Jessica Borduas - 2022 Senior Athletic Awards Banquet Speech

Senior Jessica Borduas (Woodbury, Conn.), a four-year member of the Saints Women's Lacrosse program addressed her fellow student-athletes as the "senior speaker" at Emmanuel's Senior Athletic Awards Banquet on May 10, 2022. Jess had the following to share:

Good evening, everyone.

Thank you to all that attended to celebrate our very talented Class of 2022, it is an absolute honor to be able to speak in front of you all tonight. When I received a call from an Ohio number last week on the way to our game, I immediately declined it thinking it was a spam call, later to find out it was AD McWilliams asking me to speak in front of you all tonight… so here we are. 

I would like to start off by thanking the entire Athletic Department, especially AD McWilliams, Coach Campagna, Coach Berry, Coach Yosinoff, Coach White and of course my three coaches Coach Maloney, Coach Marrs, and Coach Kara without all of you, I most certainty would not be standing here tonight. Thank you to Sister Janet and Sister Anne for everything you have done for this school and your continuous support of the athletic department. On behalf of myself and all the student athletes thank you to all the coaches for giving your time, your endless dedication, you’re mentoring, and for helping shape us into the people we are today. And to my fellow senior athletes, congratulations on your success these past four years, from having dealt with a COVID year, a shortened season, and everything else in-between, it is safe to say it was all worth it.  And thank you to our amazing athletic training staff, Ellie, Jake, and Mandy for the countless hours you put in to make sure everyone can step on the field or court for every practice and game. You are our sensible side when we insist that no matter what, we play.  

I want to start off by highlighting the Class of 2022. In just 4 years the Class of 2022 has brought home a total of 7 GNAC championships, 17 individual GNAC champions for track and field and cross country and have received over 50 conference awards. 

As students going into college, we hear about how fast our college experience will go by, and now I can attest to that. When I first moved into Emmanuel, I purposely had my Yankee hat sitting on my desk and the first thing my roommate said to me was, “you’re a Yankees fan?”,  I of course responded with “yes, I’m a huge Yankees fan” but little did I know her dad was the head of team security at Fenway... needless to say we have gotten over that and remain the best of friends today which is a true testament to the culture of Emmanuel College. 

Emmanuel College is truly a special place, and I would not have wanted to spend my last four years as a student-athlete anywhere else. When becoming a student athlete, we devote ourselves to excelling on and off the field. Some days were harder than others as we had to adapt and maneuver through obstacles and sacrifice whatever it took to become the best version of ourselves. Being a student athlete means being a shoulder to lean on. It means our bodies being sore, turf burn up and down our leg, and countless bruises all over our bodies, but most importantly it means creating bonds and friendships that will never be broken. Being a student athlete is something not everyone can do, and for that we should be proud of ourselves. We chose to wake up every morning and continue to do what we love. Despite any challenges we’ve had to overcome; we wouldn’t have had it any other way. It will be impossible to replicate the feeling of standing on the field or court listening to the national anthem or running to your teammates after a win, but the effort and work we put in certainty paid off. At the end of the day, we played for so much more than wins or loses, we played for each other. Our time as Emmanuel Saints has truly been a privilege and something I will cherish forever. 

Maloney and Marrs, thank you for everything you have done for me personally, and for the team these past 4 years. You have helped me grow as an individual on and off the field and I will forever be grateful for that. Everything you have done for the team, including your continuous efforts of turning this program around, has not gone unnoticed and everyone appreciates you guys more than you know. You both have been someone who I know will always say the right thing to me whether good or bad. You’ve helped us celebrate big wins, talked us through tough losses, not to mention last season, calmed us down when we’ve gotten yellow cards but most importantly, you have taught us important life lessons that will stay with us for a lifetime. My freshman year the program was coming off a 3-11 season and last year we were in the GNAC championship, and this year played in semifinals. Although we never got to experience a championship together, I cannot wait for you guys to bring one home. Kara, I can only imagine how challenging it is to join a team mid-season, especially with our big personalities, but you have made such a positive impact on our team, and I am happy I was able to spend some of my senior season with you. 

Also, a very big thank you to Andy for letting me be a part of the basketball family and for giving me the opportunity to work behind the scenes of our athletic department. I will always consider myself a GNAC champion and of course, the best manager in the GNAC. I remember the first time Andy had me write an email for him. My arms were sprawled across his desk, reaching for his ancient keyboard because he wouldn’t let me move it. He began to yell what I was supposed to type, so I immediately started typing... he paused after the first three words and his hands were on top of his head, everyone can picture what that looks like. I thought to myself, “I typed three words, what possibly could have been wrong” ... the problem was, I wasn’t typing in all caps. from that day on I always made sure to type everything and anything in caps for you. Andy, your dedication and commitment to your team and Emmanuel College is unmatched and I am grateful for all the experiences you’ve given me. 

Lastly, I wanted to say thank you to my parents and brother for all their support during my entire athletic experience. You have given me the opportunity to continue to play the sport I love at an amazing school. 

We know that the sport we play will not be our career, we play because we want to. There will be no million-dollar contracts, but there will be relationships and friendships that are worth so much more. These four years we persevered, and we made it through. This is no different than what we will face in our everyday lives. Our next chapter starts soon. The road won’t be smooth, and we will experience some bumps, but we can take what we have learned here and turn it into a win. I wish everyone the best of luck in your future endeavors. 

Go Saints! 

WATCH Jess's speech below: