The university graduated more than 6,300 students in nine ceremonies during 2015 Commencement Weekend, May 14-17.
“Commencement is a special moment each year,” says Georgetown President John J. DeGioia. “We couldn’t be prouder of our graduates, and it is a privilege to have this opportunity to celebrate their achievements and look toward their futures.”
This year’s speakers included Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, veteran journalist and talk show host Charlie Rose and more.
“What is important to remember is that history does not measure a person by his or her bank account,” said Ki-moon, who spoke to School of Foreign Service graduates. “What counts is how much one gives back to the world and how courageously one fights for what is right and for those in need.”
Lewis spoke to graduates of the McCourt School of Public Policy.
“As Dr. King would say, we need to learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish as fools,” he said. “…carry the message of peace and hope and love, where we respect the dignity and the worth of every human being. That is my message to you.”
Rose asked graduates of Georgetown College to think about the end of their lives and for what they wanted to be remembered.
“It’s not honor, it’s not prestige,” Rose said. “It is character, it is integrity, it is truth, it is doing the right thing.”
Commencement events officially kicked off May 14 with Senior Convocation, where the undergraduate Class of 2015 gathered together in McDonough Arena for the last time.
More than 1,750 graduating seniors, who represent 50 states and 67 countries and territories,took 78,598 courses and earned 232,725 credit hours during their years at Georgetown.
Members of the class also received highly competitive awards that include 10 Fulbright Scholarships, an Allbritton Scholarship, a Boren Scholarship, a Critical Language Scholarship, a Pickering Fellowship and three Presidential Fellowships.
On Saturday, they continued to celebrate their academic careers during commencement exercises for the School of Foreign Service, School of Nursing & Health Studies, McDonough School of Business.
Throughout Commencement Weekend, more than 4,400 graduates received their master’s and doctoral degrees from the McCourt School of Public Policy, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the McDonough School of Business, the School of Foreign Service, the School of Continuing Studies, the School of Medicine and the Law Center.
“This is a moment grounded in all of their hard work leading up to today,” DeGioia says of the Class of 2015, “and in the journey of exploration they’ve taken throughout their time at Georgetown – expanding their minds and their hearts to be able to meet the needs of our world.”