“And I say that confidently, because Lehigh was recently named a top tier R1 Research Institution by the Carnegie Classification. That’s a major milestone, and I believe part of the credit goes to the hard work, talent and creativity of the brilliant Ph.D. students Lehigh attracts and nurtures over several years,” he said.
“To my fellow graduates: this degree is not just a title. It’s a symbol of persistence, of deep thinking, of pushing past fear and embracing uncertainty,” Mohammadisiahroudi said. “Let’s take that with us into academia, industry, policy or wherever we go next.”
President Joseph J. Helble ’82 closed out the ceremony, recalling earlier this year when Lehigh welcomed author and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman to campus for the Kenner Lecture.
During Friedman’s talk, “The Big Trends Shaping the World Today,” he spoke about “communities that thrived,” drawn from his travels as a foreign correspondent, Helble said. These are communities that, when challenged, work collaboratively and collectively to adapt.
One of the examples Friedman cited was the development of mRNA vaccines in less than a year because of what he called, “‘a global knowledge supply chain,’ an example apropos of the work and career of our speaker, Jim Wassil,” Heble said.
It’s not a stretch to say that this is a supply chain with roots in global educational communities, Helble said.
“Global educational communities that are, in my view, the very definition of an American research university, an American learning university,” Heble said.
Of the 630 graduates, nearly 30% are from countries other than the United States, including China, India, Iran, Nigeria, Turkey, Ghana, Canada, Colombia, Finland and France.
In a world often marked by division, a university has brought you together from around the globe, Heble told the graduates.
“Because a university, by its very mission, brings us together, around a shared curiosity, a shared desire to work collaboratively, a shared desire to create the new, to explore and to learn, to be curious and to question. The foundation of a global knowledge supply chain,” Helble said.
A Word From the Grads
Saturday’s graduating class included working mothers, those who continued their studies after earning an undergraduate degree at Lehigh and those who studied remotely to earn their degree.
Alyssa Deacon ’25 Ph.D. earned a doctorate degree in special education on Saturday. There to support her were her parents, husband and four-month-old daughter, Eleanor, who was born as Deacon was wrapping up her degree program.
“It felt very rewarding today, being up on stage and knowing my daughter was there,” Deacon said while tearing up.
Deacon lives locally and was drawn to Lehigh for its special education program which prepares highly qualified special education teachers, behavior analysts and researchers for the workforce. Deacon is a teacher who plans to continue in the field.
Thomas McGonigle ’25G, from Houston, Texas, earned a Lehigh MBA with a focus in entrepreneurship. He also spent a portion of the degree program living in Quebec, Canada, during which he would make the long drive down to Lehigh’s Bethlehem campus for in-person weekend classes.
“The combination between what you’re learning and how it applies to real-world expertise has been really essential,” McGonigle said. “Coming through the program and seeing what your fellow classmates have accomplished is a pretty major achievement.”
McGonigle is now back in Houston and flew in for Saturday’s graduation. He works at Enviro Tech Services in Colorado, which develops road and surface solutions, soil stabilization solutions, erosion, dust control and de-icing products.
McGonigle chose Lehigh for its focus on entrepreneurship. He’s been able to apply what he learned to his job at EnviroTech, where he moved into his latest role as director of supply chain during his degree program.
Nick Schorn ’24 ’25G, who studied mechanical engineering during his time at Lehigh, hopes to land a job in the automotive power systems sector.
“The connections I built here were really awesome. It’s a wonderful network of people and the spirit and the energy of Lehigh has helped me a lot,” Schorn said.
The Allentown Band, under the direction of conductor Ronald H. Demkee, opened the ceremony with a musical prelude and the processional and concluded the festivities with a recessional. This year marks the band’s 42nd performance at Lehigh’s Commencement ceremonies. Endowed Director of Jewish Student Life and Associate Chaplain Rabbi Steven P. Nathan gave both the invocation and benediction. John B. Pheasant ’25G sang the national anthem and Amanda M. Curry, M.D. ’14 ’25G led Lehigh’s alma mater.
