![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/news\/images\/illustrations\/commencement13.jpg\")
LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Transylvania University\u2019s 222 graduates welcomed the cool weather Saturday morning as they sat in their black caps and gowns soaking up the sunshine on the lawn of historic Old Morrison during the school\u2019s commencement ceremony. <\/p>\n
Transylvania president R. Owen Williams conferred the bachelor of arts degree on the graduates, actor Steve Zahn delivered the keynote address, class of 2013 member Hannah Johnson was the student speaker and poet Nikky Finney received an honorary degree. <\/p>\n
Zahn, a Lexington resident who has appeared in movies including \u201cReality Bites,\u201d \u201cThat Thing You Do!,\u201d \u201cYou\u2019ve Got Mail\u201d and \u201cRiding in Cars with Boys,\u201d advised the graduates to take the back roads, where it\u2019s hard to pass and you have to slow down and go through a lot of small towns. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not to say that you shouldn\u2019t take the highways, too,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s your turn to merge onto the interstate and go for it. But remember, the faster you go, the harder it will be to pull off onto the back road, and trust me, the back roads are better. They\u2019re the ones you remember. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe long and the short of it is this: Don\u2019t be in such a hurry to get where you think you\u2019re supposed to be, because you\u2019ll run the risk of missing the real opportunity. Live with integrity and passion. Treat yourself and others well. Humility mixed with focused tenacity will go a long way. Buy a radar detector\u2014and go see my movies.\u201d <\/p>\n
Zahn attended Harvard University\u2019s Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at American Repertory Theatre. In addition to movies, he appeared in the television mini-series \u201cComanche Moon\u201d and in \u201cSouth Beach,\u201d \u201cFriends,\u201d \u201cFrom the Earth to the Moon\u201d mini-series and \u201cMonk.\u201d He currently plays the character of Davis McAlary in HBO\u2019s \u201cTreme.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson, a Lexington native and political science major with minors in communication and Spanish, drew attention to \u201cfirst world problems\u201d\u2014the trivial inconveniences that are only experienced by privileged individuals in wealthy countries. She said that she and her classmates have the responsibility to direct their energy away from worrying about first world problems and toward solving real world problems. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn our tenure at Transylvania, we have learned to identify the problems that need solving. Now, class of 2013, let it be our legacy to contribute to their solution. We have developed the skills and the drive to not only seek a solution, but to be the solution.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Johnson was active at Transylvania, serving as a senator in the Student Government Association, a student orientation leader and a member of the dance team. She founded Alternative Winter Break and served as site leader in the Dominican Republic. She spent the summer of 2012 as an intern for \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d with Jon Stewart. Johnson will leave for Hawaii next week for a two-year appointment with Teach for America. <\/p>\n
Finney is a nationally recognized poet whose work speaks of family and politics, violence and compassion and the experiences of black America and of diverse sexualities. Her latest book, \u201cHead Off & Split,\u201d won the 2011 National Book Award for Poetry, and two other books were award winners: \u201cThe World is Round\u201d received the Benjamin Franklin Award for Poetry and \u201cRice\u201d won the PEN American Open Books Award. A professor of English and creative writing at the University of Kentucky, she will begin her new role as the John H. Bennett Jr. Chair in Creative Writing and Southern Literature at the University of South Carolina in August. <\/p>\n
A few facts about 2013 Transylvania graduates: <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Transylvania University\u2019s 222 graduates welcomed the cool weather Saturday morning as they sat in their black caps and gowns soaking up the sunshine on the lawn of historic Old Morrison during the school\u2019s commencement ceremony. Transylvania president R. Owen Williams conferred the bachelor of arts degree on the graduates, actor Steve Zahn delivered the keynote address, class of 2013 member Hannah Johnson was the student speaker and poet Nikky Finney received an honorary degree. Zahn, a Lexington resident who has appeared in movies including \u201cReality Bites,\u201d \u201cThat Thing You Do!,\u201d \u201cYou\u2019ve Got Mail\u201d and \u201cRiding in Cars with Boys,\u201d advised the graduates to take the back roads, where it\u2019s hard to pass and you have to slow down and go through a lot of small towns. \u201cThat\u2019s not to say that you shouldn\u2019t take the highways, too,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s your turn to merge onto the interstate and go for it. But remember, the faster you go, the harder it will be to pull off onto the back road, and trust me, the back roads are better. They\u2019re the ones you remember. \u201cThe long and the short of it is this: Don\u2019t be in such a hurry to get where you think you\u2019re supposed to be, because you\u2019ll run the risk of missing the real opportunity. Live with integrity and passion. Treat yourself and others well. Humility mixed with focused tenacity will go a long way. Buy a radar<\/p>\n\n