Life\u0092s journey is not a straight line.<\/p>\n
That was the reminder Dr. France A. C\u00f3rdova, director of the National Science Foundation, gave 650 Marymount University degree recipients at the school\u0092s undergraduate commencement exercises on Sunday, May 21 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
\u0093Some of you will graduate today knowing exactly where the next stop is in your life\u0092s journey,\u0094 the astrophysicist said. \u0093Maybe you even have a J-O-B,\u0094 she added, spelling out the word and asking for a show of hands.<\/p>\n
C\u00f3rdova, who dreamed about the cosmos as a young girl but graduated with a bachelor\u0092s degree in English, had no idea what she would do next.<\/p>\n
\u0093Whichever category you fall into, know that today is only the beginning of your real learning experience,\u0094 she said. \u0093That\u0092s why they call it \u0091commencement.\u0092\u0094<\/p>\n
Inspired by astronaut Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, she applied to graduate school, earning a Ph.D. in physics and eventually becoming NASA\u0092s chief scientist. C\u00f3rdova is also president emerita of Purdue University and chancellor emerita of the University of California, Riverside, where she was a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy, among other distinguished academic postings and work at Los Alamos National Laboratory.<\/p>\n
\u0093The path I took to get there was not the usual one, but there is not a \u0091usual path,\u0092\u0094 she said. \u0093You discover so many valuable things along the way, and every single thing you learn you take with you.\u0094<\/p>\n
She urged graduates to be guided by their curiosity, and not their fears.<\/p>\n
\u0093You\u0092ll embark on a fascinating journey to some unexpected places,\u0094 she said. \u0093So learn from those unpredictable detours, stay focused on the ultimate goal, which is, after all, knowing yourself and what you\u0092re good at.\u0094<\/p>\n
C\u00f3rdova received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Marymount.<\/p>\n
On May 20, Dr. R\u00e9ka Szemerk\u00e9nyi, the former Hungarian ambassador to the United States, was the commencement speaker for graduate degree recipients at DAR Constitution Hall, where 347 master\u0092s degree candidates and 43 doctoral degree candidates received their diplomas. The Doctoral Hooding Ceremony was held May 19 at the Rose Bent\u00e9 Lee Center on the school\u0092s main campus.<\/p>\n
\nPhoto captions<\/strong> Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Life\u0092s journey is not a straight line. That was the reminder Dr. France A. C\u00f3rdova, director of the National Science Foundation, gave 650 Marymount University degree recipients at the school\u0092s undergraduate commencement exercises on Sunday, May 21 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. \u0093Some of you will graduate today knowing exactly where the next […]<\/p>\n
\nPhoto 1
\nDr. France A. C\u00f3rdova, director of the National Science Foundation, addressed 650 degree candidates and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Marymount University\u0092s Undergraduate Commencement on Sunday, May 21 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
\nMarymount University conferred 650 bachelor\u0092s degrees on Sunday afternoon in commencement ceremonies at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
\nMarymount University held its Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on May 19 at Rose Bent\u00e9 Lee Center, Verizon Sports Arena on its main campus.<\/p>\n
\nMarymount University President Matthew D. Shank issues the charge to graduates during commencement ceremonies at DAR Constitution Hall on May 20.<\/p>\n
\nMarymount University conferred 347 master\u0092s degrees at DAR Constitution Hall on May 20.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"