Kean Grads Turn Their Tassels Toward Promising Futures

UNION, N.J. -- Whether earning a degree takes a student eight semesters or 22 years, commencement marks the culmination of students’ collegiate careers, celebrates their academic achievements and symbolizes a starting point for a promising future. Kean University’s 2015 Undergraduate Commencement, held at Newark’s Prudential Center on May 21, was steeped in traditional and contemporary pomp and circumstance and infused with resounding messages, including those from pioneering playwright, actress and professor Anna Deavere Smith who delivered the commencement address.

“We all give the world some form of leadership – some of you already have by leading your family as the first to graduate college,” said theatre-artist Smith. She encouraged the graduates to travel the path of uncertainty between hope and fear, to engage in radical hospitality, and to embrace love and kindness.

A professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Smith is the founding director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, an organization dedicated to supporting artists whose work addresses social issues and engenders civic engagement.

“With knowledge in such large supply, and love in such short supply,” soon love will increase in value, she said, noting how technology has replaced human interaction in many of our daily activities.

As if taking Smith’s advice to heart, Paul Wright surprised his girlfriend, Elizabeth Wuefling ’15, with a marriage proposal – and a ring – following her graduation and hours before their celebratory trip to Cancun. The Roebling, N.J. resident received her B.A. in Elementary Education at the ceremony.

Wuefling was among the 3,021 graduating seniors whose degrees were proudly conferred by Kean University, as was Johnnie McDowell ’15, who first enrolled at Kean in 1993.

After a few semesters, “life happened and I had to leave,” said the Westfield, N.J., resident. In the years that followed, he faced adversity head on, joined the U.S. Army National Guard, started a family and worked to keep it all together. In 2007, 2010 and 2014, McDowell returned to Kean through Project Readmit – a program inspired by his unwavering determination to graduate – each time, completing a few more courses toward the B.A. in Criminal Justice he received this week.

“I’m really inspired and very proud of my husband,” said Takiba McDowell, noting that their son also looked up to his father. “I’m not a college graduate, but seeing him, being here, makes me want to go to school.” Her husband plans to pursue his M.B.A. at Kean.

In addressing the graduates, Kean University President Dr. Dawood Farahi advised the students to keep striving for success. “Be proud of who you are, what you have achieved and the potential that lies ahead of you,” he said. “Don’t be afraid of progress. Don’t be afraid of change. I have no doubt, as Kean graduates, you will succeed.”

Rhonda Grindell of Union, N.J., Valedictorian of Kean’s Class of 2015, maintained that she is “living proof” that you can achieve your dreams. Grindell, who entered Kean as part of the EPIC Program for adult students in 2006, waited nearly 30 years after her high school graduation to pursue higher education.

“There is no time limit on learning,” she said. “Go forward and do wonderful things. Be that shining example of what’s possible.”

Founded in 1855, Kean University has become one of the largest metropolitan institutions of higher education in the region, boasting a richly diverse student, faculty and staff population. Kean continues to play a key role in the training of teachers and is a hub of educational, technological and cultural enrichment serving nearly 15,000 students. The Nathan Weiss Graduate College offers three doctorate degree programs and more than 60 options for graduate study leading to master’s degrees, professional diplomas or certifications. The University’s five undergraduate colleges offer 49 undergraduate degrees over a full range of academic subjects. With campuses in Union and Toms River, NJ, and Wenzhou, China, Kean University provides a world-class education. Visit Kean online at www.kean.edu.