http://www.manhattan.edu/news/meredith-mayer
Meredith Mayer To Deliver Valedictory Address at Undergraduate Commencement
Posted on May 17, 2012
Meredith Mayer
Manhattan College student Meredith Mayer, class of 2012, was honored with the Donald J. Carty Valedictory Medal at the College’s Spring Honors Convocation on May 17. Mayer also addressed the crowd and her fellow classmates as the valedictorian on May 20 at Manhattan College’s 170th undergraduate Commencement.
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing,” she said, quoting American poet and novelist Jack Kerouac.
Mayer shared with her peers the inspiring experiences she had while backpacking through India, meeting people from humble backgrounds who created opportunity for themselves and have, as Kerouac suggests, a mad desire to live.
“Seize opportunity from the things standing in your way…Find a need. Then find the solution. All of us have the tools and ability to succeed. We just have to be mad enough to use them,” she said. “Congratulations, class of 2012. Here’s to joining method with madness.”
Mayer transferred from SUNY Geneseo during her sophomore year and graduated from Manhattan College with a B.S. in global business and marketing. She also received the Manhattan Presidential Scholarship when she started at the College. Throughout her college career, she was involved in many honor societies, including Beta Gamma Sigma for business, Mu Kappa Tau for marketing and Epsilon Sigma Pi, the oldest College-wide honor society.
“Meredith Mayer has a great deal of ambition and drive, and at the same time she is one of the most generous and kind students I know,” said Salwa Ammar, Ph.D., dean of the school of business. “I know that Meredith will go out and make a difference in the world. I wish her continued fulfillment and success.”
Mayer along with her more than 700 classmates were awarded undergraduate degrees in some 40 major fields of study from the College’s five schools in arts, business, education, engineering and science at the Commencement this year. Students who completed their studies in September 2011, February 2012 and May 2012 participated in the ceremony.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan delivered the keynote address and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree along with Thomas O’Malley ’63. Recently elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, Dolan has served as archbishop of New York since 2009. O’Malley is the executive chairman of PBF Energy Company LLC, and has served as chairman of Manhattan’s board of trustees for the past seven years.
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Mayer, Meredith [MC2012]
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