Graduation 2020; Coronavirus; COVID-19

In-Person Mini-Celebration Honors 2021 and 2020 Graduates

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 13 May 2021 22:32:32 +0000

In-Person Mini-Celebration Honors 2021 and 2020 Graduates John Brandon C… Thu, 05/13/2021 - 18:32

View the 2021 In-Person Mini-Celebration Recording

Topics

Commencement

Graduation

Graduation 2020; Coronavirus; COVID-19

CHHS News

In This Story

Kimberly Holmes, PhD, MEd

The College Celebrates 2020 and 2021 Graduates.

Graduates from 2020 and 2021 celebrated their achievements with an in-person ceremony.

Members of the College of Health and Human Services’ Class of 2020 and 2021 were honored during an in-person mini-celebration on Thursday, May 13. The in-person celebration gave 212 2020 and 2021 graduates an opportunity to be recognized for completing their degrees and walk across the stage. 2020 graduates were invited to return as they were not able to celebrate in-person last year due to statewide restrictions on large events due to COVID-19.

The College had a total of 790 (455 undergraduate and 335 graduate) spring 2021 graduates who received their degrees across 21 degree programs.

Kim Holmes, associate dean for academic affairs, hosted the in-person celebration and welcomed the graduates and their loved ones during opening remarks, followed by comments from Dean Germaine Louis, student speaker Caprecia Miller, and alumni speaker Kevin Cevasco.

In addition, Bridgett Nesfield, a graduating Music Performance major at Mason, and John Kim, a 2016 Mason alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts, performed the National Anthem and Mason’s Alma Mater during the celebration.

“The class of 2020 was invited to participate in this semester’s in-person events; therefore, today we will be recognizing both our 2020 and 2021 graduates,” Holmes said to the graduating classes. “We are proud of your accomplishments, and we applaud your resilience through the unexpected changes and challenges of the past year.”

Dean Germaine Louis spoke on the graduates’ resiliency as they completed their degrees, despite the changes brought on by COVID-19. “At Mason, we work very hard to ensure our graduates are career-ready,” said Louis.

Dean Germaine Louis addresses the 2021 and 2020 graduates during the In-Person Mini-Celebration.

“And I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that you accomplished all this while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and all the other aspects of your life. Your ability to successfully meet academic demands in the context of forces beyond your control is witness to all you can do in the future, and it is a part of your living legacy of what is possible,” Louis added.

After thanking the graduates, their loved ones, and the College’s faculty and staff for another successful year of preparing career-ready graduates, Louis spoke of her wishes for the future leaders in public health. “I remain hopeful that we will rebuild our communities and work in support of health for all people,” said Louis. “I ask our graduates to work in support of a world with health, not disparities; with safety, not violence; and with prosperity, not poverty. Continue to make Mason proud.”

Caprecia Miller (MSW '21), 2021 student speaker.

This year’s student speaker, Caprecia Miller (MSW ’21), echoed Dean Louis’ speech when saying, “You have shown unprecedented resilience, dedication, and strength during a defining pandemic, and quickly adjusted to online learning. And if the pandemic taught us anything, it taught us to be grateful for what we have.”

Miller went on to thank the professors who helped prepare graduates for their professional careers as well as graduates’ families and friends, who encouraged and supported them along the way.

“May you have a bright and prosperous future,” Miller said to the graduating classes. “I wish each of you success as you pursue your dreams.”

Kevin Cevasco (MPH '20), 2021 alumni speaker.

Two-time Mason alumnus, Kevin Cevasco, offered the graduating classes insight on the value a Mason degree brings by sharing experiences throughout his career. “I worked for 30 years between my Mason bachelor’s degree and MPH and am confident that what you learned here at Mason is valuable,” Cevasco said. “While your time as a student may be over, your relationship with Mason is just beginning.”

Cevasco concluded his speech by reminding the graduating classes on the importance of being in the Mason community and encouraged all to stay connected with one another as well as their professors and mentors.

To stay connected, all alumni are encouraged to become a part of the public health dialogue on the College’s social media channels: chhs.gmu.edu /news | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

2021 graduates are also invited to attend the Virtual Degree Celebration on May 14 at 2 pm, which will be live-streamed on the CHHS YouTube channel. Additional ways to celebrate the graduates can be found here.

Mason's 2020 graduates praised for resilience

Preston A Williams — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 19:17:28 +0000

Mason's 2020 graduates praised for resilience Preston A Williams Thu, 12/17/2020 - 14:17

Topics

Graduation 2020; Coronavirus; COVID-19

Commencement

Graduation

Campus News

In This Story

Gregory Washington

��AV honored a record-high number of graduates Thursday afternoon, celebrating more than 14,000 students who adapted under historically challenging circumstances to stay on track to earn their degrees.

The pre-recorded Celebration of the Class of 2020 was livestreamed on GMU-TV, with graduates and their families and friends tuned in from around the world. Watch here.

Mason alumnus and current graduate student Bobby Lacy II performed a spoken word piece titled "Resilience" during the virtual 53rd Commencement.

The event honored the more than 9,700 students who graduated in the spring, and the more than 4,600 who completed their degree work during the summer and fall.

Mason President Gregory Washington expressed his admiration for the graduates, saying they deserved to be celebrated for prevailing “against a set of circumstances unknown to virtually anyone on Earth.” He added that achieving their academic goals amid the COVID-19 crisis makes them even better prepared to succeed in their lives and careers.

“You will carry those experiences with you into a world that awaits with all of its promise and mystery,” Washington said. “But you will also take something else with you—a resilience that you did not anticipate needing. One that you might not even know you possess.”

President Washington and the deans made their remarks from various spots on Mason's campuses.

The guest speaker, Charniele L. Herring, BA Economics ’93, congratulated the graduates and the university for persevering in the face of adversity. The first woman and first African American to serve as majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates, Herring recalled her own challenges as a former homeless high school student who found opportunity through Mason’s Student Transition Empowerment Program.

“My hope for each of you is that you find your voice,” Herring said. “And once you have found your voice, don’t stop using it. When I was where you are, I spoke out on the issues I cared about. About equality for women, helping the homeless population, and fighting for our environment. I hope that passion sparks in you and turns into something powerful and life changing as I know that it can.”

The university had previously recognized spring graduates in May with a livestreamed event on GMU-TV. Those students had finished their final semesters online. Students this fall were enrolled in both in-person and virtual classes as part of the university’s Safe Return to Campus plan. The December graduating class includes 5,075 students who earned degrees or certificates. They hail from 63 countries and 41 states.

Like the spring class, about one-third of the December graduates indicated they are first-generation graduates, and 35% of 2020 undergraduates earned degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

There were many similarities between the virtual event Thursday and Mason’s traditional graduation ceremony. Santiago Alfonzo Meza, BA Music ’20, sang the national anthem, though not in EagleBank Arena where the ceremony usually takes place, but facing it from aside Mason Pond. He was accompanied by the socially distanced Patriots Fife and Drum Corps and the 8th Green Machine Regiment Band.

Mason deans, recorded at various sites on the university’s campuses, presented their graduates to Washington so he could officially confer their degrees. College and school websites featured personalized slides of graduates, and those with doctoral candidates held live ceremonies after the virtual celebration.

The video presentation was virtual. The tears were real

Damian Cristodero — Fri, 22 May 2020 19:47:47 +0000

The video presentation was virtual. The tears were real Damian Cristodero Fri, 05/22/2020 - 15:47

Topics

��AV

Graduation 2020; Coronavirus; COVID-19

Schar School of Policy and Government

Celebration of Class of 2020

Leadership

Students

Celebrating stories of personal growth from these graduating seniors

Damian Cristodero — Fri, 22 May 2020 09:30:00 +0000

Celebrating stories of personal growth from these graduating seniors Damian Cristodero Fri, 05/22/2020 - 05:30

Topics

��AV

Graduation 2020; Coronavirus; COVID-19

Celebration of Class of 2020

Leadership

Students

Mason honors 2020 graduates with a virtual celebration featuring Stacey Abrams

Colleen Rich — Tue, 19 May 2020 09:00:16 +0000

Mason honors 2020 graduates with a virtual celebration featuring Stacey Abrams Colleen Rich Tue, 05/19/2020 - 05:00

Stacey Abrams
Photo provided

��AV honored the largest and most diverse graduating class in its history with a virtual Celebration of the Class of 2020 on May 22.

The online event recognized the graduates whose final semesters were impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and was livestreamed on GMU-TV. The celebration included remarks from Mason Interim President Anne Holton, a graduating student, and a special congratulatory message from Stacey Abrams, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, author, entrepreneur and voting rights advocate. In addition, the Green Machine performed.

As part of the event, each school or college had its own slide show, including personalized slides for graduates.

In surveys, the 2020 graduates noted a strong preference for a future ceremony at EagleBank Arena. With a traditional Spring Commencement not possible because of the pandemic, the virtual event was a way to acknowledge students’ achievements until an in-person ceremony can be safely held on campus. The virtual program will last about 20 minutes.

Holton has frequently noted how proud and impressed she has been by the resilience of the 2020 graduates, who pushed through the unexpected challenge to complete their degrees. The university shifted 5,200 courses online and extended the academic calendar so classes could be completed.

The 2020 graduating class is projected to include 9,719 degree earners and 744 certificate earners, from 83 countries and 45 states, plus the District of Columbia, Guam and foreign military installations.

A projected 50.5% of the 6,018 bachelor’s degree earners are part of minority populations—an all-time Mason high—and 32% of undergraduates say they will be a first-generation graduate in their family.

The graduating class reflects Mason’s standing as the largest producer of tech talent in the state. Thirty-five percent of the 2020 undergraduate degree earners are in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and 24% of the 3,528 master’s and doctorate degree earners are in STEM fields.

The top undergraduate majors are criminology, law and society; information technology; psychology; information systems and operations management; and computer science.

The top degree programs for the 3,222 master’s degree earners are curriculum and instruction, special education, data analytics engineering, education leadership, and business administration—the same five and same order as last year.

Of the 306 doctoral degrees to be awarded, the top five PhDs choices are education, psychology, economics, conflict analysis and resolution, and public policy.

The university will also award 173 law degrees.