Lauren D’Arco ’25 Addresses Student Body at Commencement 2025

Good morning, esteemed faculty, proud families and friends, and, of course, fellow graduates.

I want to begin by saying thank you to all our family and friends who showed up for us on this special day and, of course, those watching from home. It is an incredible honor to be chosen as the Class of 2025 Student Commencement Speaker and to stand before all of you. Today marks the end of a long road, and let’s be real, the beginning of an even longer one. For most of us, we are unsure of what that road will look like, or for someone like me, we will continue our education for as long as we can while living in our parents’ house. Over the years, some of us have lived on this campus, others have commuted, and many of us are now graduate students at Stonehill. While we spend time reflecting on our path to this very day and ponder our path ahead, let us focus on something that has profoundly shaped our time here and will continue to guide us in the future. That thing is kindness.

For most of the world, when thinking of success, many think how much money you have, how high your GPA is or how many accomplishments you have compared to the next. Although those do carry some level of importance, what makes a successful thing meaningful is kindness. Your A on an exam didn’t help you through hard times— it was the kindness of your friends who stayed up late with you to quiz you the night before. It wasn’t the award you received that brought you true joy, but the excitement you felt when sharing the news with your friends and family. It wasn’t the accomplishment of completing a project that brought you fulfillment, but the unwavering support of the professor who believed in you, even when you struggled to believe in yourself.

When I think about kindness, I can’t help but think about who the biggest role model for kindness in my life has been. That person for me is Sydney Elizabeth Ledoux. I had the privilege of knowing Sydney because she was my freshman year RA, and from the very beginning, she made a lasting impact on me. Sydney, Stonehill graduate, Class of 2022, whom many of us knew, tragically passed away in November of 2023. She was the definition of a kind person, and she is the reason I have the confidence to speak in front of all of you today.

Sydney, like many of us, hung up inspirational quotes around our room. The last quote she had written down on her quote board was “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” This sentence means more than just the simple words it is composed of. When you see a rainbow in the sky, how do you act, how do you feel?

Graduates, when outside on the Quad and there’s a rainbow over Donahue or Duffy, how do those around you act? They stop and stare, maybe even take a picture. No one has ever looked at a rainbow and said, “Oh great, that rainbow just ruined my day.” No, they think, “Wow, how beautiful and pure.” Being a rainbow in someone else’s cloud is having the ability to stop someone in their tracks and be pure joy for them in that moment. As we graduate and move away from good old Easton, Massachusetts, let's strive to be the rainbow to someone else’s cloud and, in turn, allow others to be a rainbow for us. Let’s never go too long without feeling the pure joy rainbows give and allow us to give that joy to others.

Now, what I am about to say, I have no authority over, but I am going to say it anyway. Today, as the Class of 2025 Student Commencement Speaker, I deem all of us graduates as rainbows in hope that we can use our ability to spread kindness to those around us no matter where we go. 

Congratulations to all of us newly appointed rainbows and may we all allow kindness to guide us through our journey ahead.

Thank you.