Mr. Cross is graduating with a B.A. and double majors in Political Science/Theory and Sociology. Jordan has made numerous significant contributions to the College and UCSD over the course of his undergraduate career, beginning with his role as Athletics Coordinator on the Student Council of Eleanor Roosevelt College (SCERC) and service as Revelle Liaison during his freshman year. He has been an Orientation Leader, Resident Advisor, Commissioner of Athletics and Student Advocate for UCSD Associated Students, Triton Tide member, and a founding member of Spirit at ERC (SPERC). A native of Dana Point, California, Jordan plans to stay in San Diego and continue his research on health care resources at UCSD Medical Center, eventually pursuing a career in sports representation.

A global citizen . . . I am not sure about you, but after four years at Eleanor Roosevelt College I truly hope that the next time I use that phrase I actually understand what it means. At ERC the phrase “global citizen” is the standard answer for every conceivable question. Why do we take six quarters of Making of the Modern World? To become a global citizen. Why do we need to take three extra courses in a regional specialization and a year of foreign language? To become a global citizen. Why does it still say “formerly fifth college” on everything I receive from the university? To become a global citizen . . . and while I still am a bit skeptical on that last one, there can be no doubt that each of us has shared in the pursuit of this collective concept.

There is a bond among ERC students, the likes of which I have yet to encounter at the other colleges; it is a bond molded and exercised in ERC clubs and in our six quarters together in MMW. This bond reflects the unique collective consciousness shaped by our struggle to define what it means to each of us as an individual to become a global citizen. As ERC and UCSD graduates we acknowledge that to be a global citizen we must recognize the issues that affect us both locally and internationally. ERC students who study abroad or have the opportunity to live in International House are acutely aware of these issues and differences and serve as voices of experience in the ERC community. They help to advocate the importance of improving the global reputation of the United States by first identifying and then working to shift individual and domestic attitudes on our very own campus. We know that the first step in this process is setting an example in our own lives, and thanks to ERC’s philosophy we are well equipped and eager to do so.

In a rapidly changing world, we as individuals are left to ask: what is our role in society? We seem to be left with the internal struggle between managing our individual problems or working collectively for the betterment of society. We live in a time when society is encouraged to trust modernity and to blindly accept technological and societal advancement as advantageous. But we as Eleanor Roosevelt College students have been questioning history for three, four, five and even six years. We may not have all the answers, but more likely than not, we have the questions. Our faith is not a blind faith; rather it is deeply analytical, layered question with proper MLA citations, (right, Professor Cardoza?). With that training and reasoning we must each turn our interest toward the future.

Whether graduating as a communication, biology or electrical engineering major (yes, eventually even engineers graduate), each of us has been given the education and resources needed to respond appropriately to problems in our own life. These problems will certainly extend beyond a roommate conflict or being written up by the RSO’s, but thankfully ERC has provided us with a broader lens to analyze and solve our own problems. After six quarters of MMW, we have learned the consequences of binary thinking. There is no “us versus them,” there is only the global “we,” and it is only by recognizing the commonalities of problems that exist in all countries today, and by working together to solve them, that we can move forward as true global citizens.

MMW 4 and 5 taught us that modern society will continually provide us with the necessary technological tools, but as we learned in MMW 6, the answers to our generation’s questions will be through ideological shifts away from the exhausted principles of the enlightenment toward a broader and more comprehensive solution. As Vaclav Havel warned the United Nations “the way forward is not in the mere construction of universal systemic solutions, to be applied from the outside. It is also in seeking to get to the heart of reality through personal experience.” It is this personal experience that ERC as a college cultivates and provides to all students as a means to enact change in the world.

Much like the role the United States must take in the development of a foreign policy of diplomacy over conflict, one which ties the U.S. into the international community and does not drive us apart, we as global citizens will need to be flexible and open to change. We must be willing to exercise the education and experience we have developed at ERC and to put a face to that change in the ensuing decades, regardless of our professional aspirations.

As ERC students, we have only begun the process of becoming global citizens, but the inception of this evolution required the efforts and dedication of many along the way. From parents and family members to UCSD and ERC staff, it has been the thankless and selfless efforts of others that have helped guide us on our own paths. The process of becoming a global citizen not only binds us as students together, but also unites all those who have helped to get us here today. Too often we are so idealistically set on changing the future and achieving our own goals that we forget to stop and acknowledge those who have graciously devoted themselves to helping us achieve our ends. Let us for a moment stand back and acknowledge those who have helped us get here today (Pause for applause). Thank you. Their efforts along with our education and experiences will aid in our progression towards contributing to society and shaping tomorrow.

While we may not know exactly what it means to be a global citizen there can be no doubt that ERC graduates emerge into society better equipped and more prepared to further cultivate and embrace change. This process by no means ends today; in fact today marks the beginning as we the class of 2004 must now turn the foundation and experiences gained at ERC into lasting progress. It will be those of us in this room that lead our generation away from the mistakes of the past and toward a brighter future.

Thank you all for your time. Thank you to all those who have helped me get here today. Thank you, Mom and Dad; today is as much a testament to you as it is to me. And a special thank you to my fellow graduates; you have made the last four years the most memorable of my life.