They marked the largest class to earn degrees in over 130 years.
Packing chairs in the heart of Alumni Stadium, a sea of sashes and cords and decorated caps, they reflected the highest grade point average of Delaware State University history. They boasted the highest hours of community service. Hundreds of students crossed a graduation stage Friday, while a COVID-19 pandemic touched each year of higher education behind them.
The word of the day was resilience.
“Class of 2023, 50 years from now you might be seated here,” said President Tony Allen, taking note of alumni filling the sun-washed stadium. “… You might tell the stories and trials and tribulations of COVID-19 to your children, and perhaps their children — and God willing, hopefully they won’t understand.”
He told students to take pride with them.
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“I hope those 50 years pass for you without obstacle or challenge, but with a sense of forward progress and learning, even after you’ve walked today with your diploma in hand,” he said.
“You are the vanguard now, the freshest, fasted and fiercest among us. Today is your moment.”
The next keynote speaker wasn’t on the original paperwork.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester headlines commencement
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester got a call from the president late last night.
“Some of you might have noticed I’m not the name in the program,” she told the crowd.
The first woman of color to represent Delaware in the United States House of Representatives was asked to highlight the ceremony in the wake of news Thursday that former keynote speaker and country music star Jimmie Allen was being sued for sexual assault. She said she jumped in the car.
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Blunt Rochester said she started fielding advice, scripture and other nuggets from Delawareans, finding herself with a handful of hours to prepare a speech. She leaned particularly on the words of a young relative enrolled in Delaware’s HBCU.
“She said: ‘This class had their freshman year dramatically, drastically changed by COVID-19,” Blunt Rochester echoed, adding that most classes were sent online until campus opened back up with vigorous testing. “So my word for you is resilient.”
Throughout the morning every speaker and each student name earned high energy and cheers from a packed stadium. “You did it baby!” “That’s my sister!” and “OK!” rang through the stadium. Some students danced to their diplomas, each all smiles.
Twenty-two students were awarded Presidential Academic Awards, reaching commencement with an unblemished 4.0 GPA, while two others earned Presidential Leadership recognition. Many more were handed their diploma with a handshake from Allen, Blunt Rochester, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper and many others covering the stage.
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It seemed more like a beginning than a conclusion.
Ending her comments with a personal poem, Blunt Rochester told graduates to only look forward.
“It’s not about where I’ve been,” she said to a class of first-generation college graduates, legacies and more ready to enter the workforce.
“It’s about where I’m going.”
