BLACKSBURG — Dawn Wright got to Friday based on her own hard work, but also the hard work of others.
The clinical neuroscience and biological sciences major led a line of Hokie graduates into a sunny Blacksburg morning at Lane Stadium. About 4,800 graduates and their families attended Virginia Tech’s spring commencement .
Wright’s family were some of about 30,000 people in attendance. And she said her parents are living vicariously through her, as they should. They were the ones who put her there, as she was the first in her family to graduate from college.
“It’s the best feeling,” said Wright, of Suffolk. “Everyone worked so hard for me to get here.”
Wright’s education isn’t over. She plans to attend Virginia Tech Carilion Medical School in the fall to pursue a medical career similar to that of the ceremony’s featured speaker Gov. Ralph Northam, who is a pediatric neurologist.
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Northam encouraged Wright and the rest of the graduates to pursue their passions and make positive change in the world with their degrees.
“You have the power and responsibility to make the world you want to live in,” Northam said.
Northam called on the graduates to be active in their communities and to spread what they’ve learned about leadership and service to the world, while still applying the basics of their education.
“You weren’t just trained to read and write, code and calculate,” Northam said. “Hokies are educated to lead.”
Northam said that when students are “in their rocking chairs,” later in life, they’ll want to look back at college as a transformative time that led them to improve their lives and those of others.
That sentiment was reflected by the fresh graduates who spoke at the ceremony, including former Student Government Association President Rex Willis.
He called on his classmates to be a force, and to use their skills because they “have something truly special to offer.”
“The world needs more people like us,” Willis said. “The world needs more Hokies.”
Individual college and department ceremonies began Friday and will continue on Saturday around Tech’s campus.
The school also honored influential people:
—There was a moment of silence for former President Charles Steger, who died Sunday at 70, and several speakers also praised him . A memorial service for Steger is scheduled Monday at 1:30 p.m., at the Moss Arts Center.
—Minnis Ridenour, a Tech administrator of more than 40 years, received an honorary doctorate for his service to the university and role in shaping its growth. It’s only the tenth honorary degree the school has bestowed. Tech President Tim Sands said that Ridenour had given up his dream of attaining a doctorate previously to devote his full attention to Virginia Tech.
—Leon Harris, a Floyd County native and president of Keltech Inc. in Roanoke, received the William H. Ruffner Medal, known as Tech’s highest honor for work with the university.
For Matthew Herman the ceremony was special. The graduate, who was walking after attaining a turf management degree in December, works as a graduate assistant for the athletic department helping to manage the grass surface at Lane Stadium.
Because of the thousands of feet trampling, and packing down the turf, he estimated he’ll have to put in some hard work with his colleagues to get the grass back into good shape.
In the meantime, it’s time to celebrate.
He just graduated from college.
“It’s a relief that I’m done, but I’m so excited,” Herman said. “This right here makes it all worth it.”