With the joyous flip of a tassel and enthusiastic applause from a packed Bender Arena, about 800 Eagles joined the ranks of American University alumni during the 148th commencement, Sunday, December 15.

President Jon Alger, who joined the university in July, noted that it was his first AU commencement—and thus, the Class of 2024 “will always have a special place in my heart.” “Since I arrived on campus, I’ve seen students raising support and awareness for a variety of causes. I’ve seen you in business clothes going to and from internships where you’re developing real-world skills that will help you to become effective changemakers. And I’ve had the privilege of being in classrooms and other settings on campus with you, where you have learned about the grand challenges of our time,” he said. “As you prepare for the next step in your life journey, I hope you'll keep asking yourself how you can use your education, passion, and skills to improve the lives of other people,” Alger continued. “That is how we find our true selves and our true purpose in life.”Among those who collected their diplomas during the first of two ceremonies was commencement speaker and actor Sean Astin, SPA/MPAP ’24. As he stood in line to walk across the stage, Astin—who earned a master’s in public administration and policy through the School of Public Affairs’ online program, which he completed in June—grinned for selfies with his fellow Eagles and dished out high-fives. 

During his remarks, Astin, whose credits include The Goonies, 50 First Dates, Rudy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Stranger Things, and Elf the musical, teased that “I could talk to you about a band of kids who went in search of pirate treasure—Goonies never say die!—whose mission was to work together to save their homes. Or I could talk to you about Rudy, the story of a plucky, short, not-so-athletically-gifted guy who wanted to play football for the Fighting Irish and who refused to allow anyone to place limits on his identity.”

But instead, Astin continued, he wanted to get serious with the Class of 2024.“Today is a day of celebration and triumph for all of us. This ceremony and moments of congratulation are so very important because we live in a fraught time . . . a time of such change and tumult and uncertainty that even the stoutest of souls—and I know a little something about stout little souls—is left feeling uncertain and perhaps intimidated by what the world has in store,” he said.“We are here because we worked [tirelessly] We are here because we care about this world. . . . And since we are here, maybe it’s time we look around at each other and say, ‘Hey, I see you. I don’t like the muck of this moment, but we are here, and we aren’t going anywhere,’” Astin said. “To everyone gathered with us today, know American University has done its job well, and we send forth another wave of gifted, trained, qualified, and capable professionals who share to a person the determination to make this world a better place.”