Medieval Institute Graduates 18 Distinguished Students in its Annual Ceremony

Each year the Medieval Institute conducts an intimate, all-Latin graduation ceremony in the atmospheric Alumni Hall Chapel. This year’s ceremony took place on May 14th; in it the Institute admitted to the Medieval Studies Minor four undergraduates (Marcellus Benedict Diederich II, James Steven Haubert, Cooper Schreibeis, and Mary Catherine Walter), to the Supplementary Major two (Crystal Jade Chen-Goodspeed and Thomas James Gordon), to the Major four (Olivia Marie Nino Bratton, Irina R. Celentano, Thomas Ryan Olohan, and Mary Frances Wheaton), and to the Major with Honors one (Karen Rose Neis). Ms. Neis was also awarded the Robert M. Conway prize, an annual award presented to a graduating senior for an outstanding project on a medieval topic, for her illustrated children’s book “Abul-Abbas the Elephant.”

Five doctoral students, Daniel Matías Contreras Ríos, Axton Crolley, Maj-Britt Frenze, Mary Helen Galluch, and Xiaoyi Zhang, were all admitted to the Magisteriate of Medieval Studies. Doctoral candidates Brian Paul Long and Amanda Weppler were each admitted to the Doctorate of Philosophy in Medieval Studies.

Faculty presiding over the ceremony were John van Engen, Director of the Institute, as Officiant; Rev. Michael S. Driscoll as Proctor and Chaplain; Alexander Blachly as Proctor and Director of Music; Christopher Abram, Medieval Institute Director of Graduate Studies, as Beadle; and Hildegund G. Müller as Praelectrix.

In spite of the unseasonably chilly weather, friends, family, and graduates enjoyed a reception afterward of cookies and punch in the courtyard of Alumni Hall. The Institute congratulates all of these fine scholars on their hard work and achievements, and wishes them every success.