Dr. Réka Szemerkényi, the Hungarian ambassador to the United States, will address 390 degree recipients and receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Marymount University’s Graduate Commencement at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 at DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Astrophysicist Dr. France A. Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation, will be the commencement speaker for degree recipients at Marymount University’s Undergraduate Commencement at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 21 at DAR Constitution Hall. In addition, the university will hold Recognition Day on Saturday, May 20, which will include a Commencement Mass, awards ceremony and reception.
Prior to being appointed ambassador, Dr. Szemerkényi was chief advisor on security policy to the Prime Minister of Hungary and dealt with Trans-Atlantic issues, Central European regional relations, the Balkans and Russia, with a particular emphasis on energy security and cyber security. Between 2006 and 2011, she was head of international public affairs and chief advisor on international relations to the chairman of the board of MOL Group, the Hungarian Oil and Gas Company.
In addition, she has served as state secretary for foreign policy and national security advisor to the prime minister of Hungary and as senior advisor to the state secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Hungary. She was also university lecturer at the Institute of Kremlinology, Károli University in Budapest, as well as at the ASERI Centre of International Relations, Catholic University of Milan, Italy. She was foreign policy op-ed author of the Hungarian weekly magazine Heti Válasz for six years and worked as Research Associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. She was elected president of the Hungarian New Atlantic Initiative, NGO, between 2003 and 2012 and now serves as vice president of the Hungarian Atlantic Council.
She completed her master’s degree in strategic studies as a Fulbright Fellow at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University, and earned her doctoral degree at Péter Pázmány Catholic University of Budapest.
Marymount’s two commencement exercises will recognize 650 bachelor’s degree candidates, 347 master’s degree candidates and 43 doctoral degree candidates.
The schedule for commencement weekend is as follows:
Friday, May 19
- Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, 5 p.m., Rose Benté Lee Center, Verizon Sports Arena
Saturday, May 20
- Commencement Mass, 9 a.m., Rose Benté Lee Center, Verizon Sports Arena
- Awards Ceremony, 10:30., Rose Benté Lee Center, Verizon Sports Arena
- President’s reception, following the awards ceremony, Gerard Phelan Dining Hall
- Graduate Commencement, 3 p.m., DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Sunday, May 21
- Sunday Mass, 9 a.m., Sacred Heart of Mary Chapel
- Nursing Pinning Ceremony, 10:15 a.m., Rose Benté Lee Center, Verizon Sports Arena
- Pinning Reception, 11:30 a.m., Rose Benté Lee Center, Verizon Sports Arena
- Undergraduate Commencement, 3 p.m., DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D Street NW, Washington, D.C.
