Arts and Culture Editor Christian O’Brien writes up on the recent Leavers’ Service, and his perspectives as a first year.
Last Tuesday the 3rd of June, with the evening’s sunlight filtering through the stained glass motifs of the Cathedral, the Leavers’ Celebration for St. John’s College took place. Over the hour, choirs, bands, speeches and hymns – a mini-showcase of what it meant to be a Johnian – echoed throughout.
The best word to summarise the whole service would be ‘reflective’, and as a first year undergraduate it was fascinating to see the bittersweet goodbyes given to the finalists at the end of their time at John’s. However, we were poignantly reminded that this was not the conclusion of their life as a member of the College, but rather (as was articulated over three times), that ‘once a Johnian, always a Johnian’. Indeed, many reflected on their effect on College and the wider community as a whole, such as the endless hours of hard work undertaken by volunteers of the SJCR, or the more personal effects left by many. Others touched upon the future, with the more frightening aspects of the unknown faced by the leavers balanced with the exciting prospects of a whole life facing them.
Miles Balderson’s speech:
On one of my first days at John’s, David Wilkinson (the principal at the time) told us not to “put our degree in the way of our education”.’ […] Looking back to the person who arrived in first year and comparing to the person [I have since become] was a stark contrast. And this has only been possible due to the staff and students here and the opportunities I had, such as working with frep teams or musicals. It has been an honour and a joy to be here.
Member of the JMS choir, Alexander Gloag’s speech:
A few days ago, I heard someone speak about the theology of four-part harmony. By this, he was talking about how different people, singing different parts, can all come together to create one beautiful sound in unity with one another. Of course, in the context of theology this is about how four-part harmony reflects God’s plans for bringing diverse and varied people together to worship Him as a single unit, but I think this idea is reflected so clearly onto our experience of JMS choir. There we were together, a group of kind, interesting, fun people from all walks of life, lifting our voices together into one beautiful and majestic sound.
Alana Brogan’s reflection:
“We do not remember days, we remember moments”. It’s the little moments with friends in the dining hall, in Cranmer B, at formals and balls, in the bar, at SJCR meetings and in the beloved LRC, that I will remember for years to come. These behind-the-scenes moments, inside jokes and random conversations with the people I have met and grown with in John’s, will always remind me of how grateful I am to have spent three of the best years of my life filled with happy memories and surrounded by many of my favourite people. So, when asked what I am most grateful for from my time at John’s, it is that John’s has given me these little moments and memories that will last a lifetime.
Catie Mohan speech:
When I decided to come to Durham, I had never left America – I hadn’t even left the East Coast. I wanted to put myself into a completely foreign environment and learn from it, to develop skills that would stay with me for the rest of my life. However, once the business of Freshers’ Week died down and the term properly began, I regretted that decision. Over the next few weeks, I emailed a dozen American universities asking what I’d need to do to transfer. They all said the same thing: I would have to start over next year as a freshman. Every benefit of coming here completely went away. Why had I forced myself to be an ocean away from everything and everyone I knew? Luckily, that feeling didn’t last. I began to settle in; I made friends, found routines, and felt at home, not just at Durham, but especially at John’s.
Haneen Abbas:
It’s hard to put into words just how much St John’s has meant to me, but if I had to choose one word, it would be home. I still remember signing the matriculation book; feeling the weight of tradition, yes, but also a quiet sense of belonging. Since then, John’s has become my anchor: a place of comfort, growth, and community. Some of my most cherished memories aren’t grand events, but the quiet, unremarkable moments like the middle-of-the-night tea sessions on Garth B floor, where we’d laugh until we couldn’t breathe and talk about everything and nothing. It was in those moments that I felt truly held by the people around me. As I leave, I carry with me so much more than just a degree. I carry the warmth, the laughter, the lessons, and the people who made this place feel like home. And as I leave Durham, I remember ‘once a johnian, always a johnian’.
However, the service was not entirely speeches and bible verses – St. John’s Jazz Ensemble played a jazz standard, invigorating the Cathedral with the band’s upbeat tempo and solos. Contrastingly, some members of Cranmer Hall, as well as John’s Chapel Choir, sung soft hymns, their pleasant harmonies washing over the finalists seated in the pews. Perhaps my favourite aspect of the service was the bunting line; finalists were encouraged to write something great about their time at John’s on a triangle and put it up onto the line. Seeing all those hundreds of cherished memories encapsulated on one line made me think of what I would eventually put up on there, whether it would be something I have already, or will have, experienced.
Overall, the Leavers’ Service encapsulated life in John’s for so many finalists, namely its variety, alongside the pleasant memories created by so many over the past three and four years. I also wish every leaver good luck for whatever their future may hold!
Photo credits: Liz Kent and Adham Safayaldeen
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