DePauw celebrates class of 2024 at 185th commencement

Officially serving as marshal for the 185th commencement at DePauw University, geology professor Scott Wilkerson shares a special moment with son Ben in presenting him with his degree Sunday during the ceremony on Sunday on the East College lawn. University President Lori White stands nearby. A double-major in computer science and mathematics and a physics minor, Ben is the second of Scott and wife Beth’s children to graduate from the university, joining brother Zach, who graduated in 2020.

Courtesy DePauw University

The DePauw University class of 2024 gathered on East College lawn on Sunday, May 19 to receive their degrees and join the company of DPU alumni in the 185th commencement ceremonies at the university.

President Lori White began the ceremony by expressing gratitude to a class whose members entered DePauw under the difficult circumstances of a global pandemic.

“I know your first year at DePauw was rough, and that is probably an understatement,” White acknowledged. “Yet, you stayed the course, believing that DePauw was still the place where you wished to earn your college degree, and because of your optimism, enthusiasm, perseverance and talent, you have made incredible academic contributions over these past four years and helped to lead the resurgence of campus life at DePauw.”

With the ceremony at an end, Ben Wilkerson crosses paths with another graduate of both DePauw and Greencastle High School in Sal Martoglio, son of chemistry and biochemistry professor Rich Martoglio and wife Karen.

Courtesy DePauw University

The ceremony’s featured speaker was Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, a 1989 DePauw grad and a former Walker Cup recipient and Rhodes Scholar. As one of the nation’s leading lawyers whose numerous arguments before the Supreme Court include the landmark 2015 case Obergefell v. Hodges, Hallward-Driemeier used his message “Allyship as a Virtue’’ to challenge the graduates to use their privilege for something bigger than themselves.

“In a world in which, both at home and abroad, there seems to be ever increasing polarization and conflict, the virtue of allyship is more critical than ever,” he argued. “We can only hope to repair our civic community and to solve generations-old divisions if we can truly see and listen to each other, to hear each other’s pain and understand each other’s longings. Only through practicing allyship can we learn to celebrate our common humanity and build the bonds on which our collective survival depends.”

Hallward-Driemeier asked: “How are you going to use this great gift of a DePauw education as you live your lives from here forward?”

DePauw University graduate Nina Thompson makes her way back to her seat after collecting her diploma Sunday during commencement exercises.

Courtesy DePauw University.

The former assistant to the solicitor general of the United States and current partner at Ropes & Gray in Washington, D.C. reminded graduates their new university degrees would bring them great benefits and even greater responsibilities.

“You are privileged to be graduates of this wonderful school and to enjoy all of the breadth, depth and rigor of education that your DePauw diploma represents,” he said. “My challenge to you is that you use your privilege for something larger than yourselves. Live your life so that your time here is a blessing to others.”

The class of 2024 was represented on stage by the newest Walker Cup recipient Aaron Trinidad, a communications major and religious studies minor from Chicago. He encouraged his classmates to embrace their weirdness and all the things that make them unique. “I hope our class leaves DePauw showing others you can’t ask for permission to be you. You just need to be yourself. If you follow your heart, dare to be different, and use all the colors in the crayon box, who knows where you might end up?”

Courtesy DePauw University

The university also welcomed back Daniel Mendoza, Class of 2001, a pioneering scientist and professor of atmospheric sciences, internal medicine and urban planning at the University of Utah. Mendoza was commended by President White as “a dynamic catalyst for a healthier and more equitable world” and presented with an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.