Between April 25 and 28, Pitt awarded 741 doctoral degrees, 535 professional degrees, 2,573 master’s degrees and 2,160 undergraduate degrees. Ceremonies were held April 25 for graduate and doctoral student and April 28 for undergraduates, all at the Petersen Events Center.
The undergraduate class represented 325 distinct combinations of majors, and had students from 14 countries other than the U.S. Dereck Hogan, a Pitt alum and U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, gave the undergraduate commencement address.
Oluwatobi Ajimoko, an economics and Africana studies major, told her fellow graduates: "As we leave Pitt, remember that life is meant to be seen through a lens shaped by our search for new experiences and knowledge. … As we settle into our first year out of undergrad, I encourage everyone to ask questions, be interested, and be good to yourself and others. Congratulations and Hail to Pitt!"
Student speakers at the graduate ceremony expressed similar sentiments:
"As we leave our beloved Pitt, we mustn’t stop searching for issues, injustices, and imperfections within our society and our world because here we found the tools we needed to interrupt and adjust systemic, natural, and manmade problems. But for now, let’s get out there and be the change that we wished to see in the world," said Lashon Blackwell, who received a master's of education.
"Whether it is in our academic fields, in professional careers, or in our personal relationships and everyday interactions, I know that we will all turn to the next chapter of our lives with the ability — I believe, the responsibility — to be the helpers to whom others look in times of uncertainty," said David Givens, who graduated from the Cooperative Doctoral Program in Religion.