Congratulations to Asuka Takahashi
Outstanding English Senior Award Winner 2019-2020
Asuka has been selected as the 2019-2020 Outstanding English Senior Award recipient by the English Department faculty, who praised her performance in challenging courses, her contributions to creating an intellectual environment in class discussions, and her strong writing and research skills.
Congratulations, Asuka, on your remarkable achievement and upcoming graduation with honors!
Congratulations to our courageous and determined graduating English seniors, Spring 2020! Never before has there been a senior class who faced what you did in your final semester and still carried on and prevailed. You have our admiration and gratitude, and the FAU family is here to support you as you move forward into the future.
John Leeds
Congratulations to all the graduating seniors! It’s been such an immense pleasure to have you in my classes. I’ve learned so much from you in our collective discussions and appreciate deeply the critical generosity you all have shown me and your fellow classmates in our collaborative intellectual pursuits. Despite commencement having to be cancelled, know that what you have accomplished deserves much recognition and celebration. I'm so very proud of you and wish you all the best for your next endeavors!
Ashvin Kini
Congrats Professional & Technical Writing Certificate Grads
Dear Seniors,
I am sorry that you cannot have the May 2020 ceremony—the one that you dreamed about and the one you deserve. Nothing, however, can erase your degree or the memories of your happiest moments on campus. Congratulations. I look forward to following your distinguished careers.
Mary Faraci
My time at FAU has been so fast but so full of memories. I began in the Summer of 2016 which feels like no time at all now that I am graduating. As cliche as it sounds, the best years really do go by fast and you should soak them up for all they're worth. I will always carry my time at FAU in my heart as multiple faculty/staff and fellow students have helped to shape me into a new young adult, ready to face law school come Fall 2020! I also couldn't leave FAU without acknowledging the amazing support from my family and friends that share this accomplishment with me. Thank you to them, and to FAU, and here's to what lays ahead...GO OWLS!
Congratulations to the class of 2020! This semester I taught a course on Toni Morrison and I’m going to “cheat” and offer some words from a commencement speech she gave in 2004: “Of course, you’re general, but you’re also specific. A citizen and a person, and the person you are is like nobody else on the planet. Nobody has the exact memory that you have. What is now known is not all what you are capable of knowing.” Best of luck to you as you continue to grow, learn, and know!
Sika Dagbovie-Mullins
Congratulations English graduates! You have overcome the most difficult semester in recent memory to attain your degree. You should be proud of yourselves, as we are extremely proud of you! Go Owls!
Eric Berlatsky
I am an English Arts major embarking on a journey to become an elementary school teacher. I began my college career in New Jersey and luckily ended my college career, here at FAU. This institution has introduced to me many different walks of life. Not only have I met astonishing classmates, but I have also met many amazing professors, in which I will always remember. My advice for any upcoming undergraduate(s) is to work hard, participate, and be ready for a roller coaster of challenges and rewards.
To all our seniors,
I've had so many of you in my classes over the past two years, and I cannot express how proud I am of all of you for completing your degree, especially during what might be the most stressful and strange few months of our lives. Completing a milestone is an extraordinary accomplishment under most circumstances, but graduating now is nothing short of courageous.
I've been thinking a lot over the past few weeks about some advice the novelist Cheryl Strayed gave to some seniors graduating with English degrees. She wrote these words almost a decade ago, but I think they might be even more true now: "I hope when people ask what you’re going to do with your English and/or creative writing degree you’ll say: Continue my bookish examination of the contradictions and complexities of human motivation and desire; or maybe just: Carry it with me, as I do everything that matters. And then smile very serenely until they say oh."
I hope you're able to carry what you've read with you into our unknown future, bolstered by the resilience and love you've witnessed in all the texts you've read over your years at FAU. I hope they matter to you like your bright souls have mattered to all of us who taught you.
Shelby Johnson
Congratulations to the Class of 2020 English graduates!
I know I echo the sentiments of many of my colleagues when I say how saddened I am that our in-person classes came to such an abrupt end and that we were unable to gather to hear the honors presentations that conclude the semester. We are so proud of your ability to adapt quickly and to continue the hard work that led to your graduation this semester. That many of you did so while juggling job instability, health concerns, increased family responsibilities, and the mental toll of the last two months is a remarkable achievement that I hope you take time to celebrate now and in the future. Please do stay in touch with us – we love to hear from our alumni!
Julieann Ulin