HAMPTON ROADS – Colleges and universities across the Peninsula celebrated commencement last week, honoring graduates as they marked the end of their academic journeys and prepared for what comes next.
Virginia Peninsula Community College held its 57th Commencement Exercises on Thursday, May 14, at 2 p.m. at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton. The ceremony included students who graduated during the previous summer and fall semesters, as well as those completing requirements this spring.
Student speaker Cameran Drew encouraged graduates to face adversity with confidence, treat others with kindness and use their education “as a catalyst for change.” Drew, who earned an a degree in business administration, and is the youngest person to serve on the Surry County Board of Supervisors, told graduates their answer to life’s challenges should begin with two words: “I will.”
Christopher Newport University also hosted graduation events Thursday, beginning with its annual Baccalaureate Degree Conferral Ceremony at 8:30 p.m. on the school’s Great Lawn. In a new tradition the event continues with a Grad Walk, where graduates, grouped by college blocks, enter a queue with their guests, walk across the stage to be greeted by university leaders, and reunite with family members afterward.
At William & Mary, commencement was held Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m. in Zable Stadium, where political scientist, author and international relations expert Francis Fukuyama urged graduates to embrace civic leadership.
Referencing the university’s designation of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence as the “Year of Civic Leadership,” Fukuyama said, “Citizenship in such a country does not mean that you should passively enjoy the benefits of life in a free society,” adding that “civic leadership requires active participation in the democratic process.”
He also encouraged graduates to “pay attention to public affairs” and remember their “personal responsibility to improve the common life of our country.”
The university awarded honorary degrees to Fukuyama and journalist and Holocaust survivor Frank Shatz, who helped establish William & Mary’s Reves Center for International Studies in 1989.
