Episode 23: Senior Chapel Talks by Caroline Vassar, Grant Kahl, and George Sealy Wray '19

“It’s easy for us to see the world in one, individually personalized way,” said Caroline Vassar in her #SeniorChapelTalk yesterday. But, when we fail to see situations and the world from other points of view, we miss understanding the whole truth–the positives and negatives of all sides–and fail to understand each other. Sharing a simple example of misunderstanding cultural norms while traveling abroad, she realized the importance of viewing every situation, no matter how small or large, from multiple perspectives. “There is a whole world of people and perspectives out there, all of them coming from different starting points. Accept the complexity of this world and you will thrive. Have compassion, be informed and strive for the whole truth.”

“What is your passion?” asked Grant Kahl during his #SeniorChapelTalk yesterday. For him, it is robotics. Since the age of seven, he spent his childhood soaking up information about engineering and programming, eventually becoming known as “the robotics kid.” He learned, competed, and grew more confident in his abilities. His experiences and engineering mindset shaped the way he looks at all aspects of life, analyzing everything with the same methodical thought process. “Engineering is my life…it makes me the person that you see before you.” No matter what your own goals are, Grant urged the community, find your passion. “Try new things…you never know if that one thing will lead to a lifetime of passion and happiness.”

“Learn from your mistakes,” said George Sealy Wray in his #SeniorChapelTalk. Although the phrase is one that most of us have heard many times throughout our lives, he wanted to stress how important those words truly are. Through humorous anecdotes, he shared how one mistake that he never learned from–extreme procrastination–cost him more than just a few bad grades. Realizing that his friends didn’t trust him to follow through and his relationships with his family and teachers had become complicated, he knew it was time to change. “I would like to thank all of my teachers, my parents and TMI,” he said, “for having faith that I could fix my mistakes and never giving up on me.” #WeBelongToEachOther!