On April 23, the Senior Executive Committee selected faculty and students to serve as speakers and leaders during Class Day and Commencement.
Biochemistry professor Lee Witters will serve as the faculty speaker, and Jeffrey Garrett '02 was selected as the class orator. The class historians -- charged with creating a humorous synopsis of the senior class' Dartmouth experience on Class Day -- are Christina Hoe '02, Brett Quimby '02, Kristjan Thorgeirsson '02 and Lonnie Threatte '02.
Class marshals -- responsible for leading the class in commencement exercises -- include Benjamin Gebre-Medhin '02, Atteeyah Hollie '02, William Jaeger '02, Janice Kim '02, Erin Naipo '02, Adam Sepulvade '02, Molly Stutzman '02 and Matthew Sullivan '02. Stutzman and Sullivan will bear the Dartmouth flag and the American flag, respectively.
The final decisions of the Senior Executive Committee, a group of 20 seniors elected to be in charge of their class for the next five years, were made over the course of the past three weeks. Members evaluated the nominees according to the criteria they had designated for each position, according to Senior Executive Committee President Vanessa Green '02.
For the student positions, criteria included "Dartmouth spirit, enthusiasm, commitment to our class and the community, good speaking skills, as well as diversity and range of experiences," Green said.
Members of the senior class submitted nominations in response to a class-wide blitz describing each position.
Most selected students expressed excitement towards their upcoming graduation roles.
"It's one thing when administrators or professors recognize your hard work, but it means a little more when recognition comes from your fellow students," Jaeger said.
Stutzman, who had the unique experience of serving on the Senior Executive Committee and being selected as a class marshal and flag bearer, similarly expressed her pleasure with receiving the honor of a class day and commencement position.
"I just feel so touched and honored to be chosen as one of the eight class marshals," she said. "It's really incredible to be recognized by your peers in this way."
Witters found his selection as faculty speaker a high, but unexpected, honor.
"I was stunned to be asked," he said, as he explained that the majority of his involvement at Dartmouth had, until the past six years, primarily been at the medical school.
Once Witters began teaching a human biology course at the College, however, his involvement with the undergraduate segment of campus continued to grow, leading to his current role as the pre-med advisor to 700 students.
As a result of his advising experience, he has seen students develop over the course of three to four years and is pleased to be able to speak to this year's graduating class.
Garrett, the other speaker that the Senior Executive Committee chose, also expressed surprise at his appointment.
"When a friend of mine on the committee told me, I was shocked," he said. "I couldn't be happier to have the opportunity to speak in front of my class."
Neither Witters nor Garrett has begun writing his speech yet, but Garrett said he hopes to write "something that will have a serious tone, but be positive and uplifting at the same time."
Garrett also plans to talk about maintaining the passion that students have cultivated during the course of their time at Dartmouth and to urge the class "not to lose sight of our ideals."
Quimby, one of the four class historians, looks forward to his ability to make the history of the Class of 2002 "humorous and enjoyable."
"I'm just happy," he said. "It's going to be fun."
