The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Schools of Education, Health and Human Behavior, and Engineering concluded the SIUE commencement season Sunday, May 9, at First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center as Chancellor Randy Pembrook conferred degrees upon the Class of 2021.
To return to in-person commencement exercises during the COVID-19 era, Pembrook oversaw a series of 10 smaller ceremonies for 2,325 eligible graduates during the first two weekends in May at both outdoor and indoor venues. The outdoor ceremonies were the first held at SIUE since the early 1990s. All ceremonies are archived on siue.edu/tv.
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Pembrook noted that life is about change and adjustments, and also about changing the world through one’s own actions. He quoted human rights activist Desmond Tutu, “Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
SIU President Dan Mahony, PhD, extended his congratulations. “Graduating from University is always a significant accomplishment, but graduating as you did is particularly notable,” he said. “Everyone who graduates faces challenges along the way, but few students have faced the challenges you’ve endured during the pandemic. Be particularly proud that you persevered to this point. We are excited about what is to come next and wish you the best of luck in the next chapter in your journey.”
The School of Education, Health and Human Behavior had two exercises on Sunday. The student speaker was Peter Romero, of Edwardsville, who received a bachelor’s in elementary education. In his virtual remarks, Romero spoke of both anxiety and anticipation.
“Just like today, we are all probably nervous about moving on to another new chapter of our lives, but I hope that everyone is also excited,” Romero said. “After all, this is how life works. We enter a new phase, work hard, tackle any challenges to the best of our ability, achieve a goal and then move on to the next life milestone. Of course, I don’t know everyone’s life goals or dreams, but if there’s one thing that I do know, it’s that you should chase those dreams with all you’ve got.”
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