The University of South Carolina Upstate welcomed the Class of 2030 during New Student Convocation, marking the official beginning of their academic careers.
Keynote speaker Dr. Selena Blair, vice president for Justice and Community Wellbeing, interim dean of students and Title IX coordinator at Presbyterian College, encouraged new Spartans to embrace the journey of becoming. She shared how her experiences shaped the leader she is today and encouraged students to embrace their journey.
Before earning her doctorate, Blair was a teenage parent and a first-generation college student. Before becoming a leader, she said she had to learn to trust herself.
“Before any of those titles, opportunities or accomplishments, I was just trying to survive,” Blair told students. “I share that with you because when we look at someone standing on a stage like this, we often see the after.”
Blair spent eight years at USC Upstate as director of the Opportunity Network, a TRIO Student Support Services program. She said her time at Upstate helped her discover her professional purpose and develop as a leader.
“USC Upstate will always be near and dear to my heart, because it was here that I evolved as a tried and true leader,” Blair said. “It was here that my passion married my purpose.”
What it means to become
Blair encouraged students not to allow their circumstances, setbacks or doubts to define their futures.
She described college as a period that will shape students not only through the degrees they earn, but through the people they become along the way.
“College is not just about what you will accomplish,” Blair said. “It is about who you become while you are accomplishing it.”
Blair offered students three lessons from her own journey.
First, “You are your only stop sign.” Challenge the internal and external voices that tell you you cannot succeed, she advised.
Second, she reminded students that setbacks are inevitable. “Failure is not the opposite of success. Sometimes it is part of the path to success,” Blair said. “Quitting, however, that’s a choice.”
Finally, Blair challenged students to pursue excellence by bringing their best to whatever is in front of them. She encouraged them to think beyond the degree they hope to earn and consider the reputation, impact and legacy they want to build.
“Think about the person you want to become, not just the degree you want to earn,” Blair said.
She closed by reminding students that their current identities are only the beginning.
“One day, someone will call you by a title you cannot imagine today,” Blair said, whether that be doctor, teacher, nurse, attorney, entrepreneur, scientist or leader. “But before they call you that, you have to become.”
Trust the journey
Chancellor Harris closed with a story about a young sailor who loses faith in her compass during a storm but learns to navigate by a star breaking through the clouds.
He compared the sailor’s journey to the college experience, telling students that their professors, mentors, textbooks and loved ones will provide them with “compasses” throughout their time at USC Upstate. But there will also be moments when students must learn to trust their own judgment and find their bearings.
“That’s not a failure of preparation. That’s the whole point of the journey,” Harris said.
As students being their USC Upstate journey, Harris assured them that faculty, staff and university leadership will be there to guide, support and encourage them.
“You are not just here to collect knowledge,” Harris said. “You are here to become someone who can navigate life, using the tools you’ve been given and the trust you develop in yourself.”
The event also included the traditional student and faculty commitment pledges and symbolic pinning ceremony for new students.
More photos from Convocation can be found on our Flickr album.