SLU-Madrid Celebrates Midyear Commencement

12/21/2021

Friends, family and the SLU-Madrid community came together to honor the newest Madrid Billiken graduates at this year's Midyear Commencement. SLU-Madrid conferred degrees to 16 students from five countries and five U.S. states. 

The celebration took place in the spacious, newly renovated Herrera Oria Auditorium at the Fundación Pablo VI, where graduates and their families and friends were able to safely gather while maintaining social distance. 

Assistant Dean Jaime Ortiz served as master of ceremonies, opening the event with words of welcome. After Rev. James O'Leary, S.J., led the invocation, Saint Louis University Provost Michael Lewis, Ph.D., offered a video greeting. Lewis reminded the graduates of the responsibility that accompanies the privilege of being educated in the Jesuit tradition:

"You are entering into a world in great need of what you have to offer. Regardless of the discipline you studied, you have learned to be moral, to see God in all things, in all people, to protect the world we have inherited, to have compassion for those on society's margins. You have a degree and the knowledge that comes with it from a world-class institution. With this great privilege comes great responsibility. Please think about and take seriously how you will apply this knowledge and your gifts to meet the world's deep hunger."

Director and Academic Dean Paul Vita, Ph.D., then delivered the Commencement Address, followed by the student speakers, Leila Martín Saad and Íñigo González, and the faculty speakers, Gonzalo Moreno Warlata, Ph.D. (Marketing), and Roswitha Zahlner, Ph.D. (Modern Languages, English and Gender Studies). 

The candidates for graduation were presented by Francisco García-Serrano, Ph.D. (Humanities), Taieb Gasmi, Ph.D. (Sciences and Engineering), Dave Howden, Ph.D. (Business and Economics), and Laura Tedesco, Ph.D. (Humanities and Social Sciences).

SLU President Fred Pestello, Ph.D., conferred the degrees through a specially recorded video message. "Your formation at our Madrid Campus has prepared you to make a profound difference in today's global society," he said. "As graduates of one of the most internationally diverse institutions in the world, SLU-Madrid, you are exceptionally well positioned to tackle global challenges and ignite positive change." He concluded by ceremoniously declaring the students to be sons and daughters of Saint Louis University forever.

Congratulations to the students honored at the December 2021 Midyear Commencement: