UNH Graduation: 3,000 Earn Degrees

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About 3,000 students on Saturday earned degrees during the University of New Hampshire’s 145th graduation ceremony.

“Members of this class have volunteered thousands and thousands of hours in service to others, from reading to middle school kids and stocking food pantries in New Hampshire to building homes in Haiti and encouraging reconciliation in post-war Bosnia,” UNH President Mark Huddleston told the graduates.

Nashua’s Ryan Pitts, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions in a 2008 battle of Afghanistan, delivered the commencement address.

“Appreciate the contributions of others and the impacts they make in your life,” he said.

Pitts, a staff sergeant, was gravely injured by shrapnel when 200 militants launched a rocket attack on his base during the Battle of Wanat on July 13, 2008. Despite nearly bleeding to death, he didn’t retreat, firing at enemy soldiers and lobbing grenades until reinforcements arrived, according to his medal commendation. Nine American soldiers died in the attack.

“I never imagined that I would be forced to fight while wounded, let alone that I was even capable of it,” he said. “I discovered that we can venture beyond the horizon of our perceived capabilities and do more than we ever thought possible.”

UNH said more than 2,429 undergraduate and 485 graduate students earned degrees. They hailed from 43 states and 25 foreign countries.

Photo credits: UNH Communications and Public Affairs