Graduation
DSU student talks making history
Allen also celebrated the class of 2024 for its size, calling the group “the largest class in the university’s 133-year history.”
Marie Munu, an IT major from Washington, D.C., said she’s surprised by the milestone she and her peers have achieved.
“Not to be shallow or anything, I didn’t think we were going to be the highest GPA class, especially because ... COVID really slowed us down,” she said.
Surviving the pandemic at DSU
Rossella Nardi from Kingston, New York, says the pandemic made her college experience rough.
“It made it very challenging in terms of getting to know people and getting to know my teachers,” the criminal justice major said.
That experience helped her discover how to get comfortable being alone, Nardi added.
Lisa Nardi, her mom, said she witnessed her daughter mature from the pandemic.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her,” the mother said. “She went through COVID through high school and missed out on a lot of things, then came here with a lot of great opportunities. She thrived.”
Delaware State University honors teen killed
During commencement, DSU’s president didn’t ignore that the school is still recovering from the death of Camay De Silva, an 18-year-old who was shot and killed when visiting DSU on April 21, according to police.
Though she wasn’t a student at DSU, Allen said she planned to enroll in the fall.
“There’s nothing more tragic than a loss of a young life in any circumstance,” he said. “But a life cut short due to senseless violence is profoundly and simply beyond words.”
To honor Camay and her family, Allen announced that DSU has created a $100,000 scholarship: the Camay
Mitchell De Silva scholarship − “a portion of which will go to a deserving student befitting of Camay’s example,” he said.
De Silva’s family was in attendance at commencement, including her mom and aunt, Shanelle and Charlotte De Silva, respectively.
“She was a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin, a friend, an aspiring Hornet,” Allen said, “and she will always be a part of Delaware State University.”
Calvin Butler, Exelon CEO, gives DSU commencement address
Calvin Butler, president and CEO of Exelon − and one of only eight Black CEOs among Fortune 500 companies, according to DSU’s website − addressed the undergrad commencement ceremony Friday.
“What a great day to be with all 890 of you graduates,” Butler said.
Exelon is the nation’s largest utility company by customer count, serving 10.5 million electric and gas customers in Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., according to its website.
The CEO praised the graduating class for their resilience during the pandemic, while pointing out an uptick in social unrest after the killing of George Floyd. He also pointed to current protests across colleges that are focused on the war between Israel and Hamas.
“You probably thought at least once, maybe many times, ‘I’ve come so far.
But, man, I don’t know if I can make it,’” Butler said.
His commencement address drew inspiration from the Hornets’ men’s basketball team that suffered a heartbreaking 70-67 loss to Howard in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament championship.
Butler was impressed with Allen’s
The CEO praised the graduating class for their resilience during the pandemic, while pointing out an uptick in social unrest after the killing of George Floyd. He also pointed to current protests across colleges that are focused on the war between Israel and Hamas.
PHOTOS BY GARY EMEIGH/SPECIAL TO DELAWARE NEWS JOURNAL
tweet after the game.
“In expressing his pride and support, he said to the team, and to coach Stan Waterman, ‘We’re no longer coming. We’re here,’” the CEO explained.
“Remember who you are, where you came from. And what brought you to this moment, because Delaware State class of 2024, you are no longer coming. You are here.”