To our amazing grandson William B. L., a 2020 graduate of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service: We are so proud of you for your outstanding success at GU!
As a child, you had a love of books, a passion you have carried throughout your life. To Grampy and me, you embodied one of the “little things…important to happiness” reflected upon in Neil Pasricha’s The Book of Awesome, in his notation on “The Smell of Books.” He wrote, “The smell of books reminds me of late nights cramming for biology exams between the library stacks at college. It reminds me of lying on my elbows on a warm beach towel by the ocean on summer vacation…The smell of books is the smell of all of us coming together to document, to entertain, and explain things for ourselves now and forever. It’s a big sniff of humanity, a big sniff of wisdom…”
Will, your years at GU, and especially in the SFS, have given you the opportunities to develop further your understanding of, and appreciation for, both humanity and wisdom. As a young adult entering prestigious Georgetown University in 2016, Grampy gave you three pieces of advice: study hard, enjoy the opportunities of your college environment, and most importantly, “keep your eye on the prize.” Congratulations on your attaining that “prize.” And to the entire graduating class of 2020 Hoyas, congratulations as you go forward in your lives.
-Bette B.