Campus & Community

James Schisler grew up 100 miles west of St. Louis in St. James, Mo., population 4,216. When only one-fifth of his high school class returned to college their sophomore year, Schisler was determined to find out why. He believes cohort programs, like the ones he belonged to, can help rural students access the support and resources they need.

Washington University in St. Louis will award seven honorary degrees during its 158th Commencement May 17. During the ceremony, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Brookings Quadrangle on the Danforth Campus, the university will bestow academic degrees on approximately 3,400 members of the Class of 2019.

Entering college, Haley Allen knew she wanted to join ROTC so she could be an officer in the U.S. Army. But an ROTC trip Tanzania sparked a passion for Swahili and East African culture and history. She graduates this month with a degree in international studies and hopes to serve in Africa after completing helicopter training at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

Guangming Zhao thought he just wanted to do basic research when he came to Washington University to work on his PhD. Then he discovered his mission: to help people. His goal is to create the best imaging sensor in the world that will ultimately be able to detect diseases that current ultrasound machines can’t.

Cities are both a leading cause and victim of global climate change, but they also hold great promise. In the first installment of Class Acts, a series celebrating the Class of 2019, seniors Marissa Lerner and Alexis Vidaurreta share their optimism and respective visions for cities that protect people and resources.

Michael R. Bloomberg, 108th mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, will deliver the 2019 Commencement address May 17 at Washington University in St. Louis, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

The New York Yankees have hired Washington University senior Rohan Gupta as a baseball operations associate. He will crunch big data, “Moneyball”-style, to give his team a competitive edge. It’s a dream job for a student who is passionate about sports and statistics.

Washington University in St. Louis will once again participate in a comprehensive survey about sexual assault on college campuses, to be conducted by the Association of American Universities (AAU) this spring.

During remarks today at Washington University in St. Louis’ fifth annual Day of Discovery, Dialogue & Action, Chancellor-elect Andrew D. Martin announced the creation of a universitywide Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity.

Washington University in St. Louis will introduce two pilot grants to help low-income first-year students buy college necessities. They include a $500 grant to cover or offset the cost of a computer and a $1,500 startup grant to cover necessities such as books, winter clothing and housing supplies. The grants are for first-year students entering in fall 2019 from families with less than $75,000 in family income or who are receiving a federal Pell Grant.