In photos: Pitt celebrates new grads

Friends and family of University of Pittsburgh graduates braved thunderstorms and marathon crowds yesterday to pack the Petersen Events Center and celebrate the Class of 2022 at Pitt’s first in-person, University-wide commencement ceremony since 2019.

More than 2,200 Pitt undergrads crossed the stage to join a distinguished group of more than 350,000 Pitt alumni.

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick (A&S ’91) addressed the crowd as the ceremony’s keynote speaker. A Pitt student-athlete who went on to a career as a pro football player and well-respected broadcaster, Riddick shared with students some of the unexpected twists in his own career, encouraging them to find what they’re passionate about.

[Watch the full Class of 2022 ceremony.]

“Let me be the first to tell you this: Success in life is never going to be linear. It’s never going to be a direct shot right to the top,” he said. “Stay the course. Reinvent. Be bold.”

Riddick was granted an honorary doctorate from Pitt, along with sculptor Thaddeus Mosley (A&S ’50) and congresswoman Lauren Underwood.

Undergraduate speaker Gabriella Ogude (CGS, A&S ’22) also shared words of encouragement with her peers in the Class of 2022.

“I don’t know what’s in the water at this school, but we just care. We care for one another. We care about being our best,” she said. “They say life is about choices. And I can say wholeheartedly that coming to Pitt was one of the best choices I've ever made.”

See photos from the ceremony, plus a few bonus shots from the long-awaited Class of 2020 in-person event.

— Patrick Monahan