The school has done a great job of emphasizing this year’s theme and Graduate at Graduation characteristic, loving. Guest speaker Dr. Kerry Cronin spoke about the importance of loving others and oneself. Because she is a regular speaker on the campus of Boston College addressing student culture and formation, Walsh Jesuit asked her to speak to the student body. Dr. Cronin spoke of three friendships: friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure, and friendship of the good. Students at Walsh Jesuit were encouraged to concentrate on forming more friendships of the good.

According to Dr. Cronin, young people today are scared to take chances, so she presented her students at Boston College with an assignment in order to take them out of their comfort zones. They had to go on a date with someone they did not know. Many students were terrified of the assignment, but by the end, the majority of them found that when they stepped out of their comfort zones they were able to form a friendship of the good.

Dr. Cronin explained that, if no one  took a chance, nobody would gain anything. People would lead lives filled with fear of being rejected rather than see the opportunities which come with a spirit of acceptance.

Declan Flanagan, ’17, said, ” Now I am able to look at my friendships and see if they are good or bad. I am able to find these great friendships within the Walsh Jesuit community.”

Sophomore Annie Simpson shared what she learned: “I took away from the speaker to focus on building relationships, spending time getting to know a person, and spending more time with friends because they will be there forever. I surround myself with people I know that care about me and that I can trust.”

Dr. Cronin’s invitation to speak was part of the Companions Program for the freshmen initiated this year and which will continue every year hereafter. This program, led by Mrs. Christy Ziemianski and Mr. Rick Sistek, was created to implement a more hands on experience of learning about The Graduate at Graduation document. The freshmen were put into groups of about twenty with two adult moderators for all four years. They meet in order to more fully explore what The Graduate at Graduation Profile means in their lives.

Brock Belsole ,’20, explained that within the Companions groups “we get to communicate with teachers and students. We talk about issues we have, and we can express our feelings without feeling judged.”