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Meredith College Holds Winter Commencement Meredith College held its 2008 winter commencement on December 13, presenting diplomas to its newest graduates. The College conferred the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Social Work degrees, and master’s degrees in business, education, music and nutrition, during the 10 a.m. ceremony, held in Jones Auditorium. “This is a ceremony that is always special because it falls in the midst of the holiday season,” said Meredith President Maureen A. Hartford. “Today should be a joyous and remarkable day … a day to rejoice, to celebrate and to be thankful.” Alumna Pat Nathan, ’74, a philanthropist and retired corporate executive, served as commencement speaker. She has held positions in the technology industry, including in procurement, engineering, quality and sustainability, was the commencement speaker. Her experience includes serving Dell, Inc., as vice president for diversity and finally as global sustainable business director before her recent retirement. Nathan is also the founder of the Triangle chapter of Dress for Success, which helps women make a positive first impression during the job search, by providing clothing, confidence and career development. A chemistry major at Meredith, Nathan gave the students a formula for success, which she said is “Success = abilities + effort + attitude.” Saying that attitude might be the most important part of the formula, Nathan recommended that graduates remember the quote, “Life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it.” With the abilities gained while at Meredith, Nathan told the graduates to “go off now and find those strengths … wake up every morning excited about what you are going to do.” Couple Earns MBAs Together Among the 100 new Meredith graduates, who completed degrees in August or December 2008, were Justin and Brandi Ritter. The couple both received MBAs. “We were both looking for more opportunities for our careers and we thought that it would be great to get our degrees and put them behind us,” said Justin Ritter. “We thought that if one of us was taking classes and the other one was not, then it may be hard to understand what that person was going through.” Being in the same program was a positive experience, according to Brandi Ritter. “We both understood each other’s workload, which enabled us to be patient when dishes or clothes were piling up,” Brandi Ritter said. “Usually we were both studying simultaneously, so there weren’t any distractions.” Both of the Ritters recommend attending school at the same time to other couples. “Absolutely do it,” Brandi Ritter said. “You have a classmate under the same roof, which allows for a very convenient group member. I can’t imagine having a spouse who wasn’t in school too … having someone understand what you’re going through is comforting.” For more information, visit www.meredith.edu/commencement . Date Submitted: 2008-12-13 |
