NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Senior
Vincent Vaughns (Sparr, Fla.) of the Yale men's track and field team has been selected to be part of one of the great annual traditions of Yale: representing his class and delivering the Ivy Ode. The Ivy Ode is part of Yale College Class Day exercises, which this year have been expanded to a "Class Week". Videos are posted on the
Class Day website each day in advance of Commencement Monday. Vaughns' Ode, which he wrote and recorded back home in Florida, was posted Thursday afternoon.
The original Ivy Ode, composed in Latin Sapphic stanzas, described a symbolic connection between the growth of the ivy vine and the flourishing of the graduating class. In recent decades, the ode has been selected from a group of English-language original lyrics or spoken word poems written by seniors. It accompanies the planting of the Class Ivy, a tradition that began in 1852, on Old Campus.
Vaughns begins his presentation by acknowledging his ninth-grade chemistry teacher, Penny Howard. He recalls how he turned to Howard when he questioned his future:
"As an adopted first-generation son of a truck driver and library clerk, I could not genuinely imagine that an Ivy League school would ever accept me," Vaughns said. "But for whatever reason Mrs. Howard, with her all-encompassing wisdom, could see past all of that. She knew that I could overcome what I thought to be insurmountable challenges."
In thanking Mrs. Howard for motivating and pushing him years ago, Vaughns also drew inspiration for the present day.
"And now, in these unprecedented times, for our unknown future, we will certainly have to fight," said Vaughns. His "An Ode to Fight" continues from there. The full video is below.
Vaughns, a political science major in Pierson College, is the Yale record holder in the 100m outdoors and is a member of the school record-holding 4x100m relay team.
Yale College Class Day began in the 19th century, when graduates gathered in a circle on Old Campus to share memories of their time at Yale. Today, the ceremony includes student speeches, conferral of prizes and long standing traditions.
