F&M Stories

Home / Commencement / Commencement Archive / Commencement 2019 / Franklin & Marshall – Your Core is 'The Source of Your Passion,' Speaker Tells Graduates

Your Core is 'The Source of Your Passion,' Speaker Tells Graduates

Franklin & Marshall College alumna Dr. Rahel Nardos '97, director of global health for Oregon Health & Science University's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, offered graduates at F&M's May 12 Commencement a perspective on her experiences growing up poor in Ethiopia.

"They were responsible for making me who I am today, what I chose to care about, how I define success, and how hard I am willing to work for it," said Nardos, who supports a women's health program in sub-Saharan Africa."What experiences shape your internal compass? What speaks to you at your core? Take time to find the answers to these questions," she told the Class of 2019. "They will be the source of your passion, your fulfillment and your resilience in the face of obstacles."

Robed in black, 540 students — including 94 international students from 28 countries and 97 first-generation students, crossed Hartman Green on a bright, blue, breezy day to ascend the stage where F&M President Barbara Altmann presented the graduates with their hard-earned baccalaureates.

View the highlights of a day that celebrated achievement:

 
 

Related Articles

February 18, 2026

An AI Certificate to Prepare World-Ready Leaders

Franklin & Marshall College announced a distinctive interdisciplinary certificate to empower students to successfully lead and thrive in a rapidly evolving world. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Liberal Arts Certificate is a reflection of the College's signature approach to examining AI through a blended lens of humanistic inquiry and technical proficiency.

February 16, 2026

A Q&A with Historian Manisha Sinha, F&M Mueller Fellow

Historian Manisha Sinha, this year’s F&M Mueller Fellow, will lead a Feb. 26 discussion centered on focus on her latest book, “The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920.”

February 16, 2026

Powering Innovation: Inside F&M’s Campus Supercomputer

Imagine 1,600 computer processors combining power toward one task. This is the engine driving innovation at F&M. Called a High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster, this elite shared resource accelerates discovery, empowers large-scale research, and fuels the collaborative spirit that defines the F&M experience.