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Student Address
Exploit fear, don't fear it

By Hope Green

If Susan Rankin has jitters while speaking at Nickerson Field on May 21, the knock-kneed sensation will not surprise her. Nor will it get in her way.

Susan Rankin (CAS'00) Boston University Photo Services

"The greater the fear, the bigger the opportunity" is a favorite motto for Rankin (CAS'00), who plans to make this plucky, mind-over-matter approach to life the central theme of her Commencement address. The topic, she says, "stands out as something a lot of people can identify with." Certainly, Rankin is accustomed to working under pressure. The history major completed her undergraduate education in only three years while earning a 3.88 grade-point average. She even fit in a three-month stint with BU's London Internship Program the summer after her freshman year. That assignment, with the local government unit of the British Labor Party, led to some unexpected yet rewarding challenges, and the experience helped to inspire her Commencement message. "The point of my speech is that when you're faced with something scary, you shouldn't back away from it -- you should tackle it because you are scared," she says. "Fear signals possibility. And now that we're graduating there will be other fears, from finding a career that engages us to concerns like global warming and deciding whether or not to negotiate with China." Rankin, for her part, plans to take a three-week trip to China with her mother before pursuing a career in management consulting. One of her newer resume items is a job she took this academic year, working in the external relations office of Governor Paul Cellucci. The fourth of six children, Rankin attended high school in Nashville, Tenn., where her father works as a surgeon in private practice and her mother is a freelance political consultant. Earlier this semester, President Jon Westling invited all prospective magna cum laude degree candidates to vie for the honor of speaking at Commencement. More than 40 from that group of seniors submitted speech drafts to an eight-member committee of faculty and administrators. One contest runner-up, Brent Mix (CAS'00), will speak at the Arts and Sciences ceremony. Another, Whitney Myers (CAS'00), will address incoming freshmen at their fall convocation. To Rankin, an avid reader who enjoys writing essays in her spare time, preparing a speech offers one more chance for reflection. "I think you miss out on life if you're not able to draw something from your daily experiences and be able to sort of intellectually, cognitively, say, 'That was an interesting experience and this is why,'" she says. "Otherwise, there is no meaning."

1 June 2000
Boston University
Office of University Relations