“You’ve got a unique opportunity to choose the life you want and not the life others think you should have.”

This was the main take-away message for the approximately 700 students in First Year College and Transfer Program who attended convocation Tuesday night in Stewart Theatre.

First Year College holds a smaller convocation at the beginning of the Spring semester to help refocus the group and get everyone ready to be serious about the semester, according to Karen Hauschild, the associate director of First Year College. 

“This is something we do every Spring semester for First Year College and the Transfer program.  We recognize the achievements of students, our resident mentors, student council, the scholarship winners, give our advocacy awards and have a keynote speaker,” Hauschild said. “The Ladies in Red will also be singing a couple selections.”

The keynote speaker at the event, Scott Wittig, is the author of Holy It!: A guide to finding and doing your thing – Your ‘It’.  Wittig was a banker who now resides in Apex, N.C.

Because of events Wittig spoke about at convocation, he found his passion.  Wittig’s goal was to talk to students about their passion in life, as well as their purpose and their project for life.

“Passion will get you teary-eyed in front of 700 people you don’t know,” Wittig said, while he was ‘teary-eyed’ telling the story of his daughter’s friend with an inoperable brain tumor on her brain stem.

“It just obviously hit me between the eyes,” Wittig said.

According to Wittig, passion can come from anywhere.  His passion came from the situation with his daughter’s friend. He quit his job as a banker to help plan a birthday party for her, then found his passion and purpose in life.

“I joined 10 women, planned the mackdaddy birthday party for her,” Wittig said.  “We had this princess themed birthday party.  She arrived in a horse drawn carriage.  She was all dressed up, her parents were all dressed up.  She was presented when she arrived.”

According to Wittig, the party was everything his daughter’s friend and her family could have hoped for.

“It was incredible.  That day absolutely changed my life,” Wittig said.  “I’m here because of her.  Now my passion just came out that day.”

During his speech, Wittig said he wanted to emphasize one message.  A sentence he repeated three times during his speech.

“You got a unique opportunity to choose the life you want and not the life others think you should have,” Wittig said as his take-away message for students of First Year College and the Transfer program who were in attendance. 

Also at the First Year College convocation, the winners of the college scholarship were recognized.  Andes ‘Andy’ Chenlo, Jocelyn Naylor, and Simmons Haigh were the recipients of the scholarship. 

According to Carrie McLean, the First Year College director, 38% of the students in First Year College made the Dean’s List for the Fall semester.

Tim Wallace, an associate professor in sociology and anthropology, and Juliette Grimmet, with the Women’s Center, were winners of the individual advocacy awards.  The Women’s Center wa the recipient of the group advocacy awards.

According to Hauschild, the advocacy awards are given to groups that help first year students adjust to college life and work with the students.