Author: Diane Toroian Keaggy

Undergraduate student speaker Alejandro Ramirez, who earned a degree in Latin American studies from Arts & Sciences, delivered a message to the Class of 2024 at Washington University in St. Louis during the May 13 Commencement ceremony on Francis Olympic Field.

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin delivered his message to the Class of 2024 at Washington University in St. Louis during the May 13 Commencement ceremony on Francis Olympic Field.

In a speech slyly funny, painfully raw and delightfully circuitous, award-winning actor Jennifer Coolidge shared her own journey to radical self-love with the 3,400 graduates of the WashU Class of 2024.

Alejandro Ramirez arrived at WashU as a pre-med student, but will leave with a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Brazil. Patricia Maurer will graduate with a PhD in Germanic languages and literatures but wants to support students academically and professionally as a higher education administrator. Both will reflect on their experiences as student speakers at the 163rd Commencement ceremony.

Meet 12 members of the Washington University in St. Louis 2024 graduating class ready to address the globe’s climate, environmental and sustainability challenges.

Kevin Corrigan, a graduate degree candidate in landscape architecture from the Sam Fox School, says good landscape design can make cities more resilient and beautiful.

As an undergraduate researcher at Washington University in St. Louis’ Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Guinter Dame Vogg analyzed air filters from around the globe for PM2.5, the microscopic particles that cause millions of premature deaths every year. What he saw changed his life.

Entering WashU, Lauren Bruhl knew she wanted to study the environment. Her childhood in rural New Jersey, where she explored its protected woodlands, helped cultivate her love for the environment, while her high school studies in Portugal, where she studied renewable energy, catalyzed her academic interest in reducing our carbon footprint. Now, the soon-to-be graduate of Arts & Sciences is ready to put her passion and skills into practice.

Caellagh Catley worked with the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine to reduce carbon emissions produced by operating rooms. The project has helped Barnes-Jewish Hospital save on resources in anesthetic gas use and has reduced its carbon emissions from such gas use by more than 60%.

On a recent visit to Pakistan, Omaer Naeem could literally taste the smog. Naeem, who is set to graduate with a degree in global students from Arts & Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, is committed to working with local communities in South Asia find their own solutions to this existential crisis.