Bold new future

If members of the University of North Alabama class of 2008 ever find themselves in a life or career hole, they should just dig their way out.

That's the advice commencement speaker Steve Ainsley, publisher of the Boston Globe, offered during Saturday's graduation ceremony.

"Whatever you find yourself doing, do it well, and when you find yourselves in a hole of your own creation, sometimes it's not a bad idea to keep on digging, " Ainsley told the 600-plus graduates.

Ainsley, who was publisher of the TimesDaily from 1987-1993, told the graduates that he missed his graduation ceremony at New York University in 1976 because he was literally in a hole.

"At that moment I should have been taking that stroll across the stage, I found myself in the freshly excavated deep end of what would become someone's swimming pool in suburban New York City, ankle deep in mud with shovel in hand," he said.

At the time, he was so engrossed in working hard at his job as a laborer that he forgot it was graduation day, Ainsley said.

He has since come to realize the symbolism of having spent his college graduation digging a hole.

He told the graduates that some of his greatest life lessons have come from mistakes and near mistakes he has made since his graduation.

Ainsley encouraged the graduates to be willing to take risks and be prepared to make mistakes if they want to get ahead in life.

"Sometimes a mistake is not always a mistake, sometimes it's a course correction," he said. "You won't make mistakes if you don't take risks. You must take risks. So you will make mistakes. Get used to is early so you will get the really bad ones out of the way early."

Ainsley recalled a mistake he made in college.

"Midway through my college career, I transferred from the University of Virginia, a public school, to New York University, a private school. My reason for doing so was straight-forward. I wanted to become a journalist, and to do so, I needed to attend journalism school," he said.

The University of Virginia did not offer a journalism degree.

After transferring to New York University, it did not take Ainsley long to realize he was not cut out to be a journalist. "After only one 15-minute class, I realized I had made a terrible mistake. The newspaper business, or at least the news side of the newspaper business was not for me. That afternoon, I dropped out of journalism school and pursued a more conventional liberal arts degree."

Ainsley said at the time, he was not interested in a career in the newspaper industry. "Was I wrong? You bet I was wrong. Or at least half wrong. It was better that I acknowledged this mistake as soon as possible and moved on."

When he graduated, Ainsley was uncertain of his career path. His first job was ditch digging. He then mowed lawns and chopped firewood to earn a living.

In 1978, he went to work selling advertising at a Virginia newspaper.

"As it turns out, I had the industry right, but I didn't understand what I was good at," he said. "I often wonder what would have happened had I not had the will to acknowledge to myself that I had made a bad call. I would have probably embarked on a career in my early 20s that was all wrong for me or at least partially wrong for me."

Ainsley told the graduates to make life decisions that are best for them and not based on the expectations of others. He told them if they realize they made a mistake in their career path, admit it and change directions.

"Take your do-overs now as they will be much harder to come by in later years," he said. "Times change. Today's certainty becomes tomorrows's mistake. Don't be afraid to acknowledge that."

Garry Warren, UNA vice president for academic affairs and provost, told the graduates Saturday's ceremony is the first step of many will they take in their careers. "This is a start. Just remember this, this is a starting point."

Nicolas Trey Canida, of Spruce Pine, received the Keller Key for having the highest academic average among the graduates for work completed at UNA. He graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

Former Greenhill resident, Kristen Ashley Gist, received the Turris Fidelis Key for outstanding service to the university and scholastic achievement.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.