Saint Mary’s College honored six valedictorians for the Class of 2022 during the College’s 175th Commencement Saturday, May 14, on Le Mans Green.
Margaret (Maggie) Devitt is from La Grange, Ill., and is completing her bachelor of arts in speech-language pathology, and minors in psychology and gerontology. While at Saint Mary’s, Devitt has served as the vice president of internal affairs and chief of staff for student government; on the executive board for the Saint Mary’s chapter of National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association; on the President’s Board for Saint Mary’s Dance Marathon, as a representative for the President’s Council on Inclusivity and Multicultural Diversity (PCIMD), and as a fellow in a campus-wide project called the Dialogue Project. Additionally, Devitt has been a student clinician in Judd Leighton Speech-Language Clinic where she had her own client for whom she provided speech and language services as well as acted as a research assistant in the past semester in which she helped conduct a study on how the degree of speech production experience affects the development of larger generalized motor programs and the resultant consistency in movement trajectories. Devitt also enjoys volunteering in retirement communities, homeless shelters, and being a part of Notre Dame’s Best Buddies Club. She will attend Rush University in Chicago for her masters in speech-language pathology this August and is looking forward to continuing her passion for learning while working toward her vocation of serving the community as a speech-language pathologist. Immediately following Commencement, view Maggie's valedictiorian speech here.
Allyson (Ally) Emmett is a first-generation college student from Fort Wayne, Ind., and is completing her bachelor of arts in Spanish and global studies with a concentration in anthropology. Beginning her first year at Saint Mary’s, Emmett has served as a student leader in the Office for the Common Good, specifically working with the student group Beyond the Belle to connect students with educational volunteer opportunities in the South Bend community. In this role, Emmett also served as an English literacy skills tutor for elementary students at the Notre Dame Center for Civic Innovation. Emmett received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad in Seville, Spain and has served as a study abroad program coordinator and Spain peer advisor in the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL) to encourage other students to participate in opportunities for cultural immersion. In her involvement with CWIL, Emmett also served as the student representative on the Global Education Committee. She is pursuing opportunities to teach English in Spain to combine her interests of language learning, teaching, and cultural immersion; she was recently named an alternate for an English Teaching Assistant Fulbright Award for Spain. Immediately following Commencement, watch the speech Ally gave during the ceremony here.
Grace Floerchinger is from Rockford, Mich., and is completing her bachelor of arts degree in economics and environmental studies with a concentration in global environmental policy. While at Saint Mary’s College, Floerchinger served as the co-chair of the sustainability committee for the Student Government Association and as the student representative for the Going Green Committee, which works to strengthen sustainable initiatives throughout the College. She also enjoyed being an active member of the Notre Dame Dance Company and serving on the morale committee for Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon supporting Riley Children’s Hospital. In the Spring of 2020, Floerchinger studied abroad in Rome, Italy, at John Cabot University. During her senior year, Floerchinger conducted research in economics, under the guidance of Dr. Sianne Vijay and Dr. Ari Farshbaf, for The Status of Girls in Indiana report. She recently accepted a full-time position with Fannie Mae as a business analyst in capital markets and is looking forward to pursuing her environmental interests within the national business realm. Immediately following Commencement, view Grace's valedictiorian speech here.
Lauren Honkamp is from Rockford, Ill., and is completing her bachelor of social work, with minors in sociology and gerontology. During her time at Saint Mary’s, Honkamp served as the president of the Social Work Club, where she helped to create fundraisers and service events that assisted local organizations in the South Bend area. Honkamp also served as an officer of the SMC for the Spectrum Club, where she helped to promote autism awareness in the Saint Mary’s community through events and club meetings. She is currently interning at AIDS Ministries in South Bend, Ind. where she assists with the case management of HIV and AIDS positive clients. Honkamp is also an intern at Ryan’s Place in Goshen, Ind. where she leads small group activities that are intended to guide children through the grieving process. Honkamp is attending Loyola University of Chicago in the fall to complete her masters of social work and she intends to become a licensed clinical social worker. Immediately following Commencement, view Lauren's valedictiorian speech here.
Katherine (Katie) O’Hara of New Lenox, Ill. is completing her bachelor of business administration degree with a concentration in finance. During her time at Saint Mary’s, O’Hara participated in various clubs and organizations. Her most recent involvement in the Financial Class Council allowed her, in collaboration with her peers, to advise and approve budgets for various student-run organizations. For the past three years, O’Hara has served as a resident advisor in Le Mans Hall and Opus Hall. In this position, she was responsible for building a safe and welcoming community for over 100 of her peers. Additionally, O’Hara worked as a student assistant to the associate director of Residence Life, which further developed her love of the Saint Mary’s community. She also enjoyed helping fellow students academically through her work as a teaching assistant for an introductory computer science class. Following graduation, O’Hara will use her business and financial skills as an associate analyst for the financial planning and analysis department of United Airlines in Chicago. Immediately following Commencement, view Katie's valedictiorian speech here.
Emily Tobias, of Wheatfield, Ind., graduated in December of 2021 with bachelor of science in statistical and actuarial mathematics with a minor in computer science. While at Saint Mary’s, Tobias worked as an IT helpdesk consultant on campus where she assisted faculty and staff with using technology. She also held several office positions in the Math and Computer Science Club, where she helped promote mathematics in the Saint Mary’s community. Tobias loves to sing and was a member of both the Women’s Choir and Chapel Choir while at Saint Mary’s. In the summer of 2021, Tobias performed research remotely for Michigan State University’s Computational Math, Science, & Engineering Department in which she analyzed how students at MSU think about functions when solving computational science problems. She also spent a summer interning at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind., where she worked as a civil servant for the United States Navy. Tobias recently accepted a full-time position at Epic, a privately held healthcare software company in Wisconsin.