Today, as the Morehouse College Class of 2016 celebrates its 132nd graduation ceremony, it will honor three young men who collectively have been named its valedictorian—including one young man who is not black.
Liam R. Davis, Ian Niemeyer and Willie J. Thompson each graduated with a 4.0 grade point average from the nation’s largest liberal arts college for men. Founded in 1867, Morehouse enrolls approximately 2,100 students and historically has conferred more bachelor’s degrees on black men than any other institution in the world.
“The honoring of three of our graduating seniors jointly as valedictorian serves as one proud and significant example of Morehouse College’s commitment to academic excellence—which also ties to one of the college’s strategic focuses of acuity,” said John Silvanus Wilson Jr., president of Morehouse College, to the Morehouse NewsCenter.
“Acuity means striving for the best—both intellectual and personal excellence,” he continued. “These are just a pair of the qualities that embody Morehouse men such as our three valedictorians and salutatorian, and countless scholars who have performed at the highest levels in their respective disciplines. We celebrate these graduating seniors and their successes and will continue to prepare men who demonstrate principles such as acuity and integrity.”
Davis, a 22-year-old native of Nassau, Bahamas, was a business administration major with a concentration in accounting and is a Joseph E. Lowery International Scholarship recipient. After Morehouse, Davis plans to enroll in the master of science program in accountancy at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Niemeyer, who finished his studies in December, was an economics major with a minor in mathematics who was president and portfolio manager of the Morehouse Investment/Finance Club, a student-run investment fund with more than $115,000 assets under management. The 22-year-old Durham, N.C., native said that his interest in Morehouse was sparked in large part by his best friend, Marshall Lewis, who is also part of the graduating Class of 2016.
Griffin, Ga., native Thompson, 22, was an economics major and Chinese-studies minor. He is a Fulbright scholar who will spend 11 months in Taiwan and TaiChung. He initially didn’t want to attend an HBCU but says that his mother, who graduated from Alabama State University, convinced him. “I came kicking and screaming, but I’m leaving happy and rejoicing,” he said.
Following his Fulbright opportunity, Thompson plans to go to work for the Bridgespan Group in Boston.
Congratulations to these three young men! DaHouse!
Read more at Morehouse NewsCenter.