Graduation!

Loved ones,

Spring is upon us and I have exciting news to share! I will graduate on the 17th of May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Ethnic Studies from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. I can’t quite wrap my head around the simultaneous length and brevity of the past four years, but I can certainly highlight some of my fondest memories and accomplishments.

I declared an English major very early after two classes with poet and professor Kaia Sand, a woman who taught me that poetry is power, love, art, politics, and, among other things, important!

I applied for a position as a Resident Assistant at the end of my first year, and come August 2006 I stepped into a job that forever changed my life and passions. I joined a community of deep care and trust, learned to challenge my assumptions and view of the world, and tapped into an inner seedling that had been waiting to sprout! I think fondly of the friendships I made, the people who helped me lean into discomfort and were with me as I emerged stronger and more human.

I put academic and personal interests in practice with ten other Willamette students during a Take a Break trip to San Francisco, spring of 2007. I learned to appreciate the history of a place as I saw real and tangible consequences of poverty and oppression in the Tenderloin district. I returned to the Bay Area with my dear friend, Maggie, for our final college spring break just weeks ago. There is something magical about that city—I’ll be back to Larkin Street, I’m sure.

I spent many recreational hours playing intramural volleyball and flag football, earning second place every single stinkin’ season! ;-) Ultimately, I made friendships that are more valuable than an Intramural Champions t-shirt will ever be.

I found my place and voice as an activist with the Concerned Students for Social Justice during my second year, challenging the Willamette community to acknowledge oppression happening on our very own campus. We made mistakes, spent long days and nights together, shed tears, shared laughter and joy, and are still learning to engage in praxis, a constant state of action and reflection.

I treasure the five months I spent in Ecuador (July-December 2007) on a fabulous study abroad adventure. I traveled to the Galapagos Islands, walked many miles of Ecuadorian soil, and trekked through the Andes mountains in Machu Picchu, Peru with Mom and Uncle Corbin. I had to learn to communicate and understand with more than words, as my Spanish often failed me. I am still thankful for the wonderful Cevallos family that took me in as their hijita gringa.

I shared a home and a garden and a life with two fabulous women when we returned from Ecuador. They were responsible for my sanity during the culture shock that came with re-immersion to the United States and a college campus.

My minor, American Ethnic Studies, introduced me to another shero and mentor, Emily Drew. She “coached” me through the Social Justice Training Institute in May of 2008 and has helped me grow as a scholar, activist, and critical lover of the world.

I served as the Vice President of the student body in the fall of 2008, and after our President resigned in December I became the President of the Associated Students of Willamette University for 2009.

Three years of guiding tours has taught me the ins and outs of this university, and I am always energized as I watch prospective students and families light up with the possibility of being at Willamette. It becomes more and more difficult to explain what it is, exactly, that has kept me here as my experiences multiply and build.

I was a counselor in Cabin 1 for my final summer at Camp Ida-Haven in 2008. A part of my spirit will always be in the mountains, the trees, and the water at Payette Lake. Que Dios les bendiga.

I will spend three weeks in Puerto Rico with another favorite professor, Nacho Córdova, on a mini study abroad trip to celebrate graduation. Next year I’ll return as a graduate student at the School of Education, hoping to earn my Master of Arts in Teaching in just ten months.

My family has changed since I graduated high school, losing Grandpa Justin and Grandpa Doug, gaining Chrissy and the wonderful McCarthys that surround her. I look forward to Jared becoming an “official” part of the family, though we know in our hearts that wedding vows are a public declaration of what has been love and family for Chika all along.

As I transition into the next phase, I value love and complexity and living with intention. I hope this note finds you well and in good spirits, with something to do, to love, and to look forward to. Hugest hug ever!


XO,

Larkin Smith


Love is an action, never simply a feeling.
-bell hooks