On Friday, May 13, hundreds of family, friends and faculty filled Packard Music Hall to celebrate the graduation of more than 225 candidates at Kent State University at Trumbull’s Commencement. Special guests included Student Speaker, Nicole Sandrella; Commencement Speaker, Jennifer Roller; and Alumni Representative, Stephanie Smith, who is a Kent State professor and Community Advisory Board member for Kent State University at Trumbull.
Sandrella, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, double-majoring in English and Psychology, closed her address with a quote borrowed from the novel “Peter and the Starcatchers.” Sandrella told fellow students, “Every story ends. And so ours begins.”
Roller, who is the first member of her family to graduate from college and the first woman to serve as president of The Raymond John Wean Foundation, fittingly urged students, “Always do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Dr. Lance Grahn, Dean, Kent State University of Trumbull, concluded the ceremony, with David Whyte’s poem “Santiago” and encouragement for graduates to continue to follow their dreams. “Graduation is an opportunity to get up, look ahead, and get on down your road, confidently knowing that you are newly refreshed and armed with additional training, understanding, and insights.”
Kent State University at Trumbull Commencement photos now available through Kasey Samuel Adams Photography.