Stormy weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Class of 2018 gathered with several thousand family members and friends to enjoy the 2018 Commencement on Saturday, May 19. Inside the Trinity Center, spirits were high and the Green Class members glowed with the pride of so much accomplishment. 259 graduates received diplomas for associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees across all schools and disciplines.
Campus Minister Sr. Ann Howard, SND, opened the ceremony with a beautiful invocation. She also gave a very meaningful homily at the Baccalaureate Service on Thursday before commencement. (Sr. Ann Howard Commencement Invocation)
Trinity Board of Trustees Chair Sr. Patricia O’Brien, SND (above) greeted the Class of 2018 with lovely remarks on behalf of the Board of Trustees. (See Sr. Patricia O’Brien Greetings to the Class of 2018)
Sadhana Singh ’18 (on the right, above) welcomed Commencement honoree and speaker Donald Graham and read his citation. (See Citation for Donald Graham ). Mr. Graham’s address to the graduates (available on video here) was deeply moving, and a wonderful expression of his own generosity to so many Trinity students.
Don Graham is responsible for the creation of the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DC-TAG) and D.C. College Access Program (DC-CAP) as well as the establishment of the national scholarship program for undocumented students known as TheDream.US — these programs have supported several thousand Trinity students across the last two decades.
Commencement 2018 included the first group of 20 graduates who are Dreamer Scholars (group photo above). These students achieved at remarkably high levels. As Mr. Graham noted in his remarks, 19 of the original 21 graduated in four years for a 95% completion rate, an astounding benchmark. 70% of the 20 Dreamers in the Class of 2018 graduated with honors (summa, magna and cum laude), a benchmark also well above the rest of the class. And 35% of the Dreamer graduates are members of Phi Beta Kappa, constituting more than 50% of the Phi Beta Kappa members of the Class of 2018, also a stunning achievement. (See Catholic News Service Article on Dreamers)
Congratulations to Emma Kamara (photo below) for winning the Mary Boyle McCrory Award for Excellence in Writing.
Many other students are members of honor societies and winners of awards given at the senior luncheon and through the year. The Commencement Program includes lists of all graduates and honors.
I gave remarks at commencement and also at the senior luncheon. You can access my remarks on these links:
Senior Luncheon Remarks: From Hashtags to Hope
President McGuire Remarks for May 2018 Commencement
You can view and purchase all commencement photos on the Commencement website. Here are some other favorites, and once again, congratulations to all graduates of the Class of 2018!
