Commencement

Last Friday, I attended my extraordinary student Arielle's graduation from The High School of Art & Design. Boy, what a way to understand the diverse student body and feel the excitement of students and parents from just about every background. Keynote speaker Dennis M. Walcott pointed out that The Riverside Church—a center of social activism—was the perfect venue. Walcott, who was more compelling and inspiring than most of the other adult speakers, dispensed advice without making it seem too hackneyed: Give Back. Make sure you find a way to make the world a better place. Always learn. Always take risks. Never be afraid to fail. Through failure, you learn.

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As Salutatorian (a title that seems so Marx Brothers; I mean the comics, not Karl Marx the "philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary"), Arielle held her own. Driven and disciplined, Arielle would have no doubt succeeded without a mentor, but AIGA/NY Mentoring afforded many opportunities for seminars, scholarships, projects, portfolio reviews, and engaged guidance. As Arielle's mentor, I learned from her too.