Graduation is a celebration of the accomplishments of each student who walks across the stage. Every year at commencement, rather than bringing in an outside speaker Chowan University takes a more relatable approach and selects its very own graduates to speak to their peers and the audience. This year, Zulay Romero, a Studio Art major from New Bern, NC was one of four students selected to speak. Romero is a member of Alpha Chi, vice-president of the Honors College Student Association, Chief Presidential Ambassador, and graduated Magna Cum Laude- with great distinction. 

Romero did not want her entire speech to be only about herself. Instead, she focused on giving thanks to people who impacted her life along with many other lives at Chowan in ways that will never be forgotten. Romero thanked the University, faculty and staff.

“I have always thought of life as if being on an airplane. We are the passengers flying through our journey with God as our pilot. God, however, brings along people to be our landing strip, to guide us, influence us, and ultimately help us land and reach our destination,” Romero stated.

She continued by acknowledging what a great influence the University community had on her life, and thanked all of those for their support and faith in her. “Thank you for taking time during class to tell us that only we can determine how far we get in life. Thank you for those daily pep talks when you noticed we weren’t acting like ourselves. You may have thought we didn’t care, that we weren’t listening, but we were,” Romero stated as she closed her speech.