Boston College

The 2,200 members of the Class of 2012 celebrated Freshman Convocation on September 18 in Conte Forum where they heard an address by J.R. Moehringer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Tender Bar, a memoir, which was assigned as summer reading to the incoming class. “College is a dream I cannot stop remembering,” Moehringer told the group. Some of his advice, as reported in The Heights, included tips for getting the most out of college: “Start fast. Don’t wait—shyness hardens quicker than cement. Push yourself out of your comfort zone.” Ceremonial activities on the day of the Convocation began with a torch lighting ceremony on Linden Lane at which senior Christopher Miller (at right) passed a flame to Jeffrey White ’12, followed by a class procession to Conte Forum. The ritual lends an element of symmetry to students’ University experience: On graduation day they will travel the same route to Alumni Stadium and receive their diplomas.