Ryan Johnson’s Convocation Speech

Good afternoon class of 2013. Before I begin my speech I would first like to introduce the four other members of the Student Government Executive Board. Serving as vice president we have senior Erin Stein. Your Secretary will be senior Laura Rupprecht, Treasurer is Manal Daher-Mansour and finally, your officer of technology, Travis Raup. I would like to thank them for the work they have done so far in preparing for this year and I would also like to thank them in advance for the hard work they will continue to do throughout the school year.

A few weeks ago, after receiving the memo that I would be here today giving a speech to the incoming freshman class, I decided I was going to reflect on a very important question, “Why Juniata?” Besides the fact that Juniata students are the smartest and coolest students in the world, there must have been some other reasons why you would want to spend the next 4 years of your life in rural central Pennsylvania at a small liberal arts college. Well, we all have different reasons, and some reasons are more common than others. So after spending three years and now entering my senior year at Juniata, I feel that I can make a reasonable list of the top 5 reasons why students continue to walk through our doors year after year. So here we go, the Ryan Johnson…not David Letterman, top 5 reasons why students come to Juniata College:

5. We are a competitive college not only at the academic level but also at the athletic level. With over 100 All-Americans and 8 Division 3 national championships, we are not a school to be taken lightly. Our athletes continue to excel in the field and also in the classroom. Academically, with a well educated faculty and amazing facilities, each student gets the chance to obtain one of the best liberal-arts educations in the nation. Basically what it boils down to is that Juniata students can be best described as athletic nerds.

4. What other school will allow students to take a day off from classes and go picnic in the woods with the staff and faculty? Where else will you find a freshmen class whose only goal in the beginning of the year is to break through the Arch only to have their goals stomped on by the men and women’s rugby teams. Finally where will you find a student body crazy enough to sleep outside in late November for an entire week just to get tickets to a fancy dinner? Well you will find all of that stuff here at Juniata and we are proud of it.

3. Although small at first glance, Huntingdon and the Juniata Community continue to be a big factor in Juniata’s success. Either it is volunteering at JC Blair Memorial Hospital, working on your business proposal at JCEL or displaying your artworks at the local coffee shops, Juniata students continue to thrive off of the numerous opportunities this town has to offer. Also, students love to eat at Mimi’s, Boxers and Standing Stone. We also love spending a day down at Lake Raystown, catching a movie at the Clifton 5, or just walking the isles of one of our favorite stores…Wal-Mart.

2. By the time you’re a sophomore and you ask your old friends from high school what their “POE” is, I can guarantee you that you will get a very confused look as an answer. There are not too many colleges where you can get a degree in Chemistry and Museum Studies at the same time…but with the flexibility of a POE, you can. Not only will your advisors and professors encourage you to be adventurous in your academic endeavors, but they may also invite you to their house to discuss your POE over a nice home cooked meal.

And the number one reason why students make the trip to Huntingdon Pennsylvania to attend Juniata College year after year is…because you will never find another place like it. Thank you!