A total of 573 students graduated with undergraduate degrees from Shepherd University on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — A total of 637 students graduated from Shepherd University on Saturday, during its 151st Commencement in the Butcher Center.

During the morning’s commencement ceremony for graduate students, 64 master’s and doctoral degrees were conferred. West Virginia native Giles Snyder, most known for his work with NPR (National Public Radio), served as the graduate commencement program special speaker and honorary degree recipient.

“I spent 16 years trying to get to NPR. Working at the network is a goal shared by many public radio journalists. And I never really lost sight of it,” Snyder said. “It took hard work and commitment to finally get there — the sort of dedication that you have shown to get here today.

“[M]y mother once told me that I’m like a dog with a bone. She was talking about my career choice and how I stayed with it. Many of the kids that I went to school with got out of the business pretty quickly because it’s hard to make a living as a journalist, especially as a radio journalist. But I was a dog with a bone. I persevered. And you know what?” Snyder said. “You did, too.”

On Saturday afternoon, a further 573 students graduated with baccalaureate degrees. Air Force Research Laboratory Director and Chief Information Officer Alexis Bonnell served as the baccalaureate commencement program special speaker and honorary degree recipient.

Guided by her guide dog, a student prepares to cross the stage to accept her Regents Bachelor of Arts degree in the Butcher Center on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“My journey has been one, not of seamless expertise, but of embracing the unknown with humility, curiosity, a relentless hunger to learn and an unyielding enthusiasm,” Bonnell said. “Time and again, I found that by letting these qualities guide me, I would look around one day, neck deep in a new adventure, and realize I had somehow become the expert in the room. When did that happen? It happens because everything is figure-out-able.”

As a leader in the fledgling internet age, this proved to be particularly true for Bonnell. And, with the new fledgling field of alternative intelligence now emerging, Bonnell encouraged graduates to cultivate a similar approach to life.

“The key for all of us is to be curious and to stay curious,” Bonnell said. “Curiosity is not only a nice-to-have trait, but also a survival mechanism when the world changes faster and you need to continually explore your place in it.”

This need for adaptability was something the graduating had already somewhat cultivated during the COVID-19 Pandemic, according to Senior Class President Anna Mooney. Many of the graduating seniors did not get to experience their high school graduations, due to pandemic cancellations in 2020, and were then forced to spend their first years of college under pandemic restrictions.

“Because of this unfortunate hand that we were dealt, this may be the only graduation we will ever attend,” Mooney said, mentioning the first graduation ceremony she ever attended was Shepherd University’s baccalaureate commencement ceremony last year.

Visiting Director of Choral and Vocal Activities Steven Grives leads the Shepherd University Chamber Singers in performing "True Colors" at the undergraduate ceremony in the Butcher Center on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

“I’ve opted to give a few nuggets of advice — this is partially to make up for the graduation that many of us lost, but also to share all of the infinite wisdom that I, a 20-year-old, possess,” Mooney said, as the audience chuckled in response. “Later today, you will receive proof of your education. But education and knowledge are very different. Gaining knowledge is a lifelong process, while education is temporary. Don’t become complacent and stop learning. And don’t let your education stop you in your pursuit of knowledge. Continue to seek opportunities to learn.”

Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix noted that the Class of 2024’s senior class gift was in the form of funding to install in Parking Lot H a covered shelter for those waiting for the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority bus.

Air Force Research Laboratory Director and Chief Information Officer Alexis Bonnell addresses the undergraduate graduating class of 2024 in the Butcher Center on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston