The 2,200 members of the Class of 2012 celebrated Freshman Convocation on September 18 in Conte Forum where they heard an address by J.R. Moehringer, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of The Tender Bar, a memoir, which was assigned as summer reading to the incoming class. “College is a dream I cannot stop remembering,” Moehringer told the group. Some of his advice, as reported in the Heights, included tips for getting the most out of college: “Start fast. Don’t wait—shyness hardens quicker than cement. Push yourself out of your comfort zone.” Ceremonial activities on the day of the Convocation began with a torch lighting ceremony on Linden Lane at which senior Christopher Miller (at right) passed a flame to Jeffrey White ’12, followed by a class procession to Conte Forum. The ritual lends an element of symmetry to students’ University experience: On graduation day they will travel the same route to Alumni Stadium and receive their diplomas.