"Senior Superlatives" by Cabrini Class of 1984
Updated: Aug 8
Digging for Compliments
I was digging for compliments at the bottom of my footlocker where I keep most memorabilia. Two years (1982-84) of every Edition of Loquiter are yellowed in a bundle. I was looking at my diplomas and awards when I came upon the "Senior Superlatives".
These are Certificates of recognition awarded by Classmates who vote for the most worthy and deserving of their peers. I forgot all about this testimony. No one ever asked me to vote ?
Accomplished
It seems I was quite accomplished.
There were nine blue scrap paper “Certificates of Award”. That’s a lot me thinks ? Here are the collective judgments and award recognitions bestowed on me by my college peers in 1984:
Most Dedicated
All-American Boy
Rowdiest
Funniest Laugh
Most Talkative
Biggest BS’er
Biggest Brown-Noser
Most Distinguished Walk
Most Likely to Be Late for Graduation
I was filled with pride about the Dedication aspect, but my enthusiasm waned as I continued down the list. Initially, it resembled a psychological assessment by people who had grown weary of listening to me..
Apparently, I was star spangled, loud, walked oddly, talked excessively, exaggerated stories, laughed too loudly, ingratiated myself with authority figures, showed remarkable dedication to everything, and yet somehow couldn’t manage to arrive on time for graduation.
It’s quite an intriguing combination.
BS and Brownie BS
I question the Categories. "Biggest BSer" and "Brown-noser" definitely overlap.
For instance, if I'm bullshitting with Dr. Jerome Zurek from Cabrini—an esteemed educator and Chairman of the award-winning Communications Department, and Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year, known for his contributions and support of social causes—it might be considered a brown-nosing situation.
However, that's just a sub-category; it’s really all pure bullshit. And “Most Talkative” paired with “Biggest Brown-noser” suggests I may have spent four years enthusiastically explaining my ideas to that saintly professor of goodwill whether he gave a shit or not.
Walking to Graduation
Then there is my personal favorite: “Most Likely to Be Late for Graduation.” They think I’ll be late because I walk funny. Ouch. That hurts. What other reason could there be?
Clearly it’s an outlier.
Think about the level of commitment required for your classmates to vote for you as most likely to be late for the one event where everyone knows exactly when and where they are supposed to show up.
That isn’t absent-mindedness.
That’s a reputation.
Y'all said I was dedicated. What the hell happened to that? And I really want to know who thinks I walk funny because that pisses me off.
I should consider it a compliment I guess. I see affection. Nobody votes for a person in that many categories unless they’ve made an impression.
The Truth in 360 Feedback
You know part of my background is in career counseling and workplace talent building. Dr. Zurek hired me to teach it at Cabrini. He is awesome, did I say? So I am a longtime practitioner of 360-degree feedback.
Self awareness is a thing for me. That's exactly what those nine blue scrap paper “Certificates of Award” are—feedback for my personal development.
A person usually only needs one, maybe two awards to get the gist of where they stand. But my college peers were keen to pile on the education.
So I did an analysis.
All-American Boy | Likable, visible, socially engaged, trusted |
Rowdiest | High energy, risk-taking, outgoing |
Most Distinguished Walk | Presence. People noticed you enter a room. |
Biggest BS'er | Storyteller, persuasive, embellishes for effect |
Most Dedicated | Strong work ethic and commitment |
Most Talkative | Communicator, networker, influencer |
Biggest Brownie | Ambitious, relationship-builder, seeks approval |
So thank you my friends at Cabrini. This new data is going on my resume.
My next speech is gonna be about your kind education and truth telling after all these years. It is heartwarming still to have the reinforcement of peers that I remain the man of promise and talent that I always imagined myself to be.
Thanks to all of you who kindly offered me the truth. It was a Road Less Traveled. And that has made all the difference.
And I do not walk funny !
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