Event 1

On Tuesday, September 2, 2008, I attended Nova Southeastern University’s Convocation, a formal welcome and a beginning to the 2008-2009 school year. It was an event of many inspirational speeches and numerous warm welcomes, located in the exuberant Miniaci Performing Arts Center. The proud president, Ray Ferrero, Jr. spoke a few words and introduced many professors and the staff of NSU. Andre Dubus, author of House of Sand and Fog, was the guest speaker. He gave a very motivational story about his father and the coincidence that had occurred, and told us about this year’s school theme “Life and Death.” His story was an anecdote of his life, a time when his father had called him but he was too busy working on a project. He didn’t have time to see his father, however his father convinced him to come visit. So Dubus left everything behind and went to see his father. He spent the evening with him and had a deep conversation about life. A few days later, his father passed away. Dubus told us how glad he was that he had left his work that day and went to see his dad. He didn’t know what had made him do so but he says that he definitely believes in a higher power. After Convocation, I was invited to dinner with Dubus, along with other Honors students, and got to meet him on a more personal level. I noticed that he was a very humorous, witty, entertaining, and light-hearted guy. The story behind his novel House of Sand and Fog was that during his early years, Dubus had a personal encounter with an Indian girl, whom he had fallen madly in love with. Her father was an interesting character, and he took the form of the main character of House of Sand and Fog, Behrani. His story was one of many life events that many people could relate to.