The end-of-semester celebration continued this week as 3,194 students received undergraduate and graduate degrees during six commencement ceremonies. They join more than 149,000 alumni who have graduated from FAU since 1964.

Our spring graduates range in age from 17 to 70 and include eight impressive FAU High students who were presented with their bachelor’s degrees a week before they will receive their high school diplomas. Our youngest graduate, 17-year-old Jessica Brandwein, graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biological sciences. This fall she’ll pursue a Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Florida.

During the Schmidt College of Science ceremony, I had the great privilege of awarding an honorary doctorate to Richard DiMarchi, Ph.D.  Dr. DiMarchi is an FAU alumnus (B.S. ’74) and leader in the field of drug discovery. His contributions to diabetes treatment, including the discovery of Humalog®, have benefited millions of people around the world.

Congratulations to the Class of 2016, and Go Owls!