Happy grads cross the stage at rainy College of Wooster commencement
Despite the wet weather Monday morning, May 12, graduates and families alike were buzzing with excitement in the Timken Gymnasium. As the Scot Pipe Band led the procession of graduates into the gym, parents and family members spotted their graduate, waved, cheered and applauded.
College of Wooster President Grant Cornwell opened the ceremonies with a reflection of the past year. “There are times I will remember fondly,” he said. “But there are times I won't, like the revelry outside my house at 2 a.m. the last couple of nights.”
All the shenanigans aside, Cornwell believes the Class of 2014 to be an important influence on the direction of the college's academic journey.
After the invocation by the Rev. Susan M. Rothenberg, graduating seniors Zachary H. Harvey and Mae Manupipatpong addressed their class. Harvey, as a chemistry and biology double major, didn't think he had anything “cheery, tactful or eloquent” to say to his fellow graduates. But he did point out the reason why so many have chosen the College of Wooster for their undergraduate degrees. “Wooster is home,” he said. “It's about more than taking classes. The idea that faculty could care about students went beyond my expectations.”
Before students could walk across the stage and receive their degrees, the college conferred two honorary degrees. Both Yale sociology professor Elijah Anderson and Student Conservation Association founding president Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam received Doctor of Humane Letters degrees.
As an urban ethnographer, Anderson has worked on many projects involving race. Throughout his career he has published multiple books, including “Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City” in 2009, “Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community” in 1990 and “A Place in the Corner,” originally printed in 1978 with a second edition in 2003.
As part of his speech, Anderson recounted a story he heard about a young boy being mistreated by a community because of his race. He urged the graduating class to “be aware of yourself, watch yourself and live well,” so that incidents like these become less common in the U.S.
Putnam, a graduate of Vassar College, began her work on the Student Conservation Association in 1955 with her thesis. She envisioned a modern-day Civilian Conservation Corps to expand efforts to protect national parks. Today, the association is the leading provider of conservation service opportunities and youth education.
She, too, advised students to be aware. “Beware what you do, what you start,” she said. “You may be doing it 60 years later.” She had no doubt that the Class of 2014 would be up to any challenge thrown their way.
As each graduate received their diploma, some gave small tokens of appreciation or snapped selfies with the president, some pumped their fists in triumph and some just looked relieved to have made it this far. But all of them were taking Manupipatpong's advice on commencement day. “Don't cry because it's over,” she said. “Smile because it happened.”
Local students earning degrees from the College of Wooster include:
Gabriel Abud, Wooster High School, Wooster, biochemistry and molecular biology major, cum laude.
Mariah Alderman, Orrville High School, Orrville, psychology major and religious studies minor.
Michaela Boros, Seton Home Study School, Big Prairie, music performance major and French minor, magna cum laude.
Craig Day, Waynedale High School, Holmesville, communication studies major.
Ethan Flack, Kingsway Christian School, Orrville, music major, cum laude.
Patrick Flautt, Atlanta International School, Wooster, political science major.
Sara Green, Wooster High School, Wooster, biology major.
Anastasia Jaeb, West Holmes High School, Millersburg, women's, gender, and sexuality studies major with a minor in religious studies, magna cum laude.
Zachary Mathie, West Holmes High School, Millersburg, history major.
Aaron McKee, West Holmes High School, Big Prairie, business economics major with a minor in mathematics, summa cum laude.
Rachel Myers, Wooster High School, Wooster, political science major, summa cum laude.
Mamoudou N'diaye, Wooster High School, Wooster, neuroscience major.
Danielle Reeder, Wooster High School, Wooster, English major with a minor in education.
Erica Rickey, Norwayne High School, Creston, political science major with a minor in history, magna cum laude.
Alexandria Stout, Triway High School, Wooster, biology major.
Kelsey Williams, Wooster High School, Wooster, East Asian studies major with a minor in Chinese studies, summa cum laude.