Commencement – May 19, 2007 
Introductions of the Commencement Speakers
Ashley Lemarier
Student Body Vice President
Introduction of former President George Herbert Walker Bush
When I was first told I was going to introduce our first commencement speaker, the Honorable George Bush, I was so excited because I thought he and I had a great deal in common. He was the vice president, and I’m a vice president. He went skydiving, and I went skydiving. We’re both pretty fond of New Hampshire. But the similarities really end there. President Bush was a hero in World War II, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale, has helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for charity and has lead a true life of devotion towards his country.
Members of the Class of 2007, it is my pleasure to introduce the 41st President of the United States, George Bush.
Patrick Moore
University of New Hampshire Student Representative
University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees
Introduction of former President William Jefferson Clinton
My great-grandfather had a hard life. He was thrown out of the house at age 12 because his parents could no longer afford to feed him. As a young man in Italy, he walked along railroad tracks looking for scraps of food thrown out by the passengers in order to feed his young family. Even as an adult, he could barely read or write. Never could he imagine that his great-grandson, only three generations removed, would be before all of you, introducing a former president. I want to thank my great-grandfather, as well as my parents and grandparents, for the sacrifices they made to allow me to be here today.
Our next speaker needs little introduction. He is a man who has
risen from humble beginnings to the greatest office in our nation, and
perhaps the world. A true believer in the American dream, he worked
tirelessly during his presidency to help millions of Americans achieve
it. Today,
he is helping many in the world today to have better opportunities for
themselves, and for their children.
Fellow members of the Class of 2007, it is my pleasure to introduce the
42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Remarks by Student Body President
Sean Kelly
Student Body President
Remarks
Dear friends, family, our professors, and fellow members of the class
of 2007.
We have come to this campus from different towns, different cities, different
states, and different countries. Some of us have been here four years,
six years, eight years—well, the graduate students anyway! And yet we all
share a common link: we chose to make UNH the place where we would bring
our dreams and desires, and begin to discover our paths in the world.
Some of us came here to get a degree that would help us find the right job. Others came here knowing that some day we would want to apply to graduate school. Many of us came without a clue, whatsoever!
But just about all of us came here hoping we would discover something special about ourselves, and what we could accomplish if we really, really tried. We hoped to meet people—professors, classmates, and members of the local community—who would help us to change forever.
We dreamed, even if we didn’t really understand it then, of making our
own unique contributions to life on campus and the world after graduation.
Well, I’m here to tell you this morning that we’ve made it. We’ve done
it. It’s time for the next chapter.
The people we’ve met here and the experiences we’ve had will last a lifetime.
I’m absolutely sure of this. Maybe you’ll remember a perfect spring day
hanging on T-Hall lawn. Or taking theatre and dance. Or dressing in blue
and white for hockey. Or staying up super late writing and writing and
writing.
Look to your left. Look to your right. These people are your college experience.
They are your memories and part of some of the greatest years of your life.
Despite the fact we will all soon be going our separate ways, we are forever
UNH class of 2007. We are forever Wildcats. We are proud. We are driven.
We all have the ability to believe in ourselves and achieve our dreams.
I hope that all of us who are graduating today will take a moment to thank
the people who mean the most to us. I’d like to thank my friends, and my
wonderful family. They have been the greatest inspiration and hope in my
life.