Read Aron White’s graduation speech here
Aron White speaks at commencement ceremony Friday in Stegeman Coliseum as UGA President Michael Adams watches. (UGA Photo)
Georgia football player Aron White was the student speaker at UGA’s fall-semester commencement ceremony Friday. The tight end from Columbia, Mo., was chosen for the honor by a committee appointed by the Student Government Association. White graduated with a degree in management. Here is the text of his speech:
I would like to start by saying good morning and welcome to our friends and family that have joined us to commemorate this occasion. But more importantly I would like to say congratulation to all of my fellow graduates.
Some of you might have recognized my name or face and thought to yourself, ‘What is a football player doing giving our commencement speech? Haven’t we given them enough attention? Surely we could have found a more intelligent or eloquent speaker.’ To which I would reply I am sure both of those things could have been accomplished.
I certainly never dreamed when I called coach Mark Richt and told him I wanted to be a Bulldawg that I would be speaking to my graduating class three and a half years after arriving on campus. But I have always valued my education. When I chose to come to the University of Georgia, I did so not only because of the athletic opportunities that I was offered, but also for the strong academic tradition that I would be blessed to be a part of. That is why I consider every day a blessing that I have spent here at this university.
I’m sure we would all agree that college days were the best of our lives thus far. We have met lifelong friends and formed invaluable connections, spent countless hours at the MLC cramming for tests or writing last-minute papers. We have even cursed the parking services when we’ve found a pink envelope tucked neatly underneath our windshield wiper. We have been both shocked and intrigued as we read the headlines of the Red and Black. We have joined fraternities, sororities and other student organizations.
And though my game-day experience was a little different from all of yours, we’ve all spent our Saturdays at Sanford Stadium bleeding red and black. Georgia truly is everything that one could ask for in a university. From athletics to academics to Greek life to night life, we have done it all.
During our college days we have witnessed disasters such as the Haiti earthquake and the BP spill. We have seen innovations and technologies such as Facebook and the iPhone sweep over the nation and captivate our imaginations. We have seen multiple national championships in various sports. We have been the first class to have four different mascots while in attendance at Georgia. We witnessed three UGA students in just three years be named as Rhodes Scholar, two of which came in a single year. We have witnessed the election of the first African American president of the United States. We are working through one of the worst economic downturns in our country’s history, and we are graduating into the most competitive job market since we have been alive. But I say to my graduating class do not fear or be dismayed.
Our college careers have been no different than our predecessors’. We are still a top 20 public university. We have sat and listened to global leaders in our respective fields of study. We have read from the classics. We have even been named the No. 1 party school in America; given our record this year, at least we are No. 1 in something. Time and time again we have stood up to the expectation placed upon us by those that have come before us.
I personally have stood next to some of the greatest athletes to wear the silver britches. I have played against first-round draft picks. I have heard the crowds cheer from the hallowed sod of between the hedges. I have received numerous academic and athletic awards. But I would not tell you that I am worthy to speak at an occasion such as this — not until today. It is not until today that I feel worthy to speak to all of you because today is the day that I will have the honor to cross under the famed Georgia arch.
I know that my mother and father have not felt the pride they feel at this very moment. I know this because all other achievements and accolades in my life have fallen short of everything that a degree from this great university stands for. A degree from Georgia represents our entire college experience. It represents the knowledge we have acquired through our classrooms. It represents the maturity we now possess. It represents the character that we have demonstrated through on and off campus activities. And for a lucky few of us, the honor of representing UGA through intercollegiate athletics.
Sir Thomas Carlyle once said, “What an enormous magnifier is tradition!” I could not be more honored to be a part of the tradition of commencement and have a chance to share with all of you just how big of an accomplishment you have achieved.
In closing, to all those sitting before me who will receive their degrees today, I applaud you. The world is full of limitless possibilities. And though I cannot predict the future as we make our transitions from undergraduates to graduates, I have no doubt that we are prepared for the world. In my opinion the question should be: Is the world prepared for us? Congratulation graduates.
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129 comments Add your comment
wolfman
December 17th, 2010
4:41 pm
First to say he should have gone to GT?
Still@theBAR
December 17th, 2010
4:44 pm
Nice job young man.
dawgerbrown
December 17th, 2010
4:46 pm
Congrats Aron and all DAWGS graduating today, and to graduates of all Colleges and Universities across the country. Oh yeah, fffiiiirrsst?
Hit A Single
December 17th, 2010
4:47 pm
What college athletics is and should be all about. Great job and very deserving Aaron.
JE
December 17th, 2010
4:48 pm
Great job to all graduates and great speech..Go Dawgs!!!!
Mr Realist
December 17th, 2010
4:51 pm
Nice work Aron. Good luck in your future.
Please refrain from the sophomoric retorts typically associated with these types of blogs (i.e. non-UGA supporters).
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
4:52 pm
Made me think twice about talking crap about Students that play Football. They really are Kids and Young Men mostly working towards a degree. The average NFL career is 3.6 years. I hope more STUDENT Athletes realize that and take their time in college to have fun and GET READY FOR THE JOB MARKET. Be proud as much as your moms and dads are! Sling that Mortar and Board as HIGH in the AIR as you can.
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
4:56 pm
Just for fun…………
Will UGA offer a D.O.T Engineering Degree? Maybe if UGA had that degree then the football players wouldn’t get arrested on the 1 way streets riding a MOPED with no License.
Really a great Speech.
UGA STUDENT
December 17th, 2010
4:57 pm
I wonder if Brandon Spikes was ever asked to give a commencement address while at UF? I’m sure that fine young man would have given a great speech on the importance of preserving ones eyesight.
sthgaboy
December 17th, 2010
4:57 pm
Great job Aron. Just another reason to be proud to be a Georgia Bulldog!
Yellow Fuzz
December 17th, 2010
4:59 pm
Wish the AH dog nation fans were as classy as their players
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
4:59 pm
UGA STUDENT
Do you think Ben Joens will get to make a speech next year? He is as bad/dirty and B. Spikes
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
5:00 pm
Ben JONES sorry.
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
5:02 pm
sthgaboy
Read the TECH blog about Sean Bedford if you want to know what a FULLTIME player and STUDENT really is. Taking nothing away from Aron, but what SEAN accomplished is so freaking tough it is hard to imagine.
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
5:04 pm
Just to HELP
SANFORD DRIVE
42-43………………………………………………………….
You are getting slow or are you already drunk in the trailer park?
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
5:05 pm
Damn I must be drinking too! Sorry.
42-34
Henry Arthur Callis
December 17th, 2010
5:09 pm
Congrats Aron and all the other UGA graduates. I’m proud of you. You are a fine representation of student-athlete. Aron, you have represented your family, your fraternity, your team, and your University to the highest level. I wish you all the best. May you continue to move onward and upward and always serve as an example to others. Now go back out on the field next season and GATA!!! (And keep all scooter helmets away from Big Tree)
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
5:10 pm
I forgot to add. You DAWGS realize that ARON is not a product of the (UGA ED.GRADUATES) Georiga Public School System.
Still@the Bar
December 17th, 2010
5:13 pm
Aron is living nder the Uga star. UGA now has Uga VIII and Aron had 8 TDs. Best of luck young man.
Rickie
December 17th, 2010
5:16 pm
Great speech,
athens proud
December 17th, 2010
5:21 pm
Still@thebar…remember a running back Georgia had during CMR’s successful years named Tony Milton? This kid lived in a drainage culvert with no family, ended up playing ball after being ‘found’ by coaches and taken in…finished school at UGA. Let’s agree that kids like Milton, Sean Bedord, Aron White all overcome obstacles, some more than others. Let’s also agree that they are, after all, kids playing a game they love while the rest of us foam at the mouth if we don’t win a championship after all, and in some cases, curse the players who are in fact, kids.
Congrats to ‘em all, regardless of where they went to school. And while I’m at it, 9 out of 10
Go Dawgs
Goldtimer
December 17th, 2010
5:23 pm
Glad he worked in that UGA is the #1 party school, I’m sure his parents are proud of that fact :rolleyes:
1970 Dawg
December 17th, 2010
5:25 pm
Good job Aron. I’m proud of the way you have represented our school. First class player and individual.
The Purple Penguin
December 17th, 2010
5:27 pm
++
Worm
December 17th, 2010
5:31 pm
Congrats to all the grads at UGA and TECH.
McDawg
December 17th, 2010
5:34 pm
hope he is around next year
Phil Steele just listed Murray 1st team All Freshmen not a surprise
Kevin
December 17th, 2010
5:41 pm
Goldtimer, I’ve got news for you… THIS IS ABOUT THE STUDENT NOT HIS PARENTS. Since when is having fun a crime? Pretty sure Aron and the rest of us will live much more fulfilling lives than your old a$$
Dannyboy
December 17th, 2010
5:47 pm
From a GT grad and fan:
Outstanding job Aron White.
Congratulation to BOTH GT and UGA grads…whether they are athletes or not.
But a special “Thank-you” to the athletes who have worked hard on and off the field to entertain fans and alumni.
To UGA AND GT fans: At the end of the day it’s just a game. For the players, it’s their lives. The young men and women play for our schools because they choose to, not because they have to. Don’t forget that when you choose to criticize them.
Sanford Drive
December 17th, 2010
5:52 pm
42-34
My View
December 17th, 2010
5:58 pm
How did Aaron White know what I was thinking when I saw him listed as the speaker???? lol……and a very good job!!!!!!!!!!
BIRDDAWGONE
December 17th, 2010
6:13 pm
Goldtimer, kinda like when you parents roll there eyes when you promise to move out of the basement oneday, or when they see you play WAR CRAFT or when you try to through a ball, right..
col fot
December 17th, 2010
6:14 pm
Great job young man.
VinnyD
December 17th, 2010
6:21 pm
Love seeing some props to athletes who are also STUDENTS. Many college athletes don’t deserve academic achievements they may receive but you have to love those who shine on AND off the field. I don’t care what rival school an athlete is from, if he really stood out as a student (ala Myron Rolle) he deserves our applause. Myron Rolle should be the role model that inspires us and our children. Not an FSU fan but the work that guy put in day in and day out is amazing.
VinnyD
December 17th, 2010
6:25 pm
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/feed/2010-09/smart-athletes/story/sporting-news-names-the-20-smartest-athletes-in-sports great link
Veritas
December 17th, 2010
6:26 pm
Aaron White. Veritas…”The Search for Truth”. You’ve found it my friend a fellow alumnus from the Terry College of Business (MBA). You represent us well…on and off the field.
Thank you sir!
blazerdawg
December 17th, 2010
6:38 pm
excellent point Dannyboy
PHIL
December 17th, 2010
6:58 pm
Congratulations Aron and thank you for representing our school the way it needs to be represented. Hopefully this will put some perspective into people who believe coaches and athletes are or should be infallible robots playing the game only to pump up some beer guzzling fans pride and ego. naaaaaah. Never happen here.
Dawg '94
December 17th, 2010
7:06 pm
Congrats to all the UGA grads!
cwm
December 17th, 2010
7:07 pm
GREAT JOB 81
dawgschiro
December 17th, 2010
7:07 pm
Congratulations to Aron & all the UGA graduates!
We are so proud of you & your accomplishments!
Go Dawgs!
buzzDawg
December 17th, 2010
7:19 pm
It is refreshing to read positive stories about our football players. Kudos, Aron! I know there is much more in the way of positive things going on with UGA but it is the nature of the beast that only the bad things usually end up in the media.
Samuel L. Jackson
December 17th, 2010
7:19 pm
The bottom line is that most UGA fans have very good jobs and productive lives that don’t depend on UGA’s football record for their happiness in life. It is great to beat Tech every year, but when you put scholar-athletes up against nerds, it’s usually no contest.
It’s pretty pathetic to see Tech fans who typically have never been within miles of a college classroom and who live or die with Tech’s weekly results on the football field.
UGA07
December 17th, 2010
7:33 pm
OUTSTANDING
BG
December 17th, 2010
7:46 pm
Awesome job Aron!!
layinlow
December 17th, 2010
7:47 pm
PHIL, the big UGA insider, what happened to the part of White’s speech that YOU claimed he would make about football blog critics? Please indulge us Mr. UGA.
“It seems the only student speaker at the commencement exercise is going to be a football player. He is so concerned about what you and the other morons continue to write about the football program that he has taken it upon himself to try to speak to the problem in his speech”.
Beast from the East
December 17th, 2010
8:03 pm
I was driving through Downtown Athens around lunch-time today and saw dozens of grads and their families out on the street taking pictures and celebrating. Congrats to all of this weekend’s graduates all over the country.
Now it’s time to “punch the clock” and start making your own way in life.
Best of luck to you all!
hind tit
December 17th, 2010
8:03 pm
God bless you on your journey Aron.
Atlanta Dawg
December 17th, 2010
8:06 pm
I say congrats to Aron for a good speech and to all the GT and UGA fans on here who posted something positive about a positive story. There some folks who love the anonymity of the internet and can’t help but be negative, but the vast majority of folks take pride in our teams and even more pride in each of our student athletes that together make our country a strong and free nation.
Sleeper Service
December 17th, 2010
8:08 pm
How ignorant are some tech fans? They keep bragging about rovers and other assorted space robots but fail to realize that UGA is at the same time researching cures for infectious diseases. Right here on good old Terra. Congrats to all UGA and Tech grads!
LOL...
December 17th, 2010
8:16 pm
Now we are posting speeches on here… LOL… My God !!
Dawgs Run This State!
December 17th, 2010
8:23 pm
You make a lot of people proud Aron!
wrweckmaniac
December 17th, 2010
8:32 pm
Got some laughs from you doggies on Tech’s signing of Lasky. The old proverbial fall-back line when everything else fails is “that high school offense is finished” is priceless when, after seeing it for the 3rd time, UGA’s defense gets pushed around like toothpicks while giving up over 500 yards.
We ruin this state
December 17th, 2010
8:34 pm
thats for sure
Drew
December 17th, 2010
8:53 pm
Very well written. Smart kid.
Lorry Munson
December 17th, 2010
9:08 pm
A degree from Georgia represents our entire college experience. It represents the knowledge we have acquired through our classrooms. It represents the maturity we now possess. It represents the character that we have demonstrated through on and off campus activities.
What a joke for a football player to say something like this. Why didn’t he also mention that he’s just finished four years at the nation’s #1 party school surrounded by drunks.
Go ahead and give him his worthless sheepskin.
Boca Baby
December 17th, 2010
9:10 pm
wrweckmaniac:
What part of 9-1 has not sunk into you thick skull?
Oyster Man
December 17th, 2010
9:11 pm
“Very well written. Smart kid.”
And you really believe he wrote that? I have a few bridges you might like to buy.
Boca Baby
December 17th, 2010
9:11 pm
Lorry Munson:
He did mention the fact that Georgia was ranked the #1 party school. Did you even read the speech?
Mighty ZP
December 17th, 2010
9:12 pm
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIII TO MY BROTHER ARON
Goldtimer
December 17th, 2010
9:27 pm
BIRDDAWGONE,
Kind of like your spelling their “there” and throw “through.” Keep showing off your UGA education.
19DAWGFAN59
December 17th, 2010
9:33 pm
Congrats to Aron and all the other Grads … Thank You for BEING A TRUE BULLDAWG … BEST WISHES IN ALL OF YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS !
Dawgfan55
December 17th, 2010
9:43 pm
Congratulations to Aron White’s parents! You must be very proud of that fine young man. Reading the blog entries, I am encouraged by the GT fans who express their appreciation of Aron, but I am discouraged by the few insecure idiots who must take every opportunity to slam anyone affiliated with the other major state school.
For the GT fan who mentioned Sean Bedford, good UGA fans are aware of Sean’s accomplishments and we applaud him. He has excelled in an extraordinarily difficult field of study while working so hard on the field that he went from being a walk-on to become a very good center and a key part of the GT offense. Kudos to both White and Bedford for setting an outstanding example for others to follow!
Hiller
December 17th, 2010
10:05 pm
This is a sports blog. What is a graduation speech doing here?
Toole
December 17th, 2010
10:17 pm
I owe Aron White an apology. I thought we recruited him to get Logan Gray. It was just the opposite. White is a class kid. Gray is a bust. Bobo recruited them both. He missed big time on Gray.
KimZ'sPackage
December 17th, 2010
10:20 pm
Toole is that for real? I didn’t know both young men came from the same school. I am not being MEAN I didn’t really know it was the same deal as the Vols used with Da’rick and his QB buddy.
jimmymack
December 17th, 2010
10:28 pm
CLASS TOTAL CLASS
BobbyDawg
December 17th, 2010
10:49 pm
The SEC should be proud to have a football player with the ability to offer up a speech like this.
Toole
December 17th, 2010
11:16 pm
Kim Z’s package. They were a package deal. Bobo recruited them both. White eas considered a tweener. Gray was a top rated QB. White isn’t being used enough.
Ron
December 17th, 2010
11:49 pm
Well done, young man.
Sautee Dawg
December 17th, 2010
11:54 pm
Great Job A. White.
Sautee Dawg
December 17th, 2010
11:56 pm
Thanks Tim for sharing something positive, please forward a copy to Mr Bradley.
Thanks
Sautee
CaliDawg
December 18th, 2010
1:11 am
The Techies do have a point…it is a major accomplishment to survive the battlefield of the war zone called North Ave. UGA students have the daily distraction of a social life while Tech students have the daily distraction of staying alive.
heeldawg
December 18th, 2010
2:33 am
Great speech!
And “Lorry Munson,” shut up. Your commentary is indicative of the typical immature response we see from people on this blog who are jealous of U.Ga athletically that they stoop to denigrate a true student-athlete on his graduation day. Shame on you.
And Oyster Man, do you even know Aron White? He absolutely wrote this speech himself. He’s a class act. It’s clear from your response that you are not.
uga-brave
December 18th, 2010
4:18 am
well as georgia grad i can say GATA.
nice job aron look us up at jp moran we will give you a job.
DAWG^2
December 18th, 2010
6:03 am
Having graduated twice from UGA, I can say that Aron’s speech rocked. The speakers at my two graduations ranged from idiotic to just plain uninspiring (one was an English professor and the other CEO of a bank). He hit on everything. Great job!
UGA75
December 18th, 2010
7:03 am
I’ve sat through 4 Graduation ceremonies at UGA and this was one of if not the best speech I’ve ever heard. I’ve made a few speeches in my life, and never got anything quite as right in capturing a moment in time as well as Aron did today. Congratulations to all the Graduating classes in the State. In the words of the immortal Freshman in Back to School, Rodney Dangerfield, The world is a scary place, don’t go, work on a Masters or Doctorate.
BOSS GATOR
December 18th, 2010
7:13 am
So ……One Jailyard Dog actually can read and this board goes crazy….Congratulation…We’re waiting on you Red Panties……3 wins in 2 decades…..Ain’t you punks something……..
59bulldawg
December 18th, 2010
7:49 am
Great job Aron! Congratulations and God bless! Welcome to the alumni ranks!
dawgma
December 18th, 2010
8:08 am
Hell yeah…that fellow got it right – the true student athlete. UGA grads – may your future be bright with boundless opportunity.
Vick=Dog killing Thug
December 18th, 2010
8:33 am
Nice
Hit A Single
December 18th, 2010
9:15 am
My God Aaron, what a speech, I knew you could do it, everybody knew you could do it. You knocked me out of my chair, broke my chair, man what a speech. There will be some property destroyed tonight! Speak Aaron, Speak Aaron. I hated to keep asking you to speak, but my god almighty what a kid. Son I saw Dawgs falling from the sky! You knock them out just like the hobnail boot. Good luck son, your are what college athletics are all about.
RomeDawg
December 18th, 2010
9:59 am
I am proud of Aron White and I thought the speech was very good.
Imagine how it may have changed had a Tech grad would have written it. It may have included things such as:
a) Who would have thought not being robbed at college would have been seen as an accomplishment.
b) We seen athletic success having had a victory on the gridiron against our big brother atleast once.
c) I am glad that none of our future terrorist fellow classmates blew anything on campus up.
trey
December 18th, 2010
10:17 am
How one fan base (the techmites) can have so many HS freshmen female fans is just mind boggling. Yet here you 3 chickmites are, showing your jealous hineys on UGA graduation day. lmao.
JDawg
December 18th, 2010
10:28 am
Aron, Your parents should feel very proud. Grat job young man!! We too are very proud of you!
BILLY JACK
December 18th, 2010
10:35 am
GREAT JOB SON…YOU ARE ONE OF THE REASONS UGA WILL ALWAYS BE ONE OF THE GREAT SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.
GneissDawg
December 18th, 2010
11:02 am
Somebody take the bottle away from Still@the Bar and help him to bed. Both Tech (where I took a few courses) and UGA (where I graduated) have GREAT football players and GREAT people. To try to brand the school with the occasional thug athlete the two of them sign is unfair mudslinging. NOW Auburn’s best player is one who has stolen, cheated, and received illegal benefits (I’m sure his Dad has bought him a car). Maybe he gets a pass because he is a preacher’s son.
Dawg Whisperer
December 18th, 2010
11:37 am
Boss Gator… that’s a heavy burden of hate you’re carrying around. It’s a poor reflection on you to find something negative about a graduation speech. Let me guess, you wouldn’t really care if there was no football history between UGA and UF. A gator fan critiquing any school with similar indiscretions off the field is tantamount to Hitler criticizing Stalin. Find another forum to waste your words of hate.
minnow
December 18th, 2010
11:37 am
Well put Aaron.
SVNB
GDAWG65
December 18th, 2010
11:46 am
Excellent speech, outstanding young man. GO DAWGS!!!!!
U Get Arrested
December 18th, 2010
11:58 am
Why didnt he press his robe? UGA needs new wrinkles in thier vanialla scheme when it comes to playing football.
U Get Arrested
December 18th, 2010
11:59 am
oops…. vanilla
Erin
December 18th, 2010
12:00 pm
A pretty lame attempt to make it appear that UGA football players are not morons. It only shows that at least one player can read something written by someone else.
And someone else probably drove him there to make sure he didn’t get stopped for DUI.
U Get Arrested
December 18th, 2010
12:05 pm
oops….. I forgots spell check… their
U Get Arrested
December 18th, 2010
12:08 pm
BTW… Looks like Michael Adams is ticked off by the fact this guy mentioning UGA was the # 1 party school in America. Pizza and Beer anyone ?
U Get Arrested
December 18th, 2010
12:34 pm
I guess we should give the guy a break though. I heard he emerged from an alley on his moped to get to the commencement ceremony and that’s the excuse for the wrinkled robe.
RxDawg
December 18th, 2010
12:51 pm
Tech fans trolling this should just be deported out of the country.
DawginOH
December 18th, 2010
1:36 pm
You make us all proud to be Georgia Bulldogs, Aron! It was a pleasure cheering you on in Sanford Stadium. Now we will all cheer you on in the game of life. Go get ‘em, son! HBTD!
huh
December 18th, 2010
1:51 pm
since when is uga a top 20 school???
UGA Grad
December 18th, 2010
4:49 pm
Waffle House and Krystals always hire UGA Grads just like myself with degree in Hospitality Mgt. GO DAWGS! WOOF WOOF!
Georgia Fans Eats Idiots Sandwiches
December 18th, 2010
4:57 pm
there is no ” A” in Academics @ UGA.
Snoop Dawg
December 18th, 2010
5:00 pm
I am proud of Aron White.
Just too bad he didn’t get the opportunity to play for a top tier coaching staff.
stendek
December 18th, 2010
5:26 pm
Wanted to share an aside with Bulldog Nation. My military son is back on American soil after return to country following lengthy deployment in hostile territory. Was talking football with him on phone, as we are apt to do, when he asked me about Dawgs. Told him retention of Mark Wretch will keep team in toilet one more season. He told me team will have plenty of time to prepare. Thought season was over. Explained to him that win over Ga Tech put Dawgs in Noonegivesadamn Bowl. Son was optimistic that maybe Dawgs will get victory. Not end horrible season with below .500 mark. Son will not make it home for Christmas. Soon. Merry Christmas everyone!
STENDEK
Bill Collins
December 18th, 2010
5:41 pm
Once upon a time,in an eon long ago,Whack Hyder(Tech’s B-Ball coach) longed for a day when”me and a bunch of boys who go to Tech , would play Red(Lawson-GA’s B-Ball coach) and a bunch of boys who go to UGA!” Sadly, those days have never returned and colleges and univerities have allowed themselves to become the minor league proving ground for B-Ball(1 year) and F-Ball (3 yrrs), spurred on by the $$$ of television,etc. Thankfully, there are some Aron Whites in the mix! Congrats to you Aron and thank you for your meaningful and poignant remarks!
Delbert D.
December 18th, 2010
6:02 pm
Aron White, congratulations on your achievements and best wishes for the future.
bozydeco
December 18th, 2010
6:19 pm
Congratulations Aron and to your fellow graduates!
441North
December 18th, 2010
7:47 pm
DAMN GOOD DOG !
A.Baldwin
December 18th, 2010
7:50 pm
Aron White giving the speech? There are no coincidences…
addison steele
December 18th, 2010
8:34 pm
Hmmm. Quoting Carlyle, nonetheless?
Can we get a “Sic vos non vobis?” Or at least a “Sic itur ad astra?”
Retired teacher
December 18th, 2010
8:36 pm
Makes me get teary-eyed. Aron spoke the thoughts of many UGA grads, and hopefully they are not letting the opposing schools’ weird blogs or comments deter them. My daughter respects her degrees from UGA – BS 2004 and Masters 2005, as well as do her employer and parents of her students in a suburban Northshore Chicago junior high which was just recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. (If you don’t know what that is – there are only 300 schools of all levels awarded this honor.) She loves her Dawgs, but more importantly my daughter loves the education and friends from UGA.
WDE
December 19th, 2010
9:07 am
Glad to see he had the class to shave for his commencement.
Maybe it was his senior thesis on grass-turf-management.
Alabamadawg
December 19th, 2010
6:14 pm
To all those Techsters slamming an example of what a student athlete really is, I say “Shame on you!” Oh, wait… I forgot that most of the GT posts are from “Walk On Alumni” who have no idea of what being a real alum is like and true pride in your institution.
Well Done
December 19th, 2010
7:04 pm
Well done to a member of the Gridiron Secret Society.
DAWGMAN
December 19th, 2010
7:55 pm
Damn Fine Dawg. Damn Fine!
Thomas
December 20th, 2010
12:59 am
Congratulations to Aaron and to his graduating class. It is so good to have a football player giving the commencement speech and to have so many of them graduating.
WDE
December 20th, 2010
7:54 am
“I forgot that most of the GT posts are from “Walk On Alumni” who have no idea of what being a real alum is like and true pride in your institution.”
I believe that is your school. buddy. Got that one backwards.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
December 20th, 2010
9:25 am
It is just nice to see a UGA football player graduating every now and then.
Spike
December 20th, 2010
11:33 am
Well done. Congratulations.
how2fish
December 20th, 2010
12:10 pm
WDE great line “Maybe it was his senior thesis on grass-turf-management.” just remember tough guy we grow the grass your cheerleaders and co-eds eat..man it must sux to be so obsessed with UGA …Aron great job and the very best of luck to you and all your fellow graduates!
Towgood
December 20th, 2010
12:35 pm
Blumine must be proud
Weddington
December 20th, 2010
1:49 pm
SVNV
John
December 20th, 2010
4:21 pm
Sir Thomas Carlyle would add..”sic vos non vobis” Well done Aaron!
John
December 20th, 2010
4:21 pm
Sorry…. make that Aron.
Dawwgrl
December 20th, 2010
4:35 pm
Way to represent the Bulldawg Nation Aron. What a fantastic speech and congrats to you and your fellow graduates.
Huntsville Yellow Jacket
December 20th, 2010
5:36 pm
Excellent speech. I only wish he would of chosen our school 90 miles or so to the west. Best of luck Aron.
FAN
December 20th, 2010
6:35 pm
Tech fans really want to talk trash about our players graduating? last time i checked UGA had a better grad % than tech in every sport. tech fans are so lame. to the gaytor fan, football didn’t start in 1990, i know fla fans like to think that.
Amy
December 20th, 2010
11:45 pm
As a student at the University of Georgia, I am more than proud of all that Aron White has done for our school, both on and off the field. Aron is an excellent example of a well-rounded student, and he is exactly what the Bulldog Nation should be proud of.
For those of you who’ve never paid attention, Aron White can be seen EVERY Saturday praying alone in the end zone of whatever field on which he’ll be playing that day. This is a sight that has brought tears to my eyes, as well as others who have noticed. I have never been more proud to be a Bulldog than when I saw Aron do this for the first time. What an excellent kid.
Also, after the GT game, who saw Aron conducting the Redcoats? He was so excited, so happy to see his team and his school successful, that he jumped up on the drum major’s podium and began dancing and conducting. I don’t think any member of the Redcoat Band would hesitate to tell you what a great guy Aron is.
How fortunate we are as an institution to have such a fine young man walking under the arch. Best of luck in the future, Aron. Bulldog Nation is nothing but proud of your accomplishments.
Dr Morpheus
December 21st, 2010
6:09 pm
Grew up in Athens, graduated from UGA, grateful for both, bleed red and black, loved the speech…
Anna
December 21st, 2010
6:23 pm
Fantastic job Aron!
For the rest of you who have your doubts -
I’m a UGA student and the speaker for commencement is chosen in a very specific way. He/she must first apply and is interviewed by a chosen panel of student leaders and must write the speech on his/her own and then present it to said student panel. The students then decide between all of the applicants.
It’s quite obvious why Aron was chosen! He’s an amazing athlete, remarkable student and an even better person. He was in several honor societies and leadership societies that recognized him for his repeated excellence on campus.
Anyone who was there can tell you he spoke with an incredible amount of charisma and warmth. His approachability stems from his genuine humility and he is certainly a student to be recognized.
Congratulations Aron and all of the other UGA grads!
billdawg
December 24th, 2010
8:17 am
Thanks for a well written note, Anna! Both you and Aron are a credit to our Alma Mater.