Laura Cermak, who interned at Luce as a high school student at Oakcrest School during summer 2013, gave the Valedictory Address at the 2019 Christendom College commencement this month. Laura’s address is a tribute to the college’s liberal arts education for the blessing it has been to her and her fellow graduates.
When our intellect and our desires are united by heart, when our energies are in harmony with our nature and our dignity as persons in the image of God, then are we truly free. We are achieving the liberal arts’ proper end.
In an email from Laura:
“After graduation I am spending the summer in London and Madrid as a business consulting fellow, learning from consultants at top firms about what consultants do and how to analyze business problems. In August, I am starting full-time as an Associate with Saffron Ventures, working to launch and scale new businesses and nonprofits. I look forward to designing and managing a range of programs, such as international seminars, professional trainings, and academic fellowships.
I plan to stay involved in the conservative policy world and cannot wait to reconnect with friends in D.C. When I am not working, I hope to be learning new languages, reading classic literature, going to academic lectures, singing in my parish choir, and bartending for events on the side.
My 2013 internship with the Center for Conservative Women was my first introduction to the policy world and my first office job. I was fifteen and a sophomore at Oakcrest School, so I worked part-time during the week, and I was very proud of changing out of my school uniform to “go to work.” I felt so privileged to be filing and mailing and setting up for events, and Jeanne O’Connor guided me every step of the way. I continued through the summer and was extremely impressed by the college interns, who would discuss everything from The Road to Serfdom to The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After. In addition to gaining valuable work experience, I made lasting friendships and was inspired by the speakers: strong conservative women from all different walks of life. I came back recently to the DC Summit, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude once again, thinking of how the Center for Conservative Women formed me and how it continues to form young women leaders.”
Congratulations, Laura! We wish you the very best in all your future endeavors.
Laura’s Valedictory Address may be viewed here.
