Loyola University Maryland issued the following announcement on May 19.
Loyola celebrates Class of 2018 at 166th Commencement Exercises
More than 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students received degrees at Loyola University Maryland’s 166th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at Royal Farms Arena in downtown Baltimore.
The Commencement address at this year’s ceremony was delivered by health care businessman and philanthropist Miguel “Mike” Fernandez, founder of MBF Healthcare Partners and author of Humbled by the Journey: Life Lessons for my Family…and Yours.
“When I think of where I came from, what I lack, and how I got to where I am today, your future is much brighter than mine if you choose to make it so,” Fernandez told the Class of 2018, encouraging them to approach life with humility and gratitude. “Yesterday will not remember you. Tomorrow may not come. But today’s your day. You own this day and should embrace it and thank God for it for you have it.”
Kelly Mueller, ’18, was chosen as the graduating student who delivered the Commencement address.
“We discovered more about ourselves and the world around us than we ever could have realized. Our syllabi did not define our education; the people behind them did. Our professors and mentors inspired in us passions that will sustain us in the years to come. And for this, I know I speak for all my fellow graduates when I say—we are grateful,” Mueller said. “Our Jesuit education would amount to nothing if we had stayed in the classroom. Loyola called us to go out and serve our communities, on and off campus.”
Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., president of Loyola, reminded the students that Loyola will always be their home and that they may return to it to recall all that they have acquired during their time on the Evergreen campus.
“You have been blessed to receive an exceptional college education—and not just any college education, but a Jesuit, liberal arts education. Each of you is prepared to succeed professionally in whichever field you’ve chosen. But whether you’ve focused on business or science or the humanities or another field, you’re not only poised—but, in fact, I would argue, expected and obligated—to contribute to the lives of the people you encounter and the organizations you become involved with in meaningful ways. Our world needs you,” he said. “Open your eyes to see those who are often overlooked. Use your voice to speak for those who aren’t heard. Build bridges and understanding. Try to help others feel at home in the same way you’ve felt at home at Loyola.”
Also at the ceremony the Immigration Outreach Service Center received the Milch Award; Rev. Frank R. Haig, S.J., associate professor emeritus of physics, received the John Henry Newman Medal; J. Richard Fredericks, a member of Loyola's Board of Trustees, received the President’s Medal; and Geraldine Johnson Geckle, ’74, received the Carroll Medal.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Loyola University Maryland
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