My name is Amy Harper. I'm a professor of Anthropology at Central Oregon Community College.
I'm also the current president of the COCC Faculty Forum.
As faculty, we celebrate the COCC students graduating this year.
Many of you may be familiar with William Golding's novel, the Lord of the Flies
in which a group of young
British schoolboys are shipwrecked on an
island. Goulding imagines that in this
situation our inherent selfishness and
brutality would take over. But in fact
when an actual group of boys were
shipwrecked on a small unpopulated
island in the South Pacific for 15
months, they demonstrated ingenuity,
resiliency, and collaboration that
allowed them to survive difficult
conditions until their rescue. Contrary
to Goulding's imagining when we are in
difficult situations it is our sociality
and our commitment to each other that
defines us and keeps us going.
This past term has been our shipwreck. 
You all have had to demonstrate
your ingenuity, your resiliency, your grit, as we work together to support each other.
Students in my classes this term have been reflecting
on their experiences and a common theme that has emerged
is one of community and connections. 
One student wrote, I think we
took for granted how much we depended on each other. Another wrote, I never
realized how reliant we are on one
another. Although we are isolated we are
all working together to conquer this
uneasy time in our lives.
Completing degrees or certificates is never an easy task, even in the best of times.
There are many sacrifices that you had
to make to reach this point and there's
often a sense of isolation from friends
and family as you focus time and energy
on your coursework. This feeling of
isolation has become a reality during
this last term, and yet I am astounded at
the innovative ways you have found to
build connections and new communities
across various platforms. As a Cultural
Anthropologist, I recognize the social
value of ceremony and ritual,
and I know that many of us
feel the loss of not being able to
gather and celebrate your achievements
with your family your friends your peers
and the COCC community. But despite not
being able to be together in physical
space, it is in a spirit of community and
connection that we come together in
recognition of our students and their
achievements. Congratulations to the
graduating students of 2020. The COCC
community, your family, and your friends
celebrate your achievements with you.
