2011 Graduation

The ceremony began with a video created by seniors Lyndsay Booth, Rachel Puckett, and Michelle Rugel on student experiences as a Global Studies major at UNC Chapel Hill. Students discussed the incredible learning opportunities they had both in and outside of the classroom: from working closely with professors, to undertaking internships, to studying abroad. The diversity of the Global Studies student experience was evident, but so was the shared intellectual curiosity characteristic of this exceptional cohort.

Chair, Andrew Reynolds then addressed the audience, exhorting students to remain inquisitive and remember not necessarily what they learned in their last four years, but how those four years made them feel. He hoped in this way, they would continue to seek new experiences and continue discovering in years to come.

Patricia Stottlemyer offered the student speech of 2011. She talked about the challenging experiences they’d all lived through, in their travels, their classes, and their everyday lives, that had finally proven to be immensely worthwhile.

After certificates were presented to students, the Douglas Eyre prize for the most outstanding thesis was awarded to Caroline Wood, who assessed the impact of international migration on a small, agrarian community in central Guanajuato, Mexico. The Anne Scaff award for service to the curriculum was then presented to Eli Hornstein for his volunteer work at Global Studies events and his construction and maintenance of the Global Studies vivarium.

We were pleased to be able to share this amazing day with our students and their families and applaud all our talented majors in their exceptional achievement.