La Salle Taps Graduating Senior As Commencement Speaker
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- While colleges and universities have lined up some notable figures as their commencement speakers for graduation ceremonies next month - from politicians and business people to rock stars - La Salle University continues its unique tradition.
It is tapping one of its own, a graduating senior.
Anna Allen, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at La Salle, has seen plenty of students come and go over the last 37 years, and she says 21-year old Jack DiMatteo deserves to deliver the Explorers' Undergraduate Commencement address on May 21st.
"He never uses the word 'I.' I think it's a fine example of lived LaSallian values. It's for others," Allen said.
DiMatteo collected tidbits for his speech by observing "all of the little moments" on campus.
"I had a notebook, and I just jotted down thoughts as they came to me. I would notice something that was unique or special about La Salle, or specific to our graduating class," DiMatteo said.
The framework of his speech centers on incidental emails from any one of the Christian Brothers who teach at La Salle, and the three post-signature letters in the bottom of the messages.
"They have this acronym, 'FSC,' that denotes their order. It doesn't actually stand for 'Faith, Service, and Community,' but it's come to embody those concepts," said DiMatteo.
Originally from Deerfield, Illinois, just north of Chicago, DiMatteo double-majored in political science and economics, and will go to grad school at the University of Virginia.
