Students reflect on their years at Wingate University, their struggles, joys, accomplishments and best memories.
Commencement 2020
Spotlight on our newest graduates
This year the graduation celebrations have been distant (so far) but no less joyful and heartfelt. Check out thoughts and reflections from the Class of 2020, advice from alumni, and congratulations (along with sorrow at seeing you go) from faculty and staff for this most special class.
“Please know how grateful I am for your resilience and commitment in circumstances that are far from ideal. I have no doubt that, armed with prospects and purpose, you will all be difference-makers in your communities, and make Wingate proud for many, many years in the spirit of One Dog.”
— Dr. Rhett Brown
We're so proud of all of our 2020 graduates! Congratulations!
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
—Steve Jobs to Stanford University in 2005
“Real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing.”
—Madeleine Albright to Wellesley College in 2007
“I’ve found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success. You’ve got to take risks. You will fail at some point in your life. Accept it. You will lose. You will embarrass yourself. You will suck at something. There is no doubt about it. Never be discouraged. Never look back. Give everything you’ve got. And when you fall throughout life, fall forward.”
—Denzel Washington to University of Pennsylvania in 2011
“Don’t ever confuse the two, your life and your work. The second is only part of the first.”
—Anna Quindlen to Villanova University in 2000