This past Saturday Western New England University celebrated its
first commencement as a 'University'. This historic event featured a
brilliant commencement speech by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson who had the
unorthodox idea of actually sending a tweet during his speech (no
joke--check out his tweet from Saturday, May 19th @neiltyson)
ultimately leading to a standing ovation. President Dr. Anthony S.
Caprio had quite possibly the line of the day calling WNE the "miracle
on Wilbraham Road" growing from a mere 34 acres in 1956 to nearly 215
acres today.
In all nearly 650 students graduated with the distinct honor of
being a part of this inaugural University class. Graduate Michelle
Wiggett, who finished with a 3.96 GPA as a Criminal Justice major with a
concentration in Terrorism & Homeland Security, was chosen to speak
on behalf of the students. She did an excellent job describing the
vast changes that have occurred at the institution in her four years.
Wiggett commented, "As the first year started to take shape, we each
looked for our passions and found our purpose. Many went on to switch
majors, change career goals and continue to find their true
identities."
Best of luck to the graduating class of 2012 as they continue to serve Western New England University proudly as its newest alumni!
