Page 20 - WilmU Spring Summer 2013

A mid the joyful laughter, warm
embraces and enthusiastic
fist-pumping, another worthy
class of Wilmington University
graduates accepted their
diplomas in ceremonies in Wilmington and
Georgetown.
University President Dr. Jack Varsalona
gave a warm welcome and heartfelt speech
to the graduates at each ceremony in January
and May, commending them on their hard
work and dedication in earning their degrees.
“The university is recognized nationally for
its academic rigor, and we give away nothing.
You had to earn it all,” Dr. Varsalona said. “You
are men and women who have demonstrated
great courage, intelligence and perseverance
to reach this dream, and you know the value
of downright hard work.
“We are so proud that the University is now
part of your lives and part of your history,” he
declared.
Many of the students graduating this year
overcame momentous obstacles to be able
to cross the stage and receive their diplomas.
Each ceremony featured a student speaker
who exemplified the University’s mission and
message. These graduates held down full-time
jobs and participated in community service
while pursuing their degrees. To name a few,
Donna Griggs works as a project manager for
the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups
in Philadelphia; Sco Gray is a Coast Guard
veteran and communications officer for the
Delaware State Police; Eileen Caraker works
for the Gloucester County, N.J., Prosecutor’s
Office as a forensic nurse coordinator;
and Dayna Ludwig works as a judicial case
manager in Dover.
Investing in knowledge truly became
a lifelong journey for Christina Vickers, a
paramedic from Salisbury, Md., who started
and stopped college four times due to family
and work challenges. It took 28 years for
Vickers to earn her B.S.N. in Allied Health
Education and Management, be able to
accept her diploma at the Georgetown
ceremony on May 22, and do so in front of
her father, who is in his 70s.
A er the ceremony ended, Vickers embraced
her father and hugged him tightly, saying, “I told
you I’d finish someday.”
While their paths may never cross again,
this group of graduates will forever be linked
by one common thread – their experience at
Wilmington University. WU
‘You have demonstrated great courage’Wilmington University celebrates the Class of 2013
BY JAIME BENDER | PHOTOS BY SUSANGREGG AND PAT CROWE
Graduates hold up their name cards as they line up and prepare to walk across the stage.
WILMINGTON UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE