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Graduating class speaker Stephanie Anderson, of Brookfield, a biology major, delivered the following morning ceremony remarks to her class:

“Imagine…you’re five years old, sitting in the car with your parents and siblings, traveling back from your annual trip to the local amusement park. It’s dark and the journey seems to take forever. You lie in the back seat wondering if you’re ever going to make it home.

“‘Are we there yet?’ you ask your mom. Irritated, she responds that only half an hour has passed by.

“You doze off and to your dismay, wake up to find that you’re. Still. Not. Home.

“This drive only took two hours when you were five, and at 22, still takes two hours. In fact, you and a few friends drove to the same amusement park last month and with the help of cruise control and a little Kanye West, you arrived in what seemed to be in the blink of an eye.

“So why did this same trip that took an excruciatingly long time when you were five, seem to joyously pass by in an instant now?

“Psychologists believe this phenomenon–of time moving seemingly quicker as we age–to be due to the way we perceive the world around us.

“As we grow older, there is progressively less newness in our lives. Our childhood consisted of many novel experiences: first kiss, first job, first time driving thru a Wisconsin snow storm (for me that resulted in rear ending a school bus, still sorry dad). As adults though, our lives become more routine, and we experience fewer unfamiliar moments.

“Graduates, think back to your first year on campus. Your STAR report showed 120 credits left to complete, you didn’t know how you would survive yet another year in the dorms, and turning 21 seemed so far away. Now, sitting in the seats before me, it’s hard to fathom where these years went.

“And although the feeling may seem inescapable, time is NOT moving faster. Therefore, time doesn’t have to speed up as we get older. It inevitably depends on how we live our lives. We can alter our perceptions by keeping our brains active, continually learning new skills, and exploring new places. We can repeatedly step out of our comfort zones, try new foods and meet new people.

“I challenge you to combat this acceleration of time by saying ‘yes’ more often.

“A few months ago I applied this ‘yes theory’ to my own life–I made a goal to do at least one thing a month that took me out of my comfort zone. As a result, I presented at this years honors thesis symposium, I am moving to Austin, TX in a month, and I am speaking in front of you all today.

“Now if moving across the country or speaking in-front of 3,000 people makes your entire body queasy, that’s okay too. David Eagleman, an American neuroscientists says that even very small changes that alter your neural circuits will slow your perception of time. He recommends trying things like switching the wrist you put your watch on, changing around the arrangement of your furniture at home, or driving a different way to work. When you take a moment to look, you’ll be surprised with how many ways you can switch up the mundane.

“My favorite recommendation of his, which I know you all can accomplish, is engaging in lifelong learning. When I look out at the crowd of graduates in front of me, I see people who have done and will continue to do incredible things. Your time at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a world of fascinating knowledge still waiting to be discovered.

“When you look back over the course of your life, you can either feel like you were just 22 and graduating and that the subsequent decades passed in a moment’s time, or, you can look back on a seemingly never-ending cycle of your many adventures, your interesting everyday life, and the wealth of knowledge you accumulated.

“Your families, mentors, and professors have prepared you for the opportunities that lie ahead. Now it’s up to you to say ‘yes.’

“Thank you and congratulations to all the graduates.”