Dear Class of 2018:

Congratulations! You’ve made it to graduation day and filled this academic journey with countless milestones and memories.

As a group, you have already accomplished the extraordinary. And, while your collective story is still evolving, there’s still much that we can say about you — the University of Pittsburgh’s incredible class of 2018:

  • You have traveled to Pitt from 20 different countries around the world. This total includes the United States, where you hail from 46 states plus Puerto Rico. Many of you call the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania home.
               
  • You represent 292 distinct combinations of majors, earning degrees in everything from Global Management and Geology to Electrical Engineering and Psychology.
     
  • Since becoming panthers, you have won more than 40 prestigious national and international awards, including Fulbright grants and Udall, Amgen and Boren scholarships. 
     
  • Many of you have traveled abroad, participating in educational programing in 67 different countries across the globe.  
     
  • Equally impressive: You have regularly stepped up to serve others, clocking approximately 35,000 volunteer hours in the community. 
     
  • Along the way, you also completed thousands of internships and co-ops at places like Tesla, CVS, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
     
  • And our records indicate that at least 500 of you continued a proud family tradition of attending Pitt. 

While these class statistics are impressive, the real and remarkable Pitt story is your own. This story is filled with individual experiences, opportunities and plot twists, and it will serve as a lifelong launch pad for your numerous next steps and future success.

I am proud of all that you have accomplished — individually and collectively — during your time at Pitt. I also am certain that our society is better off because of your contributions, curiosity and commitment to living out our University’s mission of leveraging knowledge for society’s gain.

Congratulations, again, and Hail to Pitt! 

Patrick Gallagher