Commencement 2011

This spring's commencement address was delivered by Stephanie K. Canada, an ECU graduate (class of '95) who taught grades 1 through 5 at Will Rogers Elementary School in Shawnee from 2003 to 2008. She was was named Oklahoma Teacher of the Year for 2008.

Canada talked to graduates about the pride she felt as a first-generation college graduate in 1995 (and the embarrassment she felt after the ceremony, when she and her family had lunch at the Golden Corral, and her grandmother removed her dentures and put them on the table).

"When you get into the world . . . constantly engage and participate in the world as a thinking person," Canada advised all.  "Change your world from your very small corner of it."

I counted eleven English majors listed in the program as candidates for Bachelor's degrees: Joshua Dwayne Forrester, Brandon Michael Frye, SharLee Dawn Knighten (bottom left), Chad Allen Large, Tyler Ray Lee, DeAnna Russell (middle right), Jennifer Diane Sanchez (top right), Alexandra Royer Taussig (bottom right), Bryson Cole Vann (middle left), Patricia Ruth Vogan (top left), and Rodney Alvin Weaverling.  (Not listed in the program:  McKae Goetzinger.) Graduates with Minors supported by the Department of English and Languages included Hannah Medrano (English) and Cynthia Mellon (English as a Second Language), Rebecca Bottoms, Bryson J. Dunn (Humanities), and Shawn Ryan (Russian).

Congratulations to all! (And thanks for the pics, Dr. Murphy!)