Students, staff, and faculty honored during CAPS recognition ceremony
The smiling faces of graduates in the Washington University in St. Louis School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) could not be darkened by threatening storms as they celebrated earning WashU degrees and certificates with friends and family during the 163rd Commencement celebrations on Monday, May 13, 2024.
Over 70 CAPS students participated in the Commencement Ceremony, earning associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees. Many earned CAPS’ new innovative Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies degree which offers modern learners a chance to tailor a flexible degree to their specific professional needs.
Following the WashU Commencement Ceremony, CAPS graduates joined certificate students for the annual CAPS recognition ceremony in Graham Chapel, where Dean Sean Armstrong recognized several CAPS students, staff, and faculty for exceptionalism during the year before presenting degrees and certificates to each student.
Benjamin Wilkinson, a CAPS Prison Education Project (PEP) student who earned a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies degree, was awarded the Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Academic Excellence & University Service.
The Dean’s Award for Graduate Academic Excellence & University Service was presented to Tiffany Denham, who earned a Master of Arts in International Affairs.
CAPS Director of Data Analytics Haley Dolosic was recognized with the Dean’s Award for Staff Excellence.
The Dean’s Faculty Award for Teaching & Service was awarded to CAPS English Language Program Director Katie Blackburn Brown.
Mark Franke, who teaches classes for both CAPS and the CAPS Prison Education Project was awarded the In St Louis for St. Louis award.
Cassandra Marie, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies degree, shared her perspective of the CAPS student experience in a recorded student speaker message that was shown during the ceremony.
“Like many of you, my journey to this day was far from linear,” she said, sharing how an unsafe relationship had upended her original plans for college. “Many of us have navigated unexpected turns, overcome challenges and changes we never imagined could lead to growth, and embraced new relationships, new friendships, and new additions to our family that were better than we could have asked for.
“Every challenge and setback has served as an invaluable lesson as we worked toward this moment,” she added. “For those of us who embarked on the path later in life, or who have returned to education amidst adversity, we discovered something. Failures and challenges did not keep us from succeeding. It was a necessary part of our growth.”
Marie said those challenges helped CAPS students to flourish through their academic journey.
“As we stand on the threshold of what’s next, let us carry forward the lessons of resilience and have the courage to pursue to our education and our dreams at any age or stage,” she concluded. “I hope our journey from here inspires others who may doubt their ability to overcome and achieve. As we celebrate today, we look to the future not just with hope, but with certainty that we are equipped to face whatever comes our way.”
