The GW Classes of 2020 and 2021 gathered on the National Mall on October 2, 2021, for a Commencement ceremony headlined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). In a rousing address, Sen. Warren, who attended GW between 1966 to 1968, implored graduates to seize the opportunity to create positive change.
“Focus on what you believe in and then fight like hell for it,” Sen. Warren said. “Get in the fight for opportunity, for race, gender, sexual identity, for the opportunity to survive in a world not suffocated by climate change or bled to death by wars.”
“This is the moment you have been called to, a once-in-a generation chance to redefine opportunity in America,” said Sen. Warren. “Now is the time to make a down payment on the America you will live in. Now is the time to set the course for generations to come.” Sen. Warren was also awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service at the ceremony.
This was GW’s first in-person Commencement held since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 and 2021 ceremonies were both held virtually. The Commencement ceremony was part of the three-day “Our Moment, Our Momentum: GW Centuries Celebration Weekend” event, which marked the end of university’s eight-month bicentennial celebration.
For GW Law graduate Damilola G. Arowolaju, JD ’20 (Class of 2020 SBA President), the in-person ceremony provided a meaningful milestone. “It felt like the joyous conclusion of a chapter left unfinished. It was all I could ask for, in light of the circumstances,” said Mr. Arowolaju.
“It was an immense joy to gather on the National Mall,” said Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law at GW Law. Hundreds of new GW Law alumni who graduated online during the pandemic returned to DC for the long-awaited festivities, which were followed by a celebratory Dean's Reception at Potomac Square.
Also during the Commencement ceremony, GW President Thomas LeBlanc awarded the GW President’s Medal to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Cindy Liu, a Milken Institute School of Public Health associate professor who led the development of the university’s COVID-19 testing laboratory; and Andrew Maurano, an associate clinical professor of emergency medicine who managed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the D.C. community. Dr. Fauci previously received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from GW in 2015.
While it was a long wait to gather in-person, the day was one to be remembered. “I extend my sincere gratitude to the many members of the GW Law community who worked countless hours planning and executing these memorable events. It was a celebration worth waiting for,” said Dean Matthew.
Photos: https://gwu.canto.com/b/V01AP