Estée Lauder executive Alexandra Trower assured graduates, “You will be fine. More than that: You will be great,” during Hollins University’s 169th Commencement Exercises last Saturday.
Hollins conferred 169 bachelor’s degrees and 75 master’s degrees during the ceremony, which was held on the university’s historic Front Quadrangle.
Trower, a member of Hollins’ Class of 1986 and this year’s guest speaker, is Executive Vice President, Global Communications, and an Executive Officer of The Estée Lauder Companies in New York. She congratulated the graduates on developing “an extraordinary bond, a spirit of common cause and great respect for one another which I’ve seen personally and heard from President [Nancy] Gray and other members of the faculty and administration.
“You are indeed a remarkable class.”
The Blacksburg, Virginia, native told the Class of 2011, “Each of you will define your own path to happiness and success. And that definition will evolve over time, as you evolve and grow yourself.” She added that Hollins has helped them “access the power and strength that you’ve carried within yourselves all along.”
Trower reminded the graduates that “being part of this incredible community brings with it an important obligation. You have a responsibility to pay the gift of Hollins forward. This school’s success is a tribute to the power of women helping women. Each of us has been lifted up by women who came before … and we have a responsibility to help other women climb as well.”
Trower concluded by relating how one senior described her Hollins experience to her: “I started … as a square. I’m leaving as a circle.” She explained this student believed her time at Hollins had helped her become more open and well-rounded, “but a circle also represents the way an ending can be a beginning. And it represents the unbreakable connection we Hollins women share – as part of a widening circle of alumnae, from so many different backgrounds … hands linked together, in sisterhood and solidarity with one another, to dream the boldest dreams we can … and help others’ dreams come true.”
Following Trower’s address, Suzanne Smith Whitmore, a member of Hollins’ Class of 1960 and chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, awarded her with the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa in recognition of her more than 25 years of success in global communications, service as a member of Hollins’ Board of Trustees and the university’s Alumnae Association, and extensive volunteer work.
Hollins is an independent liberal arts university offering undergraduate education for women, selected graduate programs for men and women, and community outreach initiatives. Founded in 1842, Hollins is Virginia’s oldest chartered women’s college.
