Episode 25: Senior Chapel Talks by Michael Blaess, Nico Planchet, and Audrey Zgardowski '19

In his #SeniorChapelTalk, Michael Blaess spoke about mistakes. Although we all try to avoid making them, if we didn’t have them, we would miss valuable learning experiences. He shared that the important thing is to not avoid making mistakes, but to realize that they will happen and knowing how to deal with them. “No matter what happens in life, always remember to be honest, to learn from your past, and to turn your knowledge into actions.”

Reflecting on his love for baseball as he began his #SeniorChapelTalk, Nicolas Planchet said, “My life is very much, in essence, reflected by the baseball.” He compared the baseball’s outer layer to his own skin–gleaming and shiny when new, but becoming scuffed and worn over time. Just beneath that lies a chaotic bundle of string, representing his journey in life–the path and choices he’s made along the way and the people who have helped him navigate it. Finally, the baseball’s core–that makes it strong and complete–represents faith, family, and friends. It is the most important part, the heart.

With the last name of Zgardowski, Audrey has heard nearly every possible interpretation of her name as people have failingly tried to pronounce it over the years. In her #SeniorChapelTalk, she talked about the countless suggestions to drop the “g” or change the spelling entirely and listed off the numerous nicknames her friends have created in trying to say it correctly. “But it’s part of my heritage and something to be proud of,” she said. “My name came over from Poland around 1900. It has been worn by a NYC fireman, a tugboat captain, a few generations of Navy men, a baseball player and now a TMI student…even though my name might be mispronounced, misspelled, or even downright made fun of, I am proud because of it’s history and story.”