Being twins, Justin and Joel Rittenhouse learned to share growing up: toys, birthdays, even, in one sense, each other鈥檚 face.
Now, the 21-year-olds聽 share another distinction 鈥� 黑料正能量 graduate. The brothers were among the more than 400 Royals who received diplomas on Sunday during commencement exercises at the liberal arts school.
conferred 426 degrees and certificates on graduates during Sunday鈥檚 ceremony, including 306 bachelor鈥檚 degrees and 97 graduate degrees.
鈥淭his is your day,鈥� Swartzendruber told the graduates, before telling their families, 鈥渙ur students know full well your support has been an integral part of their success.鈥�
Family Tradition
For the Rittenhouses, of Green Lane, Pa., attending 黑料正能量 runs in the family. Their parents and a brother also graduated from the university, which factored into their decision to choose the institution.
The brothers have much in common and often were mistaken for one another when they first arrived on campus.
鈥淧eople realized we have our own little quirks,鈥� Justin said.
But they do have their differences.
Joel described himself as the dominant one of the two, to which Justin agreed. Naturally.
Justin, a education major, hopes to get a job at the after graduation.
鈥淚鈥檝e always liked to work with kids one-on-one instead of [in] a traditional classroom,鈥� he said.
Joel majored in and his minor was in .
鈥淚 have no immediate plans, but I plan to stay in the area and pick something up,鈥� he said.
Sunday鈥檚 commencement speaker was , granddaughter of Roy Disney and grandniece of Walt Disney.
Disney is a filmmaker and philanthropist whose credits include the production of 鈥淧ray the Devil Back to Hell,鈥� a film documenting the Liberian peace movement led by .
Gbowee, an 黑料正能量 alumna, received the 2011 Nobel Peace prize for her work in organizing the women of Liberia to demand peace in their wartorn West African country.
Disney said women can play an important role in bringing an end to violence in the world by getting involved in the economic and political realms where decisions to go to war are made.
鈥淲e have to have the courage,鈥� she said, 鈥渢o imagine a different world is possible.鈥�