Ed Cooley '94 Addresses the Class of 2024 at Commencement

I'm really nervous up here, but I can tell you it is a full circle moment for myself, my beautiful wife, my daughter Olivia and my son Isaiah. Fr. John, thank you so much for this opportunity to come back home here and continue to walk Stonehill's campus. Faculty and staff, administrators, honored guests. Our parents, our incredible parents and guardians. Mom and dad, you're about to get a raise. That last tuition check is done. 

Seventy-third class, I'm not going to call you a class. I'm going to call you the Class of 2024. Give yourself a round of applause. 

As this rain is coming down upon us, I look at that as joy. Because when I was in that seat 30 years ago, literally 30 years ago, I was nervous. I was contemplating, "Should I go back to school?" "Should I start a family?" "What kind of job am I going to have?" "Who else am I going to meet?" 

Ironically, I flew up here from Saint Petersburg, Florida, last night, with 12 to 15 of my best friends. We get together every year, and they are all graduates of Stonehill College. That is a brotherhood, that's a family of which all of you are going to be part. Look to the person on your left and right. They're going to be with you. Those are your ride or dies all day. All day. We are best men at each other's weddings, godparents of each other's children. We had that conversation of possibility when we walked from the Sem...when we would walk from the Commonwealth Courts, when we walked into Duffy. 

I am inspired by you. Every time we are playing around the country, if not the world, I've been blessed to be different. As I look at the diversity efforts that I appreciate our Board having, I was very different when I was here at Stonehill College. There weren't many young men or women of color. When I look around now, I'm grateful and I'm thankful because it taught me how to be different. At first, I didn't know how to be different. I was one of very few. I didn't feel like I belonged. I always said that being different made me special. It doesn't matter what you look like, it doesn't matter your religion, your race, your sexual orientation. If you're different, be inspired by that and make it special. That's what I felt.

Then, when I graduated in 1994, and I got my diploma being a first-gen person, you couldn't tell me anything in the world. You couldn't. You will inspire the next group. Your delivery when you do it, you have an incredible foundation that Stonehill provided for you. Please be grateful for that. Be grateful to your parents and guardians. Give them a hug. Tell them you love them. Tell them you appreciate them. I love when our players say, "thank you." And they say, "I appreciate a degree." Because it's going to take you to the moon. 

I remember being in Greece, coaching Jayson Tatum in our 19 and under World Championship game against Greece. I'm sitting there, lo and behold, a Stonehill grad was in Greece...They went out there, they lived in Italy, and came over to watch the game because I was a Stonehill College graduate. That's the power of Stonehill. That's the power that you're going to inject energy into other people. 

When you look around and you look in the mirror, never see yourself. Everybody wants to look good. We want to put make-up on. Nope. Look at the mirror and see who else you can inspire. The mission of Stonehill College provided that for us. Today is going to go by fast, but the memories will last forever. 

All of you are going to come back and touch something. When I see how beautiful this campus has grown over 30 years, it is spectacular. And the fact that I have this opportunity to have this conversation of possibility with you. As I saw my friends who graduated in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, my roommate Derek German, Steve McCracken, Jeff Potter, Lance, we had an unbelievable time. Yesterday morning, before getting on a plane, they said, "Man, what in the world are we doing here? How did we get here?" And they're presidents, they're vice presidents, they're parents, they're leaders of our future, which you are definitely destined to be. There are more doctors here, there are more lawyers here, there are more leaders here. You're going to inspire the next group because this is your moment. This is the moment. It is your moment. Embrace that. Give back to people. Energize people with your attitude, of smiling, of having gratitude, of having appreciation. Let everybody know that you're a Stonehill graduate. 

I want to leave you with this, and it's dear to my soul. Whenever you give back to something, whenever you have philanthropy in your bones, and give back to places that changed your life, don't ever forget where you come from. Never forget where you come from. The friendships that you made here, you can’t put a price tag on that. The experience, you can’t put a price tag on that. That person next to you is going to be with you forever. We are connected at the hip as a Stonehill family, as a Stonehill community. Make sure you understand that every time you walk back on this campus, this is home. This is your home.

The Class of 2024, you're going to do amazing things, and you're going to set the world ablaze. Take care, God bless, and thank you so much for having me.