Celebrating Our Amazing Grads…And You Who Helped Make It Possible

Today’s topic is commencement. Three times today we will celebrate our remarkable and resilient Nighthawks at NOVA’s first Winter Commencement celebration. The students who will walk the stage have succeeded while facing unprecedented challenges, making these events even more meaningful.

Well before the pandemic disrupted almost every aspect of their lives, we knew that almost 50 percent of our students responding to a 2019 Real College survey reported struggling with basic needs. And now, two years into understanding the impact of COVID, we know that the virus has disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income individuals, making the journey forward especially difficult for so many of our students.

Yet, day after day, they pushed forward toward graduation. They did so to become the first in their families to earn a degree, to build a brighter future, to keep a promise to themselves or to others, to pursue a dream that would take them to a bachelor’s degree and beyond or to find a career that would sustain their families and their souls.

Today, we celebrate them because their accomplishments deserve all the applause, cheers and praise we can muster.

But they will not cross the stage alone. Each of you crosses the stage with them. When I ask our students who has made a difference for them at NOVA, each Nighthawk can name a village of faculty and staff: individuals who have nudged them, cared for them, seen them. In zooms and classrooms, emails and offices, conversations and virtual lobbies, our students have experienced what makes NOVA so incredibly powerful: you. As we celebrate our students, I thank you for making this celebration possible.

On this commencement day filled with joy, light and hope, I wish you the happiest of holidays!