By Brett Evan Ayers '11 and Sibylle Freiermuth '11

Four years ago we all accepted our invitation to attend Denison without knowing what the coming years would bring. Before we even stepped on campus we were brought together with the announcement of our yearly theme of "humanimal."

Throughout the year we built upon that first tenuous connection, forming relationships that would define our Denison experience. It was these powerful bonds that we drew upon when, during our first semester on campus, we were directly confronted with Denison’s ongoing struggle with "community." Since then we have continued to define our community through the bonds of friendship we have built in our dorms, our organizations, our sports teams, and the classroom. In honor of the community we have continued to strengthen, and with the desire of giving future classes the opportunity to experience such a powerful bond with one another, this past year our class has come together to raise money for the Senior Class Gift, which goes directly to general scholarships through the Annual Fund.

This year we are proud to announce that 62 percent of the senior class contributed to raise a total of nearly $7,000. This is the second-highest participation in Denison history! We are very pleased with our results and would like to thank our classmates for their involvement. Of course we could never have done this without our hardworking Senior Class Gift Committee, led by committee co-chairs Heather Fishel and Lauren Sabo. Would the members of the committee please stand to be recognized for your hard work?

Thank you also to our advisors, Lori Pongtana and Stephanie Sferra, Assistant Directors of the Annual Fund.

Furthermore we are thankful for the Denison University Alumni Council members who have given matching dollars as a challenge to our class. This provided extra motivation for us and will greatly increase the benefit to future classes.

Finally, we’d like to recognize everyone who has supported us during our time here at Denison, including the administration, faculty, staff, alumni, Board of Trustees, and of course, our parents and families! A great deal of us seniors have given their gift in honor or memory of someone who has made a difference in their life and a list of these honorees can be found in the program.

And so, Class of 2011, thank you for your generosity not only in donating to the Senior Class Gift but also for showing what it truly means to be a community.

Congratulations and Good Luck!

Return to Commencement 2011 Coverage