Residential Education and Orientation Student Staff Dinner

August 20, 2024
President Robert W. Iuliano
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Welcome, everyone, and a special thank you to our Residential Education and Orientation student staff.

Tonight, as you begin a new year in these important roles on campus, I wanted to share with you a few lessons from a surprising source—one of my favorite movies.

This movie was shown this summer at the College’s Majestic Theater here in town to a full house. Of course, my wife Susan and I were in attendance.

The movie I’m referring to is none other than the beloved 80s classic, The Princess Bride.

By a show of hands, how many of you have seen the film?

Some people say I even bear a striking resemblance to Vizzini. If you ask me, knowing we’re both Sicilian is nothing short of “Inconceivable!” But I digress.

The Princess Bride is a whimsical tale of adventure, comedy, and love. The story follows Westley, a young farmhand who, after being presumed dead, returns as the dashing Dread Pirate Roberts to rescue his beloved Buttercup.

In life, we are all the hero of our own adventure. We are all the Westleys, the Dread Pirate Roberts—overcoming incredible odds to rise up and save the day.

But it is important to remember that in our families, in our careers, and in our communities—including our campus community—we are likewise called upon to be the trusted friend, the colleague, and sidekick in someone else’s story.

We all need people in our lives who are there for us—in the good times and the hard times. We cannot succeed without them.

So tonight, I’d like to speak to you about one of Westley’s most cherished sidekicks: Inigo Montoya.

What can we learn from this remarkable swordsman who is driven to restore his father’s honor—and the role he played in helping Westley to achieve his greater purpose in the film.

As RAs and Orientation leaders, I see four valuable lessons I’d like to share with you this evening.

First, as a trusted sidekick, we are called to challenge our students to be their best.

Reaching our goal is never easy. We see this in The Princess Bride.

After Westley scales The Cliffs of Insanity, he is confronted by Inigo Montoya, who challenges him to a dual.

And just like in the films, there are times in college and in life when we think we have mastered our craft and we have surpassed the competition, only to realize others were competing lefthanded—and that there is a higher level still to be reached!

As a mentor and friend of our new students, be sure to remind them of what it takes to succeed at this higher level—and that they have what it takes within them to do so.

Second, encourage our first-year students to embrace the giants of our community.

Giants can be intimidating. Westley experienced this in his first interaction with Fezzik, the giant from The Princess Bride.

Our students experience it, especially in their first few semesters, with our own faculty, our coaches, and administrators, as well as our junior and senior students—those who may have more life experience and see this place from a different vantage point than they do.

Remind these students that like Fezzik, our community is filled with gentle giants who are here to help them achieve their goals. It’s one of the reasons this community is so extraordinary: everyone is here to help.

Third, on their hardest days, support our students—and help them to continue moving forward.

In the film, Westley quite literally has the life sucked out of him—and he has been left motionless. He is all but defeated.

But Inigo and Fezzik help to bring him back to life, even carrying him on their own until Westley can stand on his own two feet again.

Every college student suffers setbacks—the failed exam, the bombed presentation, the roommate argument, the heartache that comes with a breakup.

Be there for our first-year students in these moments. Support them. Carry them until they can stand on their own foot feet once more. It will make all the difference in their own hero’s journey.

Fourth, and finally, stand with them—shoulder to shoulder—as they strive to reach their highest aspirations.

In the conclusion of the movie, Inigo storms the castle with Westley, fighting off guards to help him find his dearest Buttercup.

While our first-years climb to victory will likely be less dramatic, we all need those we can count on to be there for us, those we can trust to have our backs in the biggest moments. Be that person for our first-years in the months ahead.

If you do, there is no doubt in my mind that they will be successful here—and ride off into the sunset in four years, just like in The Princess Bride, ready to author a new chapter in their lives and careers.

Sidekicks matter.

They’re the ones who keep us pressing forward when we feel like we have nothing left to give.

They’re the ones who believe in us when we’ve lost confidence in ourselves.

They’re the ones who help us find the real hero inside.

Be a sidekick.

Once again, I want to thank you for the commitment you’re making to our students. It makes our community a stronger, more vibrant place.

Thank you!