Shaaref Shah
  • Economics and Psychology
  • Class of 2017
  • Karachi, Pakistan

Shaaref Shah Graduates from Ohio Wesleyan University

2017 Jul 11

Shaaref Shah of Karachi, Pakistan, graduated this spring from Ohio Wesleyan University. Shah earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Ohio Wesleyan's Class of 2017 included 383 spring, summer, and fall graduates, with students representing 20 countries from Afghanistan to Venezuela.

The class also included 62 cum laude, 28 magna cum laude, and 11 summa cum laude honorees. Three graduates were recognized for achieving perfect 4.0 grade point averages during their four years at Ohio Wesleyan: Eric Baughman of Springboro, Ohio; Chris Brinich of Lakewood, Ohio; and Nick Norman of Cincinnati, Ohio.

As the graduates celebrated their commencement May 13, they also were encouraged to use their liberal arts educations to become global problem-solvers.

"Today, we've seen the rise of inward-focused nationalist and populist movements from both the political right and the left," said keynote speaker Andres Duarte, a 1965 Ohio Wesleyan alumnus and international business executive. "Those movements have arisen democratically, and they're influencing the economic, political, and social world that you are entering. These are new challenges that will require action from your generation."

Fortunately, Duarte told the graduates, "I know you all can do it." Duarte is the founder and managing director of Caracas, Venezuela-based Duarte Vivas & Associates, C.A., an idea incubator and entrepreneurial engine for the region.

In her remarks, Class President Lee LeBoeuf of Dayton, Ohio, discussed the opportunities - and obligations - created by earning a college diploma.

"We have to keep learning," LeBoeuf told her classmates. "We owe it not only to ourselves, but to all the people we have yet to meet but have the opportunity to influence. Only 6.7 percent of the world is college-educated - 6.7 percent. We are a minority and hold immense power by virtue of our education, and our work is just beginning.

"The piece of paper we are receiving today isn't validating how much we've learned, but rather assuring us we have the capacity to learn so much more," she said.

"Graduating college is an achievement, and we should be proud, but it's what we do next that matters - the choices we make, and the questions we ask," concluded LeBoeuf, a psychology major and biology minor who has accepted a Teach for America position in Cleveland."

President Rock Jones, Ph.D., also stressed the civic responsibilities of the new graduates - and his optimism for the positive impact they will have on the world.

"[Your] education is not just about you," Jones said. "Rather, it is about the impact you will have on the world. ... It is about your role as moral leaders in a global society. And so today, at a time when there is much distress in our world, I rise as an optimist. I rise as an optimist who sees in you the potential for a more just world, a more civil society, and a more protected planet."

During the ceremony, the University also honored four outstanding faculty members with special awards:

  • Kim A. Lance, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, posthumously received the Daniel E. Anderson Campus and Community Conscience Award.
  • Robert M. Olmstead, M.A., professor of English, received The Welch Award for Scholarly or Artistic Achievement.
  • Christopher L. Fink, Ph.D., associate professor of health and human kinetics, received The Sherwood Dodge Shankland Award for Encouragement of Teachers.
  • Bradley R. Trees, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy, received The Bishop Herbert Welch Meritorious Teaching Award.

In addition, retiring faculty member Karen H. Fryer, Ph.D., professor of geology, was presented with Ohio Wesleyan's Adam Poe Medal in recognition of her 31 years of dedicated service to her students and her profession.

President Jones concluded the commencement ceremony with Ohio Wesleyan's traditional benediction, encouraging OWU's newest alumni to share their knowledge and compassion with a world in need.

"If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found freedom, take it with you into the world," Jones said. "If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found peace, go and share it with others. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have found some portion of truth, go and seek it all the more. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have dreamed dreams, help one another, and those dreams may come true. If, here at Ohio Wesleyan, you have known love, give some back to a bruised and hurting world."

Ohio Wesleyan's complete commencement ceremony is archived online at www.owu.edu/stream. Learn more about the event at www.owu.edu/commencement.

*Cum Laude; **Magna Cum Laude; ***Summa Cum Laude

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers nearly 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan's signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives," listed on the latest President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "best colleges" lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.

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