QU | Main Feature
A PANDEMIC YEAR-A LONG HARD LESSON IN GRIT-SHOWED PASSION AND PERSEVERENCE. Signs of spring filled the campus on Saturday, May 8, as the graduating Hawks returned to the Pepsi Arena to celebrate four remarkable years and to launch their new journeys.
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he 158th Commencement was held in two ceremonies honoring the graduating class of May 2021, which comprised 203 undergraduates and 27 recipients of master’s degrees. Family, friends, faculty, staff, and members of the board of trustees gathered to provide enthusiastic congratulations and heartfelt wishes for future success. As QU President Brian McGee, PhD, noted in his address to the graduates, Pepsi Arena has been the setting for many defining events in the lives of students. “For generations, our Hawks have come together in this building to compete with the best athletes of other universities, but also to gather for academic programs and to enjoy one another’s company,” McGee said. Alumni across the decades know Pepsi Arena as the site of many challenging tests, both athletic and academic. 8
QUniverse | Fall 2021
“To see how far every one of us has come is breathtaking,” said student representative ZACHARY REIDER in his welcome to the afternoon ceremony. “During our journey here at QU, we discovered more about ourselves than we thought imaginable. We grew into the best version of ourselves.” Speaking at the morning ceremony, student representative MADELINE BAUER concurred. “Quincy University will forever be our second home. We planted our roots in a new place, and it has grown into something beautiful throughout our four years,” she said. “It was no walk in the park. We were tested. We battled adversity. We have the good times and the bad to be thankful for because, without them, we would not be the strong, independent individuals we are today.
