CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — The weather may have been cold and rainy, but the mood was jubilant Saturday, May 7, as Penn State Lehigh Valley held its spring 2022 commencement ceremony.
A total of 120 students completed their associate or bachelor’s degree during the academic year. Of those, 92 walked at the ceremony, which was held on the campus grounds and presided over by Chancellor Tina Q. Richardson and Director of Academic Affairs Anibal Torres Bernal.
This year’s keynote speaker, Penn State alumnus Dr. Hussam A. Yacoub, a board-certified vascular neurologist affiliated with Lehigh Valley Health Network, shared some of the accumulated wisdom he’s gained throughout his life and career.
“Success is not something that is typically achieved in a short period of time, and how you define that word — success — likely varies for each of you,” Yacoub said. “Regardless of how you define it, success is simply determined by and is a reflection of what you do. And it almost always requires perseverance, determination and sacrifice. … And each day — each year — you will continue to develop, because there is no end stage or last day of success. You are not finished when you graduate or get a job … or when you start a family. It is a lifelong process — and each of those achievements may, in fact, mark a new beginning.”