Villanova Preparatory School held its ninety-second commencement on June 1, 2019 at the campus grotto. The ceremony hosted parents, alumni, and other specials guests, and was live streamed on the school website.
Head of School Nancy O’Sullivan, along with Very Reverend Gary E. Sanders, O.S.A., Prior Provincial, Province of St. Augustine in California, conferred diplomas to a diverse group of fifty-eight graduates. The class of 2019 featured day and resident students from Argentina, China, the Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam, and the United States. Seventeen students graduated as International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme candidates, the largest cohort at Villanova to date. Villanova became an IB World School in 2015 and continues to see steady growth in both the certificate and full diploma programs.
Villanova Assistant Head of School for Academics, Brian Grisin, served as Master of Ceremonies, introducing several key speakers and musical performances.
Keynote Speaker and Villanova alum, Wyatt Oroke ’09, returned to his alma mater from Baltimore, MD, where he serves as an inner-city educator and advocate of social justice and literacy. Oroke delivered a powerful and emotive speech.
Speaking directly to the graduates, Oroke said, “We have been given an incredible gift today but also an incredible power. So my question to you is this: What are you are you going to do with that power? How will you use the lessons you have learned here to open doors for others, lift others up, and challenge the structures and systems of oppression that hold people back?”
Since its founding by the Augustinian Order in 1924, Villanova has flourished into one of the finest Catholic college preparatory day and boarding schools in the nation. The school seeks to instill the Augustinian values of Truth, Unity and Love into all aspects of student life. Villanova is the only boarding school in California that offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, part of the strong foundation that provides acceptance to selective colleges and universities, contributing to each student’s future success.
