Goodbyes and hellos

It's finals week, so that means Commencement is almost upon us. Anyone who's been to a graduation knows that the speakers often remark that the formal celebration isn't an end, but a beginning (hence the title "Commencement"), but I tend to think of it as both. Yesterday the EJLPP had its own Commencement, during which we said a very grateful thank-you to Rudy Bond and Jasmine Webb, student assistants extraordinaire. These courageous soon-to-be graduates (Rudy with an MA, Jasmine with a BA) helped not only with the specifics of creating a digital presence, but were also very important in helping me develop and revise my ideas for the future. I am sad to see them go, and grateful that they contributed so much.

Here are some photos from that meeting (taken by Michael van Wagenen, our departmental internship coordinator and Public History coordinator) and me, to introduce you to some new faces: Jennifer Gerrald, whom I mentioned in a previous post, who works at the Henderson Library for the university's Digital Commons; Lauren Della Piazza, who will be my graduate assistant in the fall; and Michael Sullivan and Nesha Wright, who are the summer interns. I know that we can expect great things from them, and I'm glad to welcome them on board.