Ohio University conferred degrees on about 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students during this year’s commencement ceremonies in The Convo.
Graduating Ohio University students heard variations on several classic graduation themes this weekend: connections, curiosity, care — and commercial exercise regimens.
OU conferred degrees on about 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students during this year’s commencement ceremonies in The Convo.
“Each of you is achieving a personal milestone today, and each of you is closer to reaching your goals,” OU President Roderick McDavis said.
The graduate ceremony was held Friday at 9:30 a.m. The undergraduate ceremonies were at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and featured Bill Brand, a 1987 OU graduate and the president of the cable channel HSN, as commencement speaker.
Brand said he was “obsessed” with CrossFit, a popular fitness program, and said the graduates could learn from the regimen.
“Even though you might not fit the mold, you fit in,” he said.
Brand also encouraged graduates to be flexible with their plans and told them not to be anxious about whether they would get a job. They would probably get many, he said.
“Just as you aren’t done today when you get your diploma, you’re not done when you get your first job,” he said. “You’ve done something, but you have to change to keep growing.”
Macy DiRienzo and Haley Trottier, 2016 OU graduates, gave the student addresses for the morning and afternoon ceremonies, respectively.
DiRienzo began her speech by taking a selfie of herself and the graduates.
“This is Instagram worthy, but not all of college was,” she said. “Whether you’ve been here four years or are making a couple of victory laps, (college) cannot be measured in one emotion.”
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But it’s important to embrace the good and the bad, she said.
“Life isn’t always easy and college isn’t exactly a walk in the park,” she said. “It’s hard enough to walk across College Green in heels.”
McDavis recounted the speech he gave during the class of 2016’s convocation ceremony four years ago, when he challenged them to graduate.
“You heard those words and you probably wondered ‘Will I get there?’” he said. “Well, you did.”
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wp198712@ohio.edu
