Excitement was in the air at Cameron Indoor Stadium on May 12. It wasn’t a basketball game taking place in the iconic stadium, however, it was the Duke Economics commencement ceremony. Students and their families, friends, and supporters gathered to celebrated the years of hard work these students had put in. 224 undergraduates, 84 master’s students, and 12 Ph.D. students received their degrees in spring 2019.
Chair Craig Burnside, in his opening remarks, emphasized that Duke Economics is a family. “The sense of family in the economics department here at Duke is real. We are a family,” noted Burnside, drawing on the recent passing of Ph.D. student Gabriel Cunha. Burnside described how students, faculty, and staff came alongside Cunha’s family after he died of a sudden illness. Cunha was awarded a master’s degree posthumously.
Faculty guest speaker professor Michelle Connolly greeted guests and graduates and spoke about the responsibility she feels as a professor to bring out the potential in each of her students. Connolly also recognized several students with awards for excellence in undergraduate research. Guests were able to view student’s research posters before the ceremony.
Finally, student speaker Cipriano Echevarria set a challenge to all graduates. “We all have a story or source of inspiration that motivated us to become an Econ major. Remember the people and problems that made us want to study economics. I invite you to find a way to create benefits for others.”
Congrats to all of our 2019 graduates!
If you want to watch the ceremony it it’s entirety, please visit our YouTube channel for a recording of our live stream.
Economics Department
