“Expand your chest; let out that cry; fill up your lungs!” — New Academic Year Begins as Class of 2028 Joins WCC Community
On the afternoon of Sunday, August 25th, the forty young men and women of Wyoming Catholic College’s Class of 2028 took part in the annual Matriculation Ceremony, becoming the newest official members of the College community.
Representing twenty-four states (and one Canadian province), they began their four-year educational adventure with Mass at Holy Rosary Church, followed by the annual Wyoming Catholic College group portrait on the church steps. Afterwards, they processed back into the church to sign their names in the official Student Register. Before putting pen to paper, however, they listened to a short address from Dr. Scott Olsson, the College’s Academic Dean, who explained what the ceremony (and the book they were about to sign) meant in the context of life at Wyoming Catholic.
After pointing out to them that the word matricula comes from matrix (which means mother), he explored the ways in which the College’s activity is like that of a mother, and the actions of its students, that of a child.
“What the child receives he receives through his mother, but those things do not come first of all from his mother,” he said. “The mother receives them and passes them on to her child. Likewise, what you will be receiving these next few years is not first of all from the college. We receive them and hand them on to you. As with a mother, the college will labor that you might grow strong—and stronger than you can presently know.”
He also spoke at length of the value of ignorance, encouraging the Freshmen (and their fellow classmates) to embrace their feelings of ignorance, rather than running from them. “A great problem of our age,” he said, “is that we no longer feel ignorant. Of course we are ignorant, but we have become adept at not feeling it. Most often, I think we’re simply too distracted to notice….The feeling of ignorance is a precious gift. The awareness of ignorance is like waking up to find a carefully wrapped present under the tree. You may not yet know what is waiting for you, but it can mean only one thing: someone loves you.”
He closed his remarks by telling the young men and women before him that “when you hear that whisper, that invitation to knowing, be assured that we are here with you. Your Alma Mater is here for you. It is time to expand your chest, to let out that cry, and to fill up your lungs. The College rejoices.”
After listening to Dean Olsson’s remarks, the members of the Class of 2028 inscribed their names in the matricula, shook hands with President Washut and Chairman Sniffin, and were welcomed into the Wyoming Catholic College community by their fellow students, along with the College’s professors, staff, and their families. The ceremony concluded with a singing of the College’s official anthem, Verus Conditor Montium.
