More than 115 graduate students walked on stage to have their master’s degrees conferred at Point Park University’s annual Hooding and Degree Conferral Ceremony Sunday, April 24, at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Overall, 210 students received graduate degrees this spring from one of the 17 master’s degree programs offered at Point Park.
President Paul Hennigan, Ed.D., presided over the hooding ceremony, while Professor of Education Vincenne Revilla Beltran, Ph.D., served as grand marshal.
Eight new graduates across the University’s four schools shared their thoughts about who has helped them along their journey to earning a master’s degree from Point Park. Below is Lorenzo Boone’s response.
Lorenzo Boone, M.F.A. in Writing for the Screen and Stage
“To begin, I have to acknowledge my 85-year-old mother, who I am fortunate to still have with me. It is her lost opportunities and dreams that I carry on my shoulders daily. Through her life, I recognize that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Professors Nelson Chipman and Elise D’Haene also played a significant role in my development, and gave me incentive to keep driving towards my goals. They helped me believe that my style of storytelling and the voice that accompanies it needs to be told. They convinced me that even though it may not be traditional or mainstream, it has a place and it has merit.”