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Spontaneous bursts of joy broke out all day long on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis as the university held its 151st Commencement May 18 in Brookings Quadrangle. From the memorable speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters to the conferring of honorary degrees and singing of the “Alma Mater,” it was a day of smiles. A slideshow commemorates it all.

The transcript of Mike Peters’ 2012 Commencement address to the Washington University in St. Louis Class of 2012. Peters delivered the address to a crowd of more than 15,000 May 18 in Brookings Quadrangle on the Danforth Campus.

Do what you love, and you will find success, said Mike Peters, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, during the 151st Commencement ceremony at WUSTL. “Last night, all of the people who are getting honorary degrees, the thing that we all have together is we love what we do,” he told the crowd of approximately 15,000 gathered at Brookings Quadrangle May 18. Includes a video of Peters’ speech to the Class of 2012.

The Washington University in St. Louis-Fudan University Executive MBA program, ranked second in mainland China by the Financial Times, will celebrate its 10th anniversary May 25. Established in 2002 at Olin Business School, the program was among the first U.S.-China joint MBA degree programs.

The transcript of Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton’s address to the Washington University in St. Louis Class of 2012 at the 151st Commencement ceremony May 18.

Rising senior Justin Blau is on a mission. Blau, a finance major at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, is more widely known by his stage name, 3LAU. He plans to use his status as a rising star in the electronic music world to raise money for schools for underprivileged children in developing nations.

Commuters who normally drive near Washington University in the morning may want to consider an alternative route or take Metro  on Friday, May 18. Traffic around the university will be very heavy Friday morning due to the university’s annual Commencement ceremony, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Traffic backups should be anticipated on streets near the university, especially Forsyth, Big Bend, Forest Park Parkway and Skinker.

Innate differences in immunity can be detected at birth, according to new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. First author Kaharu Sumino, MD, and her colleagues say babies with a better innate response to viruses have fewer respiratory illnesses in the first year of life.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton will confer degrees at the 151st Commencement ceremony, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 18, in Brookings Quadrangle on the Danforth Campus. The 2,760 candidates will receive 2,878 degrees, of which 1,450 are undergraduate and 1,428 are graduate and professional.

Senior class president Alex Cooper views his time at Washington University in St. Louis as truly “transformative.” When he takes the podium during the 151st Commencement ceremony May 18, he will urge fellow graduating seniors to reflect back on their time at the university, paying special attention to the key relationships that have fostered growth.