By Emily VanLaeys

Contributing Writer

May is the month when the cycle of life begins anew, and college seniors graduate from the realm of academia into the wider world. They will receive advice from numerous sources: grandparents and parents, professors and friends. Graduates will have to take all of this advice, mix it together, and then sift through to find the most valuable gems.

Following are some recommendations for graduates from several of our community’s leaders.

Class of 2007, take advantage of these sage words of wisdom, here offered on your behalf.

Alan Donovan, president of the State University College at Oneonta, offers these pearls:

"Each graduating class has always sailed into uncertain waters, and you are no different. Yet, for you, there is even more need to believe and to hope. Maybe believe not in miracles, but at least in the nearly impossible. Hope for that better world that college has nurtured you to envision, and then prompted you energetically to create. Bear with you these lines from the great Irish poet Seamus Heaney:

So hope for a great sea change

On the far side of revenge.

Believe that a further shore

Is reachable from here.

Believe in miracles,

And cures and healing wells.

"Believe and hope _ reflect and act _ and godspeed to the Class of 2007!"

Donovan graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, and then went to Yale for a Ph.D. in American studies. He began his administrative career at the State University College at New Paltz in 1970.

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Richard Miller, president of Hartwick College, has further inspiring words for this year’s graduates:

"Each year I remind Hartwick’s graduating seniors of the value we of the older generation of faculty and staff, with whom they have been working, place on preparing them to carry on the best work of our society. Hartwick’s faculty curricular mission statement states our objective as being: �To prepare young people to live in and contribute to our free society.’ That responsibility is both a privilege and a joy. It seems to me that assuring our young people understand that we have been facilitating their development to carry that burden is an important parting message. They should feel challenged by that and see themselves in that light."

Miller graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1965. At that time his goal was merely to survive service in Vietnam, and then "just get a job and get started," he said. "No one in a million years would have predicted my career path!"

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The Rev. Thomas A. Clemow is the minister at the First United Methodist Church in Oneonta. He is a graduate of SUCO and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He has served the United Methodist Church for 40 years as pastor, Conference Council of Ministries Director, and District Superintendent.

These are the words he offers to new graduates:

"�Beginnings’ are a mixed blessing. They hold the possibility of new adventure from which new learnings of self and the world emerge. They equally hold the possibility for challenges, not all of which may be pleasant to endure. A �threshold posture’ is required. Such a posture brings to bear the learnings of the past upon a delicate advance into the �new’ world. The ability to be honest with and about one’s own self is necessary. You �know’ some things but you do not know everything. You bring some skill sets. You do not yet possess all you will need. You have tested some life-centered values, but you have yet to experience the whole of your life. There is a spiritual dimension to your being, but you have not yet explored all of its depths. Thus, you offer yourself tentatively to the world. A person of worth, of knowledge, of experience ... but not all. Go forth with an open mind and heart, learn of those whose experience can teach you a thing or two still. You have some answers, but you have not yet found all the questions. They are the more interesting. Ask freely and often; be a lifelong learning partner to those among whom you take your place."

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Marie Bruni, director of Oneonta’s Huntington Memorial Library, offers some practical advice for those who will be looking for their first full-time job:

"Congratulations! You’re about to graduate and start a career. Over the years, I’ve received many applications for employment, many of which were outstanding. Remember that first impressions are very important.

"Here are some of the things that will get you noticed:

"1. Type your cover letter and resume.

"2. When you send a cover letter, sign it.

"3. Proofread your letter and resume, and have another person do the same.

"4. Send originals; not copies.

"5. Take the time to gear each cover letter and resume to the position you are seeking.

"6. Don’t lie on your resume.

"7. Dress professionally for the interview, no matter what type of job you are after.

"8. Follow up an interview with a thank-you letter or phone call.

"These simple things will go a long way in helping someone take notice of you and in you getting the job. Good luck to all of you."

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Dr. Ben Friedell, staff physician for Oneonta Family Practice graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.

He decided to apply to medical school and was accepted for the waiting list to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio.

At that time, those on the waiting list were guaranteed a place in the next year’s class.

Friedell said: "So I took a year off from higher education, met my wife-to-be while working at summer camp, lived with my parents and worked in a chemistry lab, and went to Europe that summer. While in medical school I decided to be a small-town country doctor, and I’m still doing it!"

Friedell advises college graduates to "take some time off from school and experience �the real world.’ Unless you are very excited about going on to graduate school to pursue a professional career, I think the time off can be very useful. Many people I know that are my age are enjoying careers in professions they would not have imagined they would be in when they graduated from college. Current college graduates will enjoy healthy lives into their 80’s; they should not feel compelled to invest time and money studying in a field they are not sure they want to work in. Take your time and enjoy the journey."

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John Nader, mayor of Oneonta and dean of liberal arts and science at the State University College of Technology at Delhi, received degrees from Ithaca College and theNew School in New York City. He began his career as a teacher. He said:

"A pending college graduation is not really the time to offer advice, or to heed it. Few of us remember who spoke at our commencement; fewer still recall what the speaker said. But do keep in mind that commencement in higher education is a monumental event; one which relatively few people in the world are able to experience. So, you’ve earned the right to celebrate. Do so sensibly.

"As I was asked to offer a few words of advice to graduates, I would say this:

"If you intend to go into a graduate program, do so soon. It’s amazing how many parents will pay for graduate school rather than accept that their recently graduated son or daughter is unemployed.

"Remember that your parents, and many more taxpayers, sacrificed greatly so that you could go to college. Return the favor to future generations.

"Save as many of your college books as possible. Look at them in 15 years. Most will seem dated. This will be a measure of how much you’ve changed, and how rapidly our knowledge and science actually advance. Keep reading.

"Don’t believe those who tell you that college years are the best of your life. It’s only true if you allow it to be. College should be a wonderful springboard to even bigger and better things.

"Every generation finds that the music it heard in college is the best music they’ll ever hear. They are always wrong. The music of my generation was clearly the best _ except for a few selected jazz artists who are timeless.

"Money really isn’t everything. We are surely wealthier than ever. Are we happier?

"Don’t worry about what the alumni publications in 2020 say about your classmates. Many of their `accomplishments’ are exaggerated.

"Give back to the college that gave you so much. Don’t give until it hurts. Give until it feels good.

"Seek the counsel of others, but discount anyone who gives you advice by saying: `If I were you ... .’ Well, they are NOT you. Trust your own instincts. You will make some bad decisions. Other people will make even worse choices for you.

"Congratulations."

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Thomas G. LeBoffe, branch manager of the Oneonta Financial Center, NBT Bank, received a degree in finance from Rowan University in New Jersey. He started his career in the financial district in New York City, where he worked for 14 years. He says: "The paths that have brought me to my current business endeavors were both surprising and diverse. I enjoy what I do and believe all the choices I’ve made since graduating, have helped me to be the person I am today."

This is LeBoffe’s advice to the graduates of 2007:

"Congratulations on a job well done! You are entering an age of extraordinary change and your part will not be small. You have the hopes and dreams of past and future generations on your shoulders. Can you handle it? Are you prepared? Yes and yes, you and your fellow graduates are coming of age in a new world of technology and global cooperation, a world that you are uniquely qualified to take advantage of. My advice for your first steps into this brave new world is to be good to your neighbor, true to yourself, and follow your dreams wherever they may lead you. Most of all, make your mark on the future and make it count. Good luck to you all!"