Board member Daniel Briggs Jr., who received an honorary degree from the University of Northwestern Ohio, delivers an address Sunday during the university’s graduation ceremony.
LIMA — The University of Northwestern Ohio celebrated its 103rd commencement and graduation ceremony with the Class of 2023 at the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center on Sunday.
The dreary weather did not keep anyone away, as the auditorium was packed with proud family, friends, community members and university faculty to send off the graduating students.
“2023 is one of our largest graduating classes in our history, with 762 graduates totaling 1,108 degrees and diplomas,” UNOH President Jeffrey A. Jarvis said in his opening.
UNOH has five colleges and approximately 4,000 students from all over the country and the world. Sunday’s graduates represented 36 states, Puerto Rico and 13 countries. To accommodate the number of graduates, the class was divided into two graduation ceremonies, with one at 10 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. The afternoon ceremony awarded degrees to College of Business, College of Occupational Professions and College of Applied Technology graduates.
“Most of them are employed in their chosen career path, many of them are graduating with honors, and a large percentage of them had perfect or outstanding attendance during their training,” Jarvis said.
The 1 p.m. ceremony also honored UNOH board member Daniel Briggs, Jr. with an honorary degree. Briggs is a successful business owner and CEO, having founded four companies throughout the country, specializing in innovation in medicine and energy. He founded MDX Labs, Inc., an innovative molecular and clinical diagnostics company; Auragens, a stem cell research center based in Panama City, Panama; PMP Energy; and EOS Linx, one of the country’s fastest-growing electric vehicle charging companies.
Briggs also is active as an advisor and board member with Las Vegas HEALS and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada. He founded a 501(c)3 charitable organization called FOUNDATIONS, which provides support and donations to charitable groups in southern Nevada.
After Jarvis presented a stole signifying his honorary doctorate of laws degree from the university, Briggs gave an address highlighting the importance of higher education, congratulating the graduates for overcoming struggles to achieve their goals and recognizing their supporters who helped them along the way.
“Worldwide about 20% of people have the opportunity to attend college, and worldwide 7% graduate,” Briggs shared. “So, every person here today who’s joining that fraternity of college graduates, this is a very important day.”
Briggs encouraged the graduates to continue their paths forward and overcome obstacles and naysayers that may discourage them from removing barriers for themselves and others. He called on them to be productive and lead with kindness.
Students of the three colleges in the 1 p.m. graduation ceremony were announced by Mike Miller to thunderous applause and cheering as they walked across the stage in the time-honored tradition of academia. As the students and families left the building, not even the rain could dampen the dawning of the first day of the rest of their lives.
