Senior United States District Judge Callie Virginia “Ginny” Smith Granade ’72 wished the class of 2023 “a journey filled with endless possibilities and remarkable achievements” at Hollins University’s 181st Commencement Exercises, held May 21 on the school’s historic Front Quadrangle.

“My Hollins liberal arts education was bedrock,” she told the 179 undergraduate and graduate students who received degrees during the morning ceremony, “and because of your success and persistence at Hollins, you have that firm foundation to support whatever you choose to do in the future.”

Fall Term 2022 Senior Class President Chamolis Mout and Morgan DeWitt, senior class president for Spring Term 2023, also addressed their fellow graduates. Mout thanked her parents for allowing her “to experience the joy of growing up and cherishing their love while going through all the obstacles life threw my way. They taught me how to be hopeful and work toward my dreams. I still am a dreamer and a doer.”

DeWitt praised her classmates for persevering through the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed her confidence that “the class of 2023 is prepared for anything. There truly is nothing we can’t overcome. I am grateful to have gotten this opportunity to experience this university, and all it has to offer, throughout the past four years.”

Commencement 2023 Photo Gallery