Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.

Hello Class of 2003! Congratulations! Way to Go!

This is the day that you have long anticipated and dreamed about, and now it has finally arrived. I am sure that these last few years have presented you with many joys and happy memories, as well as obstacles and challenges that you have faced, and overcome; those efforts have helped you to become the person you are right now. I hope you all are as proud of yourselves as we are of you! Sincere best wishes and kudos are also in order to your parents, your spouses, all of your family members, and to any others who may have helped and supported you along the way.

I cannot believe that I am here speaking and sharing with you on this very special Graduation Day. When Dr. Sullivan asked me to be the Commencement Speaker, I was speechless! Me? A person who stutters? It took me a while for this to really sink in-it was beyond belief and I felt so very honored! Thank you, Dr. Sullivan.

Yes, I am a Person Who Stutters, and I would like to talk to you about my experience with graining empowerment. In the past dominated my life, because I experienced so much fear, embarrassment, shame and exhaustion. As a person growing up I did not like how I looked with my face in contortions, and how I sounded, when I spoke. I felt different from all of my peers and so I developed a very cozy little place, called my "Comfort Zone," which gave me protection, a predictable life, and insulated me from the pain of making mistakes. In short, I allowed stuttering to dictate my social life, who my friends were, and how I spent my time. My attendance at college was scrubbed because of so much fear of failure. I also allowed stuttering to make me choose a career that minimized my requirements for speaking. I believe that these choices greatly inhibited me for much of my life, and kept me from knowing and developing my God-given talents. I felt imprisoned with deeply engrained negative feelings about my speech and moreover, about myself. So how did I stumble upon empowerment?

For me, The College of Saint Rose was the answer, and it is all about empowerment. Ten years ago I came to the Pauline Winkler Center just to work on my speech-or so, I thought! After I mastered the basic tools and techniques for fluency, there were still words, such as those beginning with "L" and "W" that I had grown up believing I could never say, and avoided them at all cost. Very special clinicians with their supervisor from the Department of Communication Disorders skillfully assisted me with desensitizing speaking challenges both on and off campus, and on the telephone for me to practice saying those words. For most of the world speaking those words, or using the telephone are as natural and easy as breathing. But not for me! For a good portion of my life I deliberately avoided them. I was terrified to say those "L" and "W" words anywhere. I will never forget how frightened I was. I knew that I would put my face into contortions, and that when on the telephone people would probably hang up on me, because my first word required me to begin with those dreaded "L" and "W" consonants. Of course, this led to many disappointments, frustrations, and made me down-rights scared!!!

But suddenly one day it happened. Thanks to all of those wonderful Saint Rose people, I broke out of my "comfort zone." I will always stutter, but that terrible fear was gone. Suddenly I felt that wonderful empowerment and freedom to be me, and to be all that I could be. I was saying anything I wanted to say, and began taking those leadership roles that I had always refused in the past, because of my fear of failure.
Those wonderful people also worked with my attitudes and feelings about stuttering, and taught me that, when coming to a difficult work, I had a choice whether to just block and stutter through, or to stop and use my fluency methods to say the word correctly.

I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Charleen Bloom, a Sister of St. Joseph, and Dr. Donna Cooperman for opening so many doors by giving me the opportunity to speak at conventions and at the college; to Drs. Bloom and Cooperman for mentoring me and for inviting me to teach-teach in their Graduate Fluency Course, and for mentoring me. They have encouraged me to make mistakes, so that I could grow, acquire more effective communication skills, and value myself on this journey.

Now I consider stuttering a gift. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect that my journey to fluency would lead me to empowerment and to a 180-degree change in my life! I feel so very blessed to have been under the supervision of these very knowledgeable, skillful and caring people.

At this time I would like to thank my sister and brother-in-law, Judy and Nigel MacEwan, for coming from afar to celebrate and to be with me today.

I would like to thank my husband, Wyman, who has seen me through all of these very difficult challenges throughout our marriage, and has been my arch and very loving supporter of my personal growth.

Empowerment comes from taking good risks, and making a few mistakes in order to gain success. So, use your empowerment and "go for it." Don't be afraid to make mistakes; you will probably make quite a few before you're through. Most of us do. You may even be discouraged and disappointed from time to time in yourself, in your family or in your friends-but how well you handle these disappointments, and what a good face you show, demonstrates your growth and your internal strength. Especially after a disappointment learn to trust your positive instincts.

Remember! You already have many milestones to your credit; you were accepted and became a student at The College of Saint Rose. Way back then, Saint Rose saw your potential. You studied and worked hard in school and many of you have successfully held down at least one or even two part-time jobs in addition to your studies and extracurricular activities. Today, tomorrow and everyday thereafter continue to feel the empowerment and strength that you feel right now. Let the sky be your limit, and don't be afraid to help others break out of their "comfort zones," as these very wonderful, caring people at The College of Saint Rose have done for me.

When those feelings of self-doubt come creeping into your head, just tune in, as I have, to that very empowering inscription on the statue behind the Thelma P. Lally School of Education. That inscription says "OH YES YOU CAN!" We know that each of your can, and will make a difference-the Saint Rose Difference!

Thank you.

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