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Graduating MSU Seniors Share How It Feels To Be A Spartan Today

MSU's Spring Convocation at the Breslin Center on Friday afternoon.
Katie Cook
/
WKAR-MSU
MSU's Spring Convocation at the Breslin Center on Friday afternoon.

Michigan State University’s Spring Commencement Ceremonies began this afternoon with the Convocation Ceremony at the Breslin Center. WKAR’s Katie Cook spoke with some graduating students about how it feels to be an MSU grad today.

 

Excitement was in the air at the Breslin Center Friday afternoon as MSU students posed for pictures in their caps and gowns and hugged friends and family members.

“It feels pretty bittersweet, it’s very exciting, but also weird to be moving on to the next phase,” says Emily Doherty, a Music Education Major who’s getting ready to move to Colorado this weekend and start a new job.

 

With everything that has happened at MSU in the wake of the scandal with former MSU doctor Larry Nassar, students like Doherty have found their own ways of handling it.

 

“I guess I’ve just been trying to focus on what I’ve accomplished you know, and just be proud of what I’ve done here and focus less on what’s going on with the administration,” Doherty says.

Kendra Snoblen is graduating with History Education degree and preparing to student teach. She says she still has MSU pride.

“I think like many of my friends, we all work at Breslin, so I love MSU, I love basketball, I love the whole sports element, so I’m pretty proud to be an MSU graduate just from that aspect, but other than that I don’t know.”

 

Chemical Engineering Major Devinda Wijewardena will be moving on to get his Master’s degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He takes pride in the way the MSU students have responded to the Nassar scandal.

“I know that MSU has been through a few rough spots lately, and through all of that one thing I’ve noticed is the MSU community really stood up for the victims and stood up as a community for what’s best for our school, and that really showed the Spartan spirit.”

The Convocation ceremony included an address from MSU alum Wanda J. Herndon, who has served in several senior-level positions of Fortune 500 companies including Vice President of Communications for Starbucks.

MSU’s Commencement ceremonies will continue throughout this weekend and next weekend.

 

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