{"id":144358,"date":"2023-12-11T07:45:45","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T12:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=144358"},"modified":"2023-12-11T08:34:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T13:34:49","slug":"more-than-900-students-to-graduate-at-wright-states-fall-commencement-ceremonies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2023\/12\/11\/more-than-900-students-to-graduate-at-wright-states-fall-commencement-ceremonies\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 900 students to graduate at Wright State\u2019s fall commencement ceremonies"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_144363\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2023\/12\/11\/more-than-900-students-to-graduate-at-wright-states-fall-commencement-ceremonies\/63989_280-1\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-144363\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144363\" class=\"size-large wp-image-144363\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2023\/12\/63989_280-1-508x339.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-144363\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wright State University will hold its fall commencement ceremony in the Nutter Center on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. for graduate students and on Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. for undergraduate students.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>More than 900 students are expected to graduate during Wright State University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wright.edu\/event\/graduation-and-commencement-ceremony\">fall commencement ceremonies<\/a> in the Wright State University Nutter Center on Friday, Dec. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 16.<\/p>\n<p>The 936 graduates will join more than 120,000 alumni who are making a difference throughout Raider Country, all over Ohio, across the nation and around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Wright State will hold two fall commencement ceremonies:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Graduate ceremony<\/strong>: Friday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m.<br \/>\n<strong>Undergraduate ceremony<\/strong>: Saturday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>Tickets are not required to attend, but graduates are asked to limit their number of guests to no more than 14 people so that everyone can be accommodated. Seating in the Wright State Nutter Center will be first-come, first-served. Doors will open 90 minutes prior to the start of each ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>The commencement ceremonies can be watched online at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wright.edu\/streaming\">wright.edu\/streaming<\/a> and on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WrightStateUniversity\/\">university\u2019s Facebook page<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/WrightStateU\">YouTube channel<\/a>. The recorded videos will also be available on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/WrightStateU\">Wright State\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a> after the ceremonies.<\/p>\n<p>Commencement will feature a short congratulatory video from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.<\/p>\n<p>The summer and fall classes of 2023 include graduates with 530 bachelor\u2019s degrees, 376 master\u2019s degrees, 36 doctoral degrees and 13 associate degrees.<\/p>\n<p>The classes feature 180 international students from 18 different countries. India boasts the largest number of international graduates, with 145.<\/p>\n<p>The youngest graduating student is 18, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in mathematics. The oldest graduate is 66, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in organizational leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Graduates by college:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>College of Engineering and Computer Science: 255<\/li>\n<li>College of Health, Education and Human Services: 204<\/li>\n<li>College of Liberal Arts: 96<\/li>\n<li>College of Science and Mathematics: 122<\/li>\n<li>Raj Soin College of Business: 183<\/li>\n<li>Lake Campus: 36<\/li>\n<li>Boonshoft School of Medicine: 61<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The ceremonies will also be broadcast live on WSU-TV on Time Warner Cable channel 21.105 in the university dorms and Fairborn and regionally on AT&amp;T Uverse channel 99 in the Dayton tab.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Notable 2023 graduates<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_144371\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2023\/12\/11\/more-than-900-students-to-graduate-at-wright-states-fall-commencement-ceremonies\/62439-dennis-bova-yakai-kamara-student-profile-9-12-22-3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-144371\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144371\" class=\"size-large wp-image-144371\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2023\/12\/Yakai-Kamara-62439_010-508x339.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-144371\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yakai Kamara will graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in public health and a bachelor\u2019s degree in organizational leadership<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><strong>Yakai Kamara<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Yakai Kamara will graduate with a <a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.wright.edu\/population-and-public-health-sciences\/bachelor-of-science-in-public-health\">bachelor\u2019s degree in public health<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/health-education-human-services.wright.edu\/leadership-studies-in-education-and-organizations\/bachelor-of-science-in-organizational-leadership\">bachelor\u2019s degree in organizational leadership<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/science-math.wright.edu\/biology\/biological-sciences-minor\">minor in biological sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kamara transferred to Wright State during COVID-19. The pandemic and her being in an earlier health crisis in her native country represent why she enrolled at Wright State. That, and to be among others who, like her, love other cultures and entrepreneurial spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Originally from Sierra Leone in western Africa, Kamara moved with her family to Columbus when she was 14. Kamara recalls when her native country was hit with the Ebola health crisis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiving through Ebola was terrible,\u201d she said. \u201cI saw a lot of people die. No one close to me did, but we were all worried for our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After high school, Kamara enrolled at a college near Columbus but soon wanted something different.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt that time, it didn\u2019t have enough diversity \u2014 there was no one like me,\u201d Kamara said. \u201cI wanted a college close to my family in Columbus that was diverse and with a variety of majors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A friend who was in Wright State\u2019s African Student Union offered to give Kamara a personal tour. She liked what she heard about Wright State, and what she saw \u2014 especially the tunnel system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I transferred, I was a biology major, but I took a global public health class, and that became my true passion. I want to do research and become an epidemiologist,\u201d Kamara said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLater I added organizational leadership because I wanted to learn leadership skills.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Central to her motivation in her areas of study is the low level of public health \u2014 especially in the area of maternal health \u2014 in Sierra Leone. She wants to eventually do something to improve those conditions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_144370\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2023\/12\/11\/more-than-900-students-to-graduate-at-wright-states-fall-commencement-ceremonies\/66966-jeremy-keller-fall-appeal-student-sydney-woods-9-29-23\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-144370\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144370\" class=\"size-large wp-image-144370\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2023\/12\/Sydney-Woods-66966_002-508x339.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-144370\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sydney Woods will receive a master\u2019s degree in computer science.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><strong>Sydney Woods<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Sydney Woods is driven. Not just by her pursuit of a <a href=\"https:\/\/engineering-computer-science.wright.edu\/computer-science-and-engineering\/master-of-science-in-computer-science\">master\u2019s degree in computer science<\/a> but by a broader calling that will not let go of her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a constant curiosity that is only temporarily satisfied by finding the answer to the current question on my mind,\u201d said Woods. \u201cIt drives me in everything I do; my need to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Woods likes to collect tools to help her understand many things, including mathematics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cComputer science can be very useful when working with complex mathematical problems,\u201d said Woods, who also graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in mathematics from Wright State in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Over her time as a Wright State student, Woods has changed personally in many ways. Whether it be through obtaining a driver\u2019s license, overcoming the loss of loved ones, navigating new friendships, or her discovering new abilities and passions within herself, she said her growth at Wright State has been meaningful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m so proud of how far I&#8217;ve come since I first stepped foot on campus,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Woods remembers fondly many people who have helped her at Wright State, including those she credits with leaving a lasting impression on her as a student and a person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve learned that being curious is not a bad thing. It&#8217;s something to be proud of,\u201d said Woods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m thankful that I took the class with that professor that told me this. I think I knew it when I was younger, and just forgot it as I grew up, so that reminder was really important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After graduation, Woods will start a new job at a local data analytics firm that supports defense contractors and the Department of Defense on projects relating to national security.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Carl Foster<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_144367\" style=\"width: 224px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2023\/12\/11\/more-than-900-students-to-graduate-at-wright-states-fall-commencement-ceremonies\/14181-becky-valekis-student-development-officer-carl-foster-8-12-14-3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-144367\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144367\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-144367\" src=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2023\/12\/Carl-Foster-14181_585-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-144367\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carl Foster will graduate with a master\u2019s degree in educational leadership.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Carl Foster\u2019s walk across the stage at fall commencement will mark the culmination of a long, difficult journey that included the foster care system, homelessness and a lack of family support.<\/p>\n<p>But he persevered and looks forward to the next part of his life\u2019s journey \u2014 helping young people who are facing the same challenges he did.<\/p>\n<p>Foster will receive a <a href=\"https:\/\/health-education-human-services.wright.edu\/leadership-studies-in-education-and-organizations\/master-of-education-in-student-affairs-in-higher-education-administration\">master\u2019s degree in educational leadership<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Foster\u2019s story starts in his native Pontiac, Michigan, where he was born to a single teenage mother. He faced many challenges growing up, including poverty and family issues. He was placed in a group home and lived in various residential facilities until he was 18. During that time, he dropped out of high school and worked for various restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>When he was 20, he moved to Dayton to go into Job Corps and earned a GED diploma and a culinary arts certificate.<\/p>\n<p>He received help with housing and completing paperwork for college admissions through the staff at Job Corps. He lived within walking distance of Sinclair Community College, so he enrolled there and earned an associate degree in hospitality management to align with his culinary studies.<\/p>\n<p>His next step was Wright State, where he also earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Foster is a success coach at Dayton Public Schools. He helps students and often empathizes with their circumstances because he lived in similar situations when he was their age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo when I talk to the students, I have a great deal of empathy,\u201d said Foster.<\/p>\n<p>Foster understands the problems some people face because, he said, \u201cSome study it, some lived it, and I\u2019ve done both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m looking into a position to put me on the pathway to becoming a high school principal,\u201d he said. \u201cIf that means becoming a counselor or substitute teaching, whatever pathway to be a principal or work for a college with programs like Upward Bound and ISN\u2014 Independent Scholar Network \u2014 as a coordinator or director.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wright State University will hold commencement ceremonies in the Nutter Center on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. for graduate students and Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. for undergraduate students. <a href=\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2023\/12\/11\/more-than-900-students-to-graduate-at-wright-states-fall-commencement-ceremonies\/\" class=\"morelink\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":144363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,733,4309,729,2064,748,2107,4267,2104,743,2060,744,725,2045,2046,731,4896,747,2016,715,4878,746,2119,2061],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-alumni-association","category-around-campus","category-biology","category-business","category-commencement","category-computer-science-and-engineering","category-teacher-education","category-engineering-computer-science","category-graduate","category-education-human-services","category-home-news-sidebar","category-honors-program","category-international-students","category-lake-campus","category-leadership-studies-in-education-organizations","category-liberal-arts","category-medicine","category-news","category-public-health-medicine","category-science-mathematics","category-university-college","category-undergraduate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144358"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144432,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144358\/revisions\/144432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}