The Class of 2008 began its farewell to the Hilltop with guidance for their professional careers during the senior class convocation Thursday afternoon in McDonough Gymnasium, the same spot they all gathered for the first time nearly four years ago.

Keynote speaker Ana Botin, chairman of the Spanish bank BANESTO, sent off the seniors, telling them to balance work and recreation, not to fear change and to take advantage of every opportunity.

“Achieving balance in your life will make you well-prepared for embracing change. And it is very often in moments of change that opportunities arise. There you have it – my philosophy on life,” she said.

Botin, a member of Georgetown’s board of directors, also told the seniors that although they are privileged to be Georgetown students, this honor comes with added responsibility.

“Find the place where your help is indispensable,” she said. “Your talent is your greatest asset.”

Two seniors also stood in front of their peers to offer their own advice. Alexander Bozmoski (COL ’08), who researched climate change policy and its effect on African rural populations, spoke about what he called “spiritual entrepreneurialism,” a combination of respect for tradition and confronting the problems of today’s world.

“Saturday, we inherit a snoozing world,” he said. “Unless we want to be the `snooze-button generation,’ tough choices lie ahead.”

Theodore Svoronos (SFS ’08), who is going to Tanzania after he graduates as a Fulbright Scholar, warned against feeling guilt or pity toward less-privileged areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa.

“Thinking about these inequalities inspires guilt or pity,” Svoronos said. “We need to approach the world in a more nuanced way. This engagement should be based not on pity but on respect – not on guilt but on gratitude.”

After Botin spoke, Harrison Beacher (COL ’08) and Patrick Sivertsen (COL ’08), chairs of the Senior Class Committee, presented University President John J. DeGioia with the senior class gift, a $34,273.12 donation to the Georgetown Fund, saying that they hoped their contribution would promote awareness for the programs that the Fund has supported in the past.

The ceremony began with an invocation by Vice President of Mission and Ministry Fr. Philip Boroughs, S.J., and a prayer said by Jill Herskovits (MSB ’08), a Jewish student, and it ended with a benediction by Sandrine Rukundo (SFS ’08), a Muslim student.

In the spirit of Senior Week’s theme – “I’ll never let go, Jack” – DeGioia urged the senior class to continue to help and to shape the Georgetown community, telling them that “Georgetown still belongs to you.”

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