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Welcome graduates,
families, friends,

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faculty, and staff of
the Class of 2021.

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I'm Laura Belmonte,

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Dean of the
College of Liberal

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Arts and Human Sciences.

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This is now the
third time I've

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delivered a virtual
commencement address,

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and this time, I'm finding
myself infused with

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hope and filled with

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a growing lightness.
In the airy

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softness of spring,

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with vaccines protecting

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more and more
Americans every day,

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it's easy to feel
optimism for

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the bright futures
of all of you,

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our dear graduates.

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The past year
has demonstrated

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in countless ways

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how extraordinary
and resilient

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our students are

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and how vital our
graduates' skills

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are to the world
in which we live.

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It would be hard to
overstate how important

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the graduates of our
college are right now.

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Our newly commissioned
Air Force, Army, Navy,

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and Marine officers
will protect

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our country from
cyber, biological,

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nuclear, and terroristic
threats. 

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Our Human Development and

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Family Sciences graduates

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will tackle the challenges

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of an aging population,

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support our most
vulnerable people,

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and help our children
learn and thrive

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in even the most
challenging circumstances.

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If you have watched

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a virtual concert or play,

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or have lost
yourselves in 

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binge-watching a
Netflix series,

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you have experienced

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firsthand the importance of

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the performing arts in

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raising up our spirits,

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expressing our most
profound emotions,

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and fostering
economic development.

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If you've relied
on scholars

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to contextualize
the scientific,

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technical, political,
and ethical

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realities in which
we find ourselves,

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you understand
the crucial role

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of historians,
philosophers, linguists,

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foreign language
specialists,

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religion experts,
political scientists,

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criminologists and

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sociologists in
interpreting our past,

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navigating our present,

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and guiding our future.

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If you've been transported
by a poem, novel,

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or short story,
or have been

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informed by a clearly

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written professional text,

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you already know how

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our English students
give voice to

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all aspects of the
human experience

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and help us understand
each other.

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If you were electrified
by the amazing

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Gonzaga/UCLA
Final Four game,

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you've glimpsed the skills

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are communications
students master

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before entering the worlds

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of multimedia journalism,

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public relations,
and sports media.

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If you struggled to

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homeschool your
children or siblings,

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I'm guessing you may have

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gained new appreciation for

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the patience, compassion
and dedication of

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the graduates who will be

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devoting themselves
to education.

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And if you've been
living in t-shirts,

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basketball shorts
and sweatpants,

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the talents of our
fashion merchandising and

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design graduates might
soon come in handy.

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2021 graduates,

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I know your senior
year hasn't

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been what you
dreamed it would be,

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and you weren't expecting

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your college career to

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intersect so memorably
with history.

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But in many ways,
your final year

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has been more than you

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imagined because
it represents

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such a triumph of
the human spirit.

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So we're doubly proud

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of all you've accomplished,

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and we count ourselves

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lucky to have Hokies with

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your energy, brilliance,
and kindness

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taking Virginia Tech
wherever you go to

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make your marks on

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the world that
desperately need you.

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So I give you a socially
distant high-five,

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a gentle nudge to stay
in touch as alumni,

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and huge congratulations

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on this remarkable
achievement.