Commencement ceremonies celebrate educational achievement, but for some students they represent something even more special.
“I’m a first-generation student so it’s important for me that my mom [and little sister] see my commencement,” said Teja Brown, a Criminal Justice Major. “She’s younger than me so she can think if I can do it, she can do it.”
Brown is one of nearly 835 candidates set to receive their degrees as the spring 2024 semester ends.
Most are expected to participate in the commencement ceremonies which will be held May 4 at noon CDT outdoors on the Hammond campus, south of the Nils K. Nelson Bioscience Innovation Building. A live stream of the event will be available for supporters unable to attend in-person.
PNW alumna Regina Biddings-Muro will be the featured keynote speaker at the event. The CEO of the California Lutheran Education Foundation earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from PNW before obtaining a doctoral degree from Benedictine University.
Following graduation, Brown plans to continue guiding young people.
“I want to give them the encouragement that …, whatever you put your mind to, you can do it and don’t doubt yourself,” she said. “Never forget … why you started something or why you want to do something. Always remember your why because that will keep you motivated to keep going.”
Graduate student Kody Parkham also feels commencement is something special.
“Being not just first generation, but a black student graduating means a lot for me,” said Parkham, who is earning a masters in Business with a concentration in Finance. “I think a lot of people don’t really see that …, [and] it spreads hope. If we can do it, other people can too.”
“It’s a different feeling and another step into the adult world. It hasn’t really hit me yet, but I know once commencement comes, I will feel the full effect of that.”
After the last camera clicks, Parkham plans to spend his summer completing internships before going to Spain in October for two years to teach English to elementary and high school students.
“I plan on becoming a professor one day,” he said.
Kristian Collins also has big goals after graduation.
“My main plan is to stay at the job I am at right now, finish my PE and FE exams, and [then] get my official license in the state of Indiana as an engineer,” he said. “Eventually, I want to start my own engineering firm and hopefully partner with Purdue later to get students to work under me as interns and apprentices.”
Collins will cross the stage and receive a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering.
“No one in my family ever completed their bachelors and I am just trying to set the bar for my other siblings to follow in,” he said. “I want to do something different in my life and open them up to new opportunities.”
