growing up.”
Rather, “a balance between these two- the things that we love and our very real responsibilities to ourselves and to others.”
He offered students three pieces of advice as they begin wrestling with the real-world to find that balance:
1. Be courageous
“You know what excites you,” he said. “Embrace it. Own it. Cherish it. Be thankful for it.”
Pointing to his colleague, Professor of Natural Sciences Ben Atkinson, Upchurch said “giving yourself permission” to enjoy and excel in passion projects, especially if they don’t relate to your career, is a big part of this courage.
“Ben's a scientist- he's a turtle guy,” Upchurch said. “That's what he's supposed to do, mess with turtles, talk about turtles and science and stuff. But you know what? He's also a poet. And look, Ben just doesn't write it in a little journal and tuck it away, he reads it, he shares it, and he seeks to have it published.”
Following a career path in a field that interests you may line up with your core passions, he said, but it may not and that’s okay.
“I just have a sense that Ben has done what I urge you to do, what I hope and pray for all of you: that you will find space in your life for what you love,” he said.
2. Hold strong in your grit and determination
Upchurch said he’s always known that he wanted to teach, but after unsuccessfully applying to teaching jobs out of undergraduate, he regrets allowing that door to close for such a long time.
“I didn’t know anything about grit or perseverance,” he said. “I simply allowed that door to close and I turned to something else, and it took me 25 years to get where I wanted to be.”
3. Seek relationships of encouragement and accountability
“Surround yourself with people who support you, who encourage you, and who can listen to the things that give you joy, that engage you, and that excite you,” he said.
Upchurch found people in his life who gave him this support while he wrote his first novel.
“It took me forever to tell my wife that that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “And then, bless her heart, she was so supportive, encouraging, and affirming.”
Her reaction to his desire to write the novel allowed Upchurch to “muster a little bit more courage,”
“I started telling some other people, because I finally was smart enough to recognize that I needed some accountability,” he said. “With the more people I told, in a sense, it became real.”
