North Columbus News

At The Ohio State University’s autumn commencement held at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, President William “Ted” Carter Jr. and keynote speaker Stephanie Hightower urged graduates to engage in community service.

President Carter highlighted various ways graduates can serve, saying, "That may take the form of public service or philanthropy or community leadership or even military service." He emphasized the importance of using their degrees to improve society.

Stephanie Hightower, president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League and a former Olympian, shared her journey from being a four-time All-American hurdler at Ohio State to leading roles in track and field administration. She encouraged graduates to draw strength from the Buckeye community to overcome life's challenges.

Hightower shared insights from her own experiences, particularly recalling a moment from 1984 when she didn't make it past Olympic trials but chose not to give up. "I blasted the field," she recounted about an exhibition meet, emphasizing perseverance with "You don’t run for the gold. You don’t run for the time. You run for yourself."

During the event, Distinguished Service Awards were given by John Zeiger, chair of the Ohio State Board of Trustees, to Natala Hart and Virgil Strickler for their contributions in education and management respectively.

The ceremony concluded with 3,511 degrees awarded across various disciplines.