Senior Salute Send-off Message  

By Sean Benton 

Dear fellow Xavierite,  

It’s true what they say College may be the best four years of your life. It may also be the most challenging, but that’s where the growth is: in the middle of joy and struggle. 

When many of my colleagues first stepped onto campus, many of us imagined our four years to resemble how the media portrays university: a predictable rhythm of classes during the day, building community in between, and weekends filled with adventures we’d reminisce about to our families well into the future.  

What I did not yet understand was how much of college would involve learning things no one explicitly teaches you: how to ask for help, how to find opportunities, and how to trust that you belong in spaces you once only imagined. 

Some lessons at Xavier were not written into the syllabus or announced during the first day of class. They appeared quietly often in moments when things felt confusing or uncomfortable. Independence once felt like the only option; but over time, it became clear that growth happens faster when you allow yourself to be supported. Xavier showed me that community is not just something you build through attending classes and events; it is something you rely on when you are trying to figure things out. 

Opportunities rarely arrived with clear instructions or formal invitations. More often, they revealed themselves in passing conversations, after class discussions, or in moments when curiosity pushed me to speak up. It became clear that waiting to feel fully prepared meant missing chances to grow. Initiative, even when uncertain, opened doors that hesitation never could. 

There were also moments when success felt unfamiliar. Achievements that should have felt validating sometimes brought doubt instead of confidence. That imposter syndrome feeling that we know all too well at HBCUs became a recurring character in my identity development. Xavier was as academically rigorous as it was personally transformative for me. 

I am a first-generation college student. Being first-generation meant learning these lessons in motion without always having a clear example to follow. Progress did not always feel steady, but it was constant. With time, uncertainty became less frightening and more familiar. 

Now, approaching graduation, those lessons feel like preparation rather than obstacles. The things that once felt difficult to understand now feel like part of who I am becoming. Xavier educated the Class of 2026 and taught us how to navigate, how to adapt, and how to continue forward even when the path was not clearly marked. 

For those still walking this campus after us, understand that you are not supposed to know everything right away. There will be moments when you feel lost, behind, or unsure of where to begin. Keep going anyway. Ask questions anyway. Try anyway. The clarity you are searching for often comes through experience not instruction. 

Trust that Xavier will shape you in ways you cannot yet see. One day, you will look back and realize that the lessons you learned outside the classroom were just as important as the ones within it. And when that moment comes, you will understand that growth was happening all along. 

Keep going. Your time is coming. 

Sincerly, 

Sean Benton 

– Class of 2026