 Today we're gathered in formal convocation to celebrate the 240th commencement exercises at Purdue University. Please rise and join in singing our national anthem and then remain standing for the invocation offered today by Father Patrick Bacowskis, Pastor and Director of Campus Ministry, St. Thomas Aquinas. There was a woman who died not so very long ago who has inspired millions of people by her life's example and her encouragement for all of us to be attentive to a higher, more purposeful calling. In the places where Mother Teresa of Calcutta lived and worked, she would have these words placed on the walls. And as you go forth today from Purdue, may this reflection she had in front of her every day inspire you as well. People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God. It was never between you and them anyway. This is the moment. This is the time. This is the day. I never expected this. To be addressing you with me in an empty hall and you far away. Wherever you're watching this virtual ceremony, I hope you're surrounded by people you love, people who helped you reach this moment of achievement. As is my practice, I wrote a commencement speech over last Christmas at a time when COVID-19 had only recently gotten its name. I chose a theme without any clue what was coming. In a different year, I might have felt obliged to start over, but as things have unfolded, the events of recent months have in some ways made my chosen topic seem at least as relevant as the day I wrote it. So here goes. Welcome, graduates and friends, to this day of celebration. Those of you in the caps and gowns are gathered to celebrate the great accomplishment that is a degree from Purdue University. Meanwhile, your parents are, I know, quietly celebrating the clearing of the final tuition check. Congratulations to you all. Purdue celebrated its own landmark this year, our 150th anniversary. Since it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing by our most famous alum, Neil Armstrong's stories were abundant. My favorite claims that later in life, Commander Armstrong took to telling corny, lame jokes about the moon. And when nobody laughed, he'd say, well, I guess you had to be there. A year or so ago, a major national journalist visited our campus and later wrote a gracious complimentary article about what he saw here. While I enjoyed his accounts of the progress and successful results he thought he'd witnessed, my favorite part of the column was a single phrase, basically a throwaway line. He described Purdue as a happy place. It got me wondering how many college campuses these days would strike a visitor quite that way. I hope it's been that kind of place for you. We know you've worked hard and fought through a lot of pressure. You'll probably remember that. Just wait for those scary dreams where you haven't studied for the test or can't find the exam room. But I hope that among your memories of these years, I was happy there, is prominent among them. I've reflected on that more and more during your last couple years with us. Your parents love you and are proud of you, but from time to time they also must worry about you. That's what we parents do. I hope it's okay if I worry about you and your futures a little also. I've sometimes used these commencements to fret out loud about trends that trouble me in that big, wide world you're about to enter. In recent years, I've spoken about the tribalism that now divides Americans. I've talked about the seeming shortage of emotional resilience and grit in your peer group. Twice, I've found myself urging graduates to guard against the so-called big sort, the tendency for young people of your quality and educational attainment to cluster together professionally and socially and to drift apart from those of different backgrounds. But one thing I never expected to worry about, but now do a little, is you being lonely. I have known you and met thousands of you personally in an environment that, despite our size, does a pretty good job of getting people together, creating bonds among them. A thousand clubs, dozens of faith-based organizations, our Greek system, and maybe our best examples of true communities are co-op residential houses where students not only live but cook, clean, and do repairs together, and most recently the learning communities where thousands of boiler makers live in mutual support with others who are studying the same subject matter. Elsewhere, the academic journals and lay periodicals are now filled with research about the, quote, epidemic of loneliness, quote, in our society. Surveys report record numbers of Americans living alone and suffering from strong feelings of isolation. Many view it as a new public health crisis linked to rising rates of depression, anxiety, even suicide. A lack of strong social relationships has been found to raise the risk of premature death by as much as 50 percent. It's as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It's not just an American phenomenon. The government of Britain has appointed a minister for loneliness, and all this was before anyone heard of COVID-19. Most startling and alarming are studies finding that the worst loneliness today is not among adults or the elderly, but in your age group. Astonishing percentages of today's young people say they have few, if any, close friends. Dating and other traditional forms of youthful interaction have declined sharply. The University of Southern California recently named a director of belonging. And while the title may be unique, I'm sure the idea is not. We humans are social creatures, or as sometimes said, relational beings. The ability to communicate, interact, and collaborate is what defines us and what assured our evolution as the dominant, civilizing species on this planet. We thrive on contact with others. We suffer severely from its absence. The worst punishment we impose on a heinous criminal is solitary confinement. Much of our literature and religious tradition thinks of hell as a state of total permanent aloneness. So an outbreak of loneliness is worth worrying about, especially where those with the longest to live are a big part of it. In the case of your elders, sociologists can identify some obvious causes. Plummeting birth rates play a role. Having fewer children and fewer siblings limits the opportunity for caring contact. In a short two decades, the percentage of retirement age citizens living within 10 miles of their children in the same neighborhood with any relative, or having a good friend living nearby dropped by double digits. It's easy to see how that leads to greater loneliness. But particularly in the case of your age cohort, there is no doubt that the sudden eruption and dominance of what we call social media, I often think anti-social media would be a better term, has played a huge role. Some scholars put all the blame there. One major article was titled, Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? It wasn't supposed to be this way. The original promise of all the Facebooks and Twitters was that they would connect us in wonderful new ways. But connection over a text message or what is often a glamorized presentation of one's daily life just isn't the same as in-person contact. In fact, it often turns out to separate and alienate its users more than it brings them together. I remain concerned that as members of the new knowledge aristocracy, absent a little special effort, you will rarely make friends different from yourselves. Now, studying the growing evidence about isolation, I'm concerned that you, the first age group raised entirely in the iPhone era, won't make many friends at all. In my own college days, a briefly famous Harvard professor offered probably the worst advice ever given to a younger generation. Encouraging both drug use and a non-productive lifestyle, Dr. Timothy Leary suggested, quote, turn on, tune in, drop out. Lately, I've been thinking the best advice one could give you, tomorrow's leaders, might be the exact opposite. Turn off, tune out, drop in. As in, turn off the phone more often, tune out the video screen, drop in personally on friends old and new. For most of human history, personal contact was hard to avoid. Suddenly, our digital age can mean it requires extra effort. Confession being good for the soul, it's only right that I make one here. I am not a good role model for the advice I'm foisting on you. I have not devoted the time I should have to deepen acquaintances into true friendships or to stay in closer touch with the old friends I do have. I've let the call of work get in the way. I've told myself that jobs of broad responsibility mean that one can't get too close to coworkers and colleagues. I've procrastinated and rationalized and skipped too many chances to spend meaningful time with people I admire and even love. I regret it and I'm the worst for it. You can do better. The same research that is documenting the loneliness epidemic reveals ways to immunize oneself against it. Geographic rootedness makes a difference. People who live in the same community for extended periods are far less likely to be lonely. A great CS Lewis wrote, friendship is the greatest of worldly goods, the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young person about where to live, I would say sacrifice almost everything to live near your friends. Having a religious affiliation also correlates strongly with feelings of connectedness. And nothing statistically reduces the chance of loneliness more than marriage, especially marriage with children. It's a sermon for another Sunday, but I do hope most of you will not miss the joy and the lifelong education of raising children. I promise it's life's greatest reward and the best graduate school you'll ever attend. I heard about one wise guy commencement speaker who instructed his audience, remember in life it's not who you know, it's whom. I thought of that as just a joke, but in our new situation it takes on a more serious tone. A lot of your success and happiness will depend on whom you know and know well. The author Gore-Vidal once said, we never know when we are happy, only when we were. I hope in your case that proves way too cynical, that there'll be countless moments when you are truly happy and know it. But I also hope that when you reflect back on times when you were happy, your days at this university will rank high among them. And when people ask you, what was it about Purdue that made it such a great place for you? You can just answer, well, I guess you had to be there. I know great achievements lie ahead for you. My wish for you is that so do great friendships. Hail Purdue and each of you. Exercising the authority of the trustees of Purdue University, legally vested by the people of the state of Indiana and upon the recommendation of the Purdue faculty, I now confer upon you who have fulfilled the highest requirements of this university. I now ask our orders to read aloud the names of all students receiving doctors of audiology diplomas. Graduates, I invite you to have your special designee place your hood and present your diploma to you now. Be sure to capture a photo of this to share with us. I now ask our orders to read aloud the names of all students receiving doctors of veterinary medicine diplomas. Graduates, I invite you to have your special designee place your hood and present your diploma to you now. Be sure to capture a photo of this to share with us. Kala M. Boulevard, Sarah E. Canada, Cassandra L. Chakowsky, Emily A. Christensen, Hannah M. Clinton, Mallory C. Klaus, Brittany A. Crenshaw, Kristy M. Crow, Jonathan M. Daniel, Joseph W. Denverow, Brooke Dodge, Katie J. Elkins, Carolyn M. Ellis, Destiny L. Evans, Haley M. Everett, Catherine L. Fischbach, Katrina Frerichs, Trey A. Gelert, Caitlyn L. Geneggi, Andrea J. Grasso, Carly M. Gunlock, Andrea R. Hall, Anadel R. Harris, Ashley M. Hopkins, Thiela L. Horn, Daniel L. Keating, Michelle E. Kelly, Ryan J. Kelly, Katherine L. Kelsey, Amanda M. Kemper, Megan Siekenauer, Allison L. Collowitz, Kerry M. Lasala, Stephanie S. Lewis, Alyssa R. Like, Jessica E. Linder, Sophia Lopez Vale, Danielle Lauer, Anna M. Marshall, John M. McAfee, Walter John McGowan Howard, Danielle N. Miller, Ezekiel Montanez, Stephanie L. Morgenstern, Julie R. Mosher, Lauren L. Muscat, Nicholas M. Newsom, Jenny N. Nguyen, Garanty O'Rear, Sherry S. Park, Diana C. Fitta, Zachary C. Reddy, Nathan C. Ritzler, Sarah Rorrabaugh, Kylan M. Roman, Anna DeSacco, April L. Schnatter, Casey L. Shulke, Nora J. Sloan, Katelyn H. Smith, Christina J. Smith, Levi H. Smith, Samantha L. Schwartzentruber, Megan Swayze, Kristen E. Thomas, Brent A. Unruh, Brooke A. Unruh, Chad M. VanCourt, Jessica L. White, Jesse M. Whitfield, William M. Willis. Exercising the authority of the trustees of Purdue University, legally vested by the people of the state of Indiana, and upon the recommendation of the Purdue faculty, I now confer upon each of you who have fulfilled the stated requirements, the appropriate baccalaureate degree and associate degree, with all the rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities of that degree. As evidence of your achievement, you will now receive an appropriately inscribed diploma. I now ask the orders to read aloud the names of all students who are earning baccalaureate and associate degrees. Graduates, I invite you to have your special designee present your diploma to you now. Be sure to capture a photo of this to share with us. The College of Education, Dylan Abel, Rachel Adams, Joseline Aguilar, Kelsey Arnold, Ashley Oaksiger, Kristen Bales, Elizabeth Barrett, Jesse Blackwell, Lainey Blackwell, Caroline Boyer, Kenzie Brown, Madeline Brown, Kristen Berger, Madison Bush, Nicole Carmen, Emily Cernick, Katya Clymer, Hannah Cochran, Margarita Costas, Cassidy Cox, Gabrielle Krauss, Haley Darnell, Rebecca Deckinger, Kaitlyn DeMarco, Mary Driscoll, Laura Duke, Erica Enyart, Nicole Feiser, Sarah Fisher, Margaret Foster, Olivia Frye, Grayson Gardner, Madeline Gavin, Mary Heischling, Haley Gross, Benjamin Goodis, Tiffany Hairston, Emily Hammady, Matthew Harrison, Sophia Hebble, Kristen Heich, Brooke Helms, Margaret Hediger, Jesse Howard, Haley Howe, Jean Hu, Gabrielle Hubbard, Michelle Hunkler, Jacob Hunt, Kosta James, Catherine Jimenez, Taylor Jones, Julia Katz, Whitley Kadonis, Caroline Kelly, Kelly Ketcherside, Julie Gim, Stephen Kirk, Christopher Nip, Jessica Kroll, Kylie Lance, Jordan Lindquist, Sophia Longest, Maya Lorenz, Madison Lukens, Olivia Lyman, Haley Mikowski, Jeremy Mankins, Jason Maynard, Mara McBride, April McKinney, Alexis Miller, Jeep Morehouse, Alayna Mount, Mary Neal, Grant Newcomb, Jeffrey Neeson, Miranda Odie, Connor O'Day, Brianna Prenici, Benjamin Porter, Abigail Price, Kylie Pugh, Brittany Robb, Danny Riley, Paige Rodrick, Madeline Roberts, Madely Rogers, Tori Rosa, Amanda Rousseau, Ashley Sass, John Scheib, Sarah Schroeder, Jared Shanley, Taylor Schull, Madison Singer, Kennedy Smith, Adriana Schbon, Stephanie Sdak, Rosalie Stanley, Brenna Stanton, Chun Yi Su, Celeste Sweet, Lauren Swenson, Elizabeth Thames, Jocelyn Underhill, Madeleine Venmeter, Jasmine Waters, Alyssa Watson, Kaley Weider, Ann Wilson, Ashley Yates, Elliott Zing, College of Health and Human Sciences, Kayla Abramnowski, Walter Ackerman, Alexandra Adams, Brendan Adams, Julia Adus, Patricia Aguilar, Pranthima Akella, Brian Aker, Jesus Aldape Flores, Sema Al-Hiraki, Mark Alisha, Amanda Allen, Benjamin Alman, Ashley Alred, Raleigh Almaneker, Pedro Alvarado, Juan Alvarez, Cheyenne Alwine, Selena Amador, Amber Amor, Riley Anderson, Hunter Andrews, Vina Antecristi, Nana Angus, Flynn Archer, Megan Armstrong, Mackenzie Artem, Doris Asharia, Andrea Arellel, Danielle Ayala, Taylor Eyre, Katherine Bogasi, Lubaay, Cara Bailey, Sarah Bailey, Brenda Balcazar, Emily Balencifer, Ruben Banerjee, Logan Barber, Megan Barnes, Emma Basler, Sydney Bates, Joshua Bauer, Jennifer Baumer, Patricia Baumgartner, Lucy Bays, Madeline Bazarik, Kayla Beckman, Margaret Becker, Parker Beckman, Alexis B. Kraft, Sofia Biesia, Janaye Bell, Lauren Bellamy, Jasmine Ben-Abdala, Olivia Benjoya, Ashlyn Bennett, Olivia Benter, Kelsey Berry, Madison Barouman, Sophie Besser, Cassidy Bestard, Karen Vosia, Alexandria Camille Bien, Archita Burla, Jennifer Bershbach, Carter Bysel, Rachel Bish, Amy Bitzer, Noah Bogard, Gabrielle Bonagno, Morgan Bonsik, Angela Bond, Zachary Butcher, Jennifer Buer, Taylor Burke, Nicholas Bauer, Koi Bowman, Hannah Bowman, Madeline Boyle, Andrew Brandburn, Taylor Bragdon, Emily Bretain, Gabrielle Breitenbach, Chloe Bringman, Hannah Brennan, Alexa Breneman, Madison Bright, Jordan Brindle, Talia Bruckers, Daniel Browerman, Rachel Brumfeld, Mitchell Brunner, Megan Bruns, Janine Bryan, Katelyn Bulo, Skyler Burring, Hannah Bullion, Rebecca Berget, Jocelyn Burke, Claire Burkert, Steven Burns, Simone Bush, Kaley Butler, Samantha Buvala, Hannah Byrne, Shelby Caldwell, Kaitlyn Conkins, Nathan Campbell, Christina Chow, Erin Carlson, Zoe Carlson Stadler, Allison Paige Carpenter, Teresa Carpenter, Leslie Carroll, Atlanta Carter, Quinisha Carter, Katelyn Kossipaw, Courtney Kasman, Preston Kasper, Allison Catton, Peter Salas, Kaley Serifon, Michaela Serisa, Mateo Chance, Vanessa Chan, Bryce Chase, Amell Cicchilli, Lahar Chalani, Edward Chen, Longhee Chen, Yingying Chen, Corby Chisar, Sun Kim Choi, Jacob Christensen, Brooke Christian, Yuhan Chua, Carly Circle, Rebecca Klassen, Delaney Clark, Molly Clark, Olivia Clark, Samuel Clark, Inaya Clayton, Alyssa Glendenan, Allison Klein, Annabelle Cobb, Hannah Cohen, Emily Cole, Irini Calaros, Brianna Collier, Abigail Collins, Abigail Caldwell, Melissa Conway, Christina Conforte, James Conway, Jacqueline Comper, Nicole Cortes, Katelyn Costello, Katelyn Cox, Dia Coy, Amy Coyne, Rachel Craig, Elizabeth Crayall, Marciella Crawford, Taylor Creighton, Corey Christ, Zachary Crocker, Katherine Cromwell, Jordan Crumb, Grace Curtis, Holly Curry, Lauren Daggett, Everett Dahlberg, Daniel Dalton, Jenna Dambach, Jennifer Davis, Kevin Davis, Michelle Davis, Andrew Davison, Summer Day, Erica De Leon, Lucas De Leon, Janelle Dean, John Dean, McKenna Deckard, Dennis DeHaan, Emma DeHart, Nicole De Jong, Leticia Del Rio, Allison Duramo, Diane Derrer, Marley Desplinter, Lysie Davis, Margo Divincenzi, Jessica Devine, Jessica DeWitt, Robert DeChalla, Jenna Dibolt, Riley Dillon, Namisha Dixit, Nicole Donmoyer, Caroline Dewey, Miaia Dorsey, Malcolm Dotson, Megan Dove, Jordan Dowell, Elaine Doyle, Brooke Drabek, Hannah Dulsky, Hannah Desharn, Chandler Dykstra, Alyssa Edwards, Amy Edwards, Mariah Edwards, Haley Earhart, John Ehrman, Alicia Elliott, Soyol Ankh Amgalan, Mali Erb, Teresa Ernst, Jordan Etchison, Jacob Evans, Jade Evans, China Farholz, Bailey Farley, Suror Fontima, Andrew Felmuth, Caitlin Ferguson, John Fashler, Ashley Fields, Kennedy Fields, Peyton Philson, Maya Finley, Abigail Finn, Chase Fisher, Margaret Fitzpatrick, Jacob Flashpolar, Landon Fleck, Samara Fletcher, Leslie Flores, Megan Forbes, Amanda Fordice, Andrea Foster, Juan Franco, Angelina Frosto, Ashley Frenker, Bryce Freels, Rebecca Freymuth, Allie French, Emma Friar, Brett Fry, Caitlin Gabbart, Stacy Gall, Ashlyn Gandhi, Maria Garcia, Sarah Garrett, Kennedy Garriott, Taylor Garwood, Tessa Garwood, Emily Garza, Rachel Gaten, Abigail Gingenbach, Connor Gentry, Olivia Gerardo, Allie Gerlach, Cody Gerlach, Uriah Gerlach, Jenna Getrost, Brea Gettelfinger, Allison Canoni, Jennifer Gianuzzi, Kate Giglio, Caitlin Gilbert, Skyler Gillespie, Jenna Geron, Sierra Gerton, Bridget Gittemire, Megan Glaze, Sarah Glaze, Angela Gonzalez-Angeles, Katrina Good, Camille Goodwin, Alexa Gordon, Tyler Goshert, Stephanie Gossman, Laquena Greer, Jared Greger, Trevor Gregory, Emma Greaves, Amy Griffey, Jessica Grimmer, Emily Gross, Christine Grosso, Jessica Grout, Cigia Guo, Katie Guzik, Teresa Guzik, Lindsey Hale, Katelyn Hath, Mikaela Hagler, Miriam Haleem, Bailey Hall, Maren Hamilton, Aiden Hannon, Brooke Harden, Camille Hartman, Julie Harlow, Mackenzie Harris, Andrea Hartman, Abigail Hayes, Cheyenne Hayes, Sitchi He, Lauren Heager, Teresa Heize, Amanda Helmrack, Thomas Hembray, Sydney Henderson, Lauren Hepler, Claire Hurst, Olivia Hessler, Catherine Hayden, Heather Heyerman, Yumi Higashiyama, Kai Higgins, Harley Hill, Ryan Hill, Danielle Hochsteadler, Elena Hallefield, Lexanne Holland, Kayla Holloway, Alexis Holmes, Ludia Hong, Autumn Hoover, Jay Horn, Tori Howard, Joseph Howitt, Samantha Howell, Pei Chi Shi, Nina Xu, Riley Huber, Shelby Huddleston, Darryl Huff, Emily Hughes, Morgan Hughes, Alexis Humphrey, Brandon Hunter, Lavonne Ecolina, Salkay Inambar, Joseph Inksko, Susan Espister, Salkira Ito, Prateek Eiler, Colette Jackson, Catherine Jamison, Sarah Janus, Cole Janssen, Angela Jazzarowski, Anna Jennings, K.U. Geong, Matthew Johnson, Riley Johnson, Kaylee Jones, Shannon Jones, Zoe Jones, Madison Jordan, Elizabeth Jorgison, Christine Jung, Jennifer Justus, Amanda Kayihu, Sugmon Kong, Christopher Kaminsky, Laney Kemp, Makayla Kass, Nicarica Hall, Eileen Keating, Anna Kieperman, Clarissa Keller, Rita Kendrick, William Kiefer, Yanyo Kim, Yeonho Kim, Jung Eun Kim, Yi Eun Kim, Caleb Kindly, Hannah King, Nicole Kinman, Colby Kinsey, Elizabeth Kipple, Ashley Kissel, Anna Kitchin, Nicolette Kittrow, Sarah Kizziak, Tatum Knox, Allison Kepin, Dustin Kesters, Lindsey Kolonowski, Nicole Collars, Mackenzie Kopka, Kylie Kordick, Lialasen Korniak, Daniel Kozakowski, Noah Kossman, Perakotelnikova, Alyssa Corralis, Andrea Kovach, Alexa Kramer, Judy Kramer, Cashin Cruz, Katelyn Krijak, Ryan Koo, Violet Kuczka, Meiya Kumar, Dostanis Kuvanovang Vorakol, Morgan Kuch, Megan Kwiatkowski, Jacob LaBelle, Amy Lagavine, Pak Lai Lai, Jenna Lam, Carissa Lambert, Madison Lambert, Sophia Lang, Natasha Lang, Alexa Laser, Jennifer Lavely, Shannon Lehi, Kaitlyn Lee, Hannah Lee, Kyung Jae Lee, Minji Lee, Colleen Lee, Anna Leer, Ellen Lehi, Teresa Lehmann, Nicholas Lenfestie, Delaney Lengacher, Carly LePore, Morgan Leslie, Stephen Lester, Jessica Lewandowski, Kaitlyn Lewis, Emma Lewis, William Lewis, Xiaoshuan Li, Wenji Liou, Margaret Libby, Kate Laikti, Angel Lin, Zhuixian Lin, Yuning Lin, Sophia Lindley, Anna Lins, Marissa Linton, Victoria Lipskin, Patricia Liston, Audrey Lytton, Alexander Liu, Yuanping Liu, Xuhao Liu, Yuad Liu, Claire Logan, Sarah Long, Emily Lorch, Marie Lothammer, Jiajian Liu, Lindsay Lucas, Catherine Luce, Tara Lugo, Kaitlyn Leichhardt, Wei Luo, Haley Luzader, Emily Lynch, Jessica Mahecha, Katherine Mahoney, Janae Major, Rohit Malik, Melissa Malter, Grace Mantel, Zachary Moppa, Magdalena Marcus, Gabriela Marjota, Paige Mars, Meredith Marston, Alexander Marslender, Blair Martin, Alicia Martin, Kaitlyn Martin, Kylie Martin, Mackenzie Martin, Victoria Martin, Tess Martinez, Brianna Martin-O'Dowell, David Martinez, Madison Martz, Kaley Mason, Rebecca Mauser, Kylie Maxwell, Catherine May, Dakota Mazza, Shannon McCabe, Whitney McCoy, Rachel McDade, Jaina McDermott, Riley McDonough, Nicholas McDowell, Brent McKee, Samantha McKenzie, Nicole McKibbin, Taylor McClam, Shondale McLaren, Samuel McNeely, Carly McNeish, Andrea Medellin, Stephanie Medrano, Madison Medwid, Nona Mirnea, Michelle Mehta, Samantha Mema, Felicia Mendel, Brandon Metler, Emily McClusack, Ann Miller, Brian Miller, Brian Miller, Olivia Miller, Travis Miller, Megan Mitura, Saida Mubashir, Casey Mockby, Janay Moffitt, Kaitlyn Moore, Savannah Moore, Edith Morales, Natalie Morrell-Geesman, Alexis Morrell, Kaitlyn Morris, Megan Morris, Alexandra Mosh, Megan Mottor, DeMora Mowder, Roshini Mundanuru, Natalie Murdock, Anna Merling, Grace Murphy, James Murphy, Shelby Murphy, Laurel Musick, Devin Knack, Kara Nelligan, Adam Nettles, Lucille Newton, Alina Nguyen, Audrey Nickel, Anna Maria Nysgoda, Ashley Nordike, Justin North, Taylor Novak, Natalie Nowesnik, Joseph O'Brien, Jordan Edding, Maggie Ogle, Brandon Oh, Isabel Olienicek, Chandler O'Braw, Christopher Orlik, Natalie Orozco, Lexis Ouellet, Jade Overmeyer, Alyssa Ozilowski, Isaac Panfill, Katherine Panko, Claire Pardo, Kelly Park, Matthew Park, Megan Park, Jessica Parker, Megan Perrette, Parine Patel, Benjamin Patrick, Breonna Patrick, Bailey Patterson, Joseph Peters, Mackenzie Pirick, Loran Pilecki, Isyaj Pan, Mary Pennington, Haley Parisi, Benjamin Perez, Nicholas Perez, Jessica Perkins, Ashley Perry, Genevieve Patterson, Molly Petros, Daniel Petruzzi, Emily Pfeiffer, Zoe Pfeiffer, Brianna Phillips, Parker Phillips, Sarah Pierce, Olivia Pillar, Joseph Pimentel, Darius Pittman, Jenna Pogorzelski, Danielle Polito, Daphne Ponsdelligarza, Marissa Poros, Kimberly Potter, Zachary Powley, Andrew Proctt, Georgia Presley, Samantha Pressler, Bridger Price, Brittany Price, Charles Price, Jacob Price, Stephanie Price, Rebecca Prill, Sarah Prill, Elizabeth Pritchett, Tyler Pritt, Isabel Puck, Samantha Puckett, Michaela Pulver, Elizabeth Perdue, Floridelma Ramirez-Gervasio, Calista Ramirez, Francisco Ramirez, Ann Rostovsky, Jennifer Rawlings, Alexander Rawlins, Courtney Reardon, Megha Reddy, Anna Reed, Kylie Reed, Javala Rijamane, Noah Wrensch, Jamie Rentus, Rihanna Reyes, Rachel Reynolds, Brooke Rhodes, Emma Rich, Ellen Richards, Emily Richardson, Michaela Rigdon, Brady Riley, Sarah Rippa, Carmen Ripley, Chloe Rivers, Alexa Robbins, Jack Robertson, Jocelyn Radabao, Katherine Rojas, Leo Rosana, Meredith Ross, Olivia Roudabush, Pixie Rowley, Erin Roy, Alexa Rosicke, Bridget Ruby, Claire Rudolph, Ryan Ruffer, Stella Runningen, Katarina Rusek, Adam Ruth, Grace Rutherford, Delaney Ryan, Erin Ryan, Lauren Ryan, Jacob Ryba, Alexandra Solfrank, Ines Sabanajic, Alexander Sabe, Daniel Sotiral, Emily Sagstetter, Radhika Sahai, Tyler Sane, Carmina Sales, Megan Salzman, Erin Sample, Patrick Sander, Carson Sandy, Erica Sanford, Andrea Santiago, Lily Sauer, Zachary Sauer, Peter Saunders, Angelo Skagnoli, Michaela Scales, Angelica Scanlint, Nathan Shaper, Katherine Schaller, Marissa Scheid, Ashley Schenk, Riley Schilling, Caitlin Schleis, Natalie Schmidt, Carly Schneewise, Allison Schneider, Emily Schneider, Lena Schroeder, Maverick Schultz, Valerie Schultz, Paige Schumann, Alec Shikofsky, Kayla Schuler, Meggy Seifras, Amber Seacrest, Bailey Severs, Amy Scheid, Amber Schaefer, Brielle Shapiro, Gabrielle Shapiro, Harrison Shaw, Heidi Shaw, Courtney Sheffield, Yu Yingcheng, Abby Shepherd, Sarah Scheipp, Shane Shipley, Kendall Schrack, Martha Schreuer, Trace Schreuer, Kira Seepman, Rachel Severs, Alexandra Simpson, Julia Simpson, Madison Simpson, Austin Singer, Denay Sink, Sarah Saip, Kadaji Sitchibo, Lauren Sivik, Jordan Siewig, Sylwia Skutnik, Cameron Slavik, Benjamin Sloan, Steve Ennismead, Brittany Smeltze, Alex Smith, Emily Smith, Grace Smith, Jackson Smith, Kelsey Smith, Luke Smith, Mariah Smith, Sierra Smith, Skyler Smith, Trevor Smith, Sarah Smitheram, Jonah Smutak, Donald Schneider, Jessica Schneider, Samuel Schneider, Kelsey So, Nicholas Sorrentino, Adrian Sowers, Joseph Spano, Jared Sparks, Matthew Sparks, Emily Speer, Benjamin Stacey, Lauren Stangle, Emily Stark, Courtney Steffensmeier, Kelly Stevenson, Holly Stewart, Maria Steins, Amy Stivers, Lydia Stone, Emily Strain, Jha Jha Strange, Emma Stricker, Emma Strohacker, Reagan Stroop, Krista Sturjakowski, Emily Sullivan, Alexis Summers, Chi Xuan Sun, Scotland Sunkel, John Svensson, Shreya Swaminathan, Alexander Swann, Houston's Whiteser, Kylie Switzer, Victoria Simons, Lu Tong, Spencer Tate, Ashley Taylor, Lauren Teague, Kelsey Thacker, Kennedy Thiege, Alexis Theria Mwio, Christine Thomas, Hannah Thompson, Levon Thompson, Bridget Thompson, Simon Tien, Mackenzie Tice, Angelic Tillman, Jessica Timperman, Brian Tishmack, Tessitoni, Megan Tracy, Serena Tant, Samantha Triplett, Wing Tong Soo, Amy Turner, McKenna Turner, Madison Tutich, Joanna Erdresoles, Tori Ayoah, Georgia Urschel, Hannah Van, McKenna Van Derten, Jocelyn Velasquez, Aina Verk, Randy Voorhees, Marisa Vukas, Lauren Weddington, Jacob Wade, Madeline Wagner, Kristen Wagner, Alex Waldron, Kaylee Walke, Stephanie Walsh, Yixiang Wang, Pocha Wang, Ziya Wang, Isabel Ward, Carly's Warner, Isabel Weatherhead, Clayton Weaver, Allison Worley, Han Yu Wei, Emily Welch, Tyler West, Jordan Whaley, Elizabeth White, Taylor Whitson, Madison Guregna, Emily Willard, Natalie Willman, Austin Wilson, Elena Wilson, Heather Wilson, Isabel Wilson, Katherine Wilson, Alicia Winkler, Alyssa Wisniewski, Madeline Witt, Ryan Witt, Brianna Witte, Alexias Bledarski, Devin Wolfe, Allison Wood, Caitlyn Wood, Patrick Woods, Emily Wooten, Samantha Wu, Xiaoqi Wu, Yi Ting Wu, Jessica Wyatt, Olivia Wyatt, Da Jingxing, Yingxuan Zhang, Yaqi Xu, Yichu Yan, Yuqing Yao, Jillian Wailou, McKenna Yorkie, Ashley Yang, Sarah Yang, Misham Zaheer, Karen Zamora, Cecilia Zavala, Jacob Zelt, Yu Jia Zhang, Yao Yu Zhang, Qing Zhang, Xing Yi Zhang, Yixie Zhang, Ying Zhang, Yuan Zhuang, Reagan Zimmerman, Emily Zito, Connor Zunica, The College of Veterinary Medicine, Megan Allen, Lillian Arnold, Lauren Bacon, Sequoia Doig, Jamaica Ends, Evelyn Foster, Marie Herring, Nicole Hoff, Marissa Kohler, Emma Lee McDaniel, Sidney Mullet, Olivia Nobe, Caitlyn Obrin, Megan Pickering, Emma Reichart, Allison Rieger, Emelina Russo, Caitlyn Shepard, Derek Sims, Rachel Tenay, Sidney Veatch, Erika Wright, Ruth Allhands, Kelly Barton, Margaret McKenney. Okay, it's official. You are now graduates of Purdue University. It's time for you to observe the tradition of moving your tassel from the right side of the mortarboard to the left, signifying your new status. Congratulations to all our new alums. It's appropriate at this time that we give special recognition to those graduates who have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, leadership, and service to the university community. You can read the names of the recipients of those recognitions in your commencement program. Additional special awards have been noted on your division's ceremony page. On behalf of the trustees and the faculty, congratulations on your accomplishments. We're counting on you to continue making exceptional contributions in all your future endeavors. Some of our graduates receive red, white, and blue cords, signifying that they are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. They deserve our recognition and our sincere gratitude for their patriotism. We honor these graduates for their hard work and accomplishments, but they'd be the first to tell us they did not make the journey alone. So will the graduates please take this moment to offer thanks and appreciation to your parents, grandparents, spouses, brothers, sisters, and other family members and friends for their long and loving support that brought you to this moment. The audience is invited to sing the Purdue hymn. The words are located inside the front cover of the program and will be projected. Will you please stand? I'm pleased to introduce Jordan Whaley, who was selected as today's student responder in recognition of her leadership in many student and campus organizations. Jordan's receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and plans to work as a hospital RN. Please welcome Jordan Whaley. Hello, it is an honor to be able to share this special experience with you all today. I would like to thank President Daniels, the Board of Trustees, and all of those who made this possible. While this commencement is not what we expected, it is uniquely our own, and for that I am grateful. It took me a long time to reconcile with the fact that I was not going to walk across the stage and receive my diploma as planned on May 16th. I was angry, and it made me more angry that I did not have someone to blame. Whose fault was it? The professors, President Daniels, the virus itself? These thoughts of anger, frustration, and sadness were taking up all the space in my head. This sense of loss, however, was not unfamiliar. I found myself reflecting back on what I thought was going to be the defining moment of my college career, which I'd like to share with you today. In the fall of sophomore year, my dad passed away after a nine-year battle with early onset Alzheimer's disease. My dad was a fellow Purdue nurse, even though he was a Purdue engineer first. It is my greatest joy that I get to share his passion for helping people, even if I do not get to talk to him about it. In September 2017, my life had been completely flipped upside down. This was not how it was supposed to be. I was angry and heartbroken as I grieved with the loss of my father. But I made it through, and I climbed out of that dark valley with a lot of faith and with the Purdue community surrounding me. I needed those around me to help me thrive again in college. I needed family, friends, advisors, professors, and other Purdue staff members. There were people in every corner of this university ready to support me no matter what. If there is one thing that I learned that fall semester, it is that Purdue is a place where you do not have to be alone. The Purdue network that I formed mourned with me then, and I am confident they are mourning the loss of our usual spring traditions with us all now. It seems that we lost our last eight weeks as seniors at Purdue. This was not how it was supposed to be. We lost those precious last few moments on campus, but we have not lost the title of Boilermaker. The world is an ever-changing place, and through this pandemic, I believe we all have learned that we are not guaranteed anything. Yet we do have control of how we react to this new normal. Even though we are not physically together right now, we always get to call ourselves Purdue graduates, and with that badge of honor, we get to claim the Purdue family as well. People to mourn with us, people to support us, and people to cheer us on. COVID-19 is not going to be the only thing that destroys the what should have beens. We are going to have many defining moments in our lives, both good and bad, that we will be forced to deal with. I thought losing my dad in college would be the significant event of my four years, but my story is proof that life does not stop. My hope for us all is that we cling to the skills that Purdue has given us in order to push through our future defining moments, as any Boilermaker would. We will push through, and we will flourish. There is a quote written on the Berlin Wall that I often think about. Many small people in many small places do many small things that can alter the face of the world. We will be many small people in many small places as we start our careers. But I know the Class of 2020 will alter the face of the world as Boilermakers. I am proud to be able to share the distinguished title of Purdue graduate with my dad and with all of you. Congratulations, Class of 2020. Thank you. Today you are standing on the edge of possibility. We pause to give thanks for the deep sense of accomplishment, pride, and hope of this very moment. We pause today to reflect on your time here and the hope for your future. We gather with abundant joy and overwhelming gratitude. We pray the experience here embodies her vision of education as an engaged and dynamic partnership between the university and the wider world. Her work here has never been merely for personal use, but always for public good, and so today we celebrate the collective commitment to creating a better and more just world. May we appreciate the joy of this day and the dedication and patient perseverance that has brought us to this moment carry us forth to create a world marked by peace, justice, and compassion beyond measure. Go forth to do the good work set before you. Be tireless. Seek the common good. Love and nurture the people and things you value. Attend to your work with integrity so that what you believe may be what you do. And when you feel as if you might become defeated, think back on this day and know that you already have accomplished much. May you be blessed and may your lives be a blessing to all of us. Amen. As we conclude today's commencement ceremony, thank you for joining this celebration of our newest Boilermaker graduates. On behalf of the trustees, faculty, and all the Purdue family, I bid you farewell. Godspeed. Hail Purdue.