But they left with the advice of their commencement speaker, Sheila McDevitt, ringing in their ears. McDevitt attended grammar school next door to the college at the nun-run Holy Name Academy. TECO Energy Inc. Standing on the dais inside the Maria Bowman Activities Center gymnasium, McDevitt told the graduates to strive for a meaningful life. She broke the pursuit of meaning into 10 parts, including values, independence, adaptability to change and learning. She urged graduates to seize their future despite potentially spirit-sapping obstacles.
Fear can be a powerful motivator .
After McDevitt, two students from the class of 1999 took the podium, illustrating Saint Leo's multigenerational appeal. They were Francine Mailhoit, a grandmother of nine who earned a bachelor's degree in religion and psychology, and Matthew Dooris, a biology major and the class valedictorian. For the occasion, Dooris composed rhyming verse about his student days, parodying the styles of poets such as Edgar Allan Poe. Later, each student filed down the platform to get a handshake and diploma from college president Arthur Kirk. They will be the last degrees bestowed by Saint Leo College.