Northwestern College | Classic magazine - Winter 2004-05 - Vol. 76 ...

Send your Classic thoughts to beeson@nwciowa.eduNorthwestern ClassicClassicthoughtsInvesting in lives beyond your ownby Maggie Biesanz ’04The following was deliveredlast spring as a speech bythen-senior Maggie Biesanz to asmall group who love NWC andsupport the college with prayersand gifts. Many more than justthose at that celebratory dinnerdo the same, impacting studentsin ways beyond what they know.Although I recognize afew, many of you are unfamiliar.I don’t think we’ve met,have we? Still, there is a familiarityin this room. Where do I know you from?Maybe it was freshman year. We pulledinto campus, our car loaded; we’d been drivingsince 5 a.m. At the stoplight, a guy wearing aquestion mark sandwich board waved at us. Mymom rolled down the window: “Where do wepark for Stegenga Hall?” Mr. Question scratchedhis chin, raised an eyebrow, then: “I don’t knowma’am, but praise the Lord!” The light changed,and we moved on. We were still bewildered,but smiling now, and I knew I was home. Ithink you might have been there then.That next semester, I was exhausted, mybrain a mess of Bronte and Bonaparte—readingin my dreams. One Wednesday I slumped intochapel. I don’t remember what the speaker saidthat day, but at the end we all stood, the sunstreaming in, and sang the Doxology. Andsomething changed. I felt bonded to everyonethere, united in worship—the only truly important thing. I letgo of my weariness and lifted my heart and voice like everyonearound me. I heard your voices in that place.My sophomore year I took speech—dreaded speech.Standing in front of people makes me shake—sweat. I canimagine hurdling the podium as I make a break for the exit.But, as it was required, I joined a class of 15 and soon realizedthat each one of them feared public speaking too. ProfessorJeff Barker said, “Every person is an expert at something. Tellus about that.” Daily he reminded us of God’s glory, God’sgrace and God’s light in each of us. At semester’s end, when Itook the podium, yes, I was nervous; yes, I was shaky; butalso, I was transformed. Feeling the encouragement of myclassmates, my weak voice grew stronger, I attempted to makea joke, I waved my arms in the air. You were in that audience,smiling, laughing and clapping for me.In the spring of my junior year, I studied in London. Iinterned at a publishing company, ate bagel sandwiches inHyde Park, drank gallons of tea with milk, and sat in thegreen seats of the Parliament’s House of Commons. In additionto friends from Britain, I made friends from Iran, Ireland,Wales, Scotland, Portugal, Ghana and Hawaii. Conversationswith them opened my eyes to a world that is not so big, notso far away. In their eyes I saw a world that needs God’s love.Walking along the Thames River, we enjoyed just being alive.Wasn’t that your face, reflected alongside ours in the river?My senior year it rained buckets at the Dana cross countrymeet. The course included slippery hills and muddy valleysthat sucked the shoes off my feet. But with Coach DaleThompson cheering me on, I ran hard. Crossing the finishline, I was a mess. People might haveguessed NWC’s school colors were red, white▼and mud, but I didn’t notice, cheering eachteammate to the finish. When everyone hadcome across the line, we gathered to thankGod for the run. We won the meet that day,but that wasn’t what mattered, huddledtogether, arms around each other’s shoulders,one body. I think you were there, completingthat circle.True, you were not physically present inmy college experiences the last four years,but you believe in this institution so muchthat you have plugged yourselves into it,supporting it with prayers and dollars, maintaininga relationship that spans years and▲geography. Without your friendship, there isno chapel, no speech professor, no studytrips to England, no cross country meet. There is no group ofstudents, hanging around after class to talk with the professorabout Shakespeare or Plato, no campus newspaper, no standingovation for the musical, no residence hall Bible study.Because of you, graduates leave NWC empowered,knowing that someone dared to believe in their God-givendreams. You believe in the mission and values of Northwesternenough to invest in lives beyond your own. Thankyou.“I felt bonded to everyonethere, united in worship—the only truly importantthing. I let go of my wearinessand lifted my heartand voice like everyonearound me. I heard yourvoices in that place.”A Peale Scholar from Sleepy Eye, Minn., Biesanz receivedFaculty Honors at graduation last May. She is a reporter/photographerfor the Hawarden Independent. She plans eventually toattend graduate school in creative writing and dreams of being atravel writer.39 ▲ Winter 2004-05