Sweet Briar College graduates 140 amid gray skies

Sweet Briar College’s graduating class, which included people from Afghanistan to California to Madison Heights, sat under a threatening sky Saturday, with the occasional pop of a champagne cork the only sound to be heard over the people who were speaking.

Lara Merriken, founder of the Larabar energy food, told the graduates to “discover and cultivate their passions and dreams,” but most of all listen to their intuition.

“It is the truest part of yourself and will serve you well,” said Merriken, who built her company and sold it to General Mills within eight years.

Merriken recounted her inspiration, obstacles and occasional failure on the road to success.

“I learned not to get stuck on a problem but to figure out a solution and move forward, and failure is not the end of the world,” Merriken said.

A total of 140 students qualified to walk across the stage on Sweet Briar’s Upper Quad in a ceremony as traditional as any of the 101 that preceded it.

Seven of the students received master’s degrees in teaching or education. The rest earned bachelor’s degrees or anticipate doing so.

Senior Class President Kennedy Munro of Salem, Conn., told the class they will always be part of Sweet Briar and, “Let’s face it, we kind of rock.” Cheers of agreement went up.

Sara Buttine of Dallas, a fashion and marketing student who is president of the Student Government Association, told the class members that four years at Sweet Briar had been like a shopping trip.

“You accessorize your closet” while shopping, Buttine said, and the graduates came to Sweet Briar with a need to accessorize themselves through internships, independent studies, leadership positions, jobs and theses.

“Each girl is their own and fully accessorized for their future,” Buttine said.

The highest-ranking graduate, Kathryn Alexander of Asheville, N.C., was awarded the Presidential Medal.

Other all-College awards announced Saturday were:

The Penelope Lane Czarra Award, to Sarah Camille Jones of Woodbridge.

The Judith Molinar Elkins Prize, to Jane Elliott Craddock of Charlottesville.

The Connie M. Guion Award, to Keri Leigh Falk of Porter, Texas

The Walker Award, to Sarah Fox Schofield of Hagerstown, Md.

The Emily Watts McVea Scholar, to Kathryn Jeanne Alexander of Asheville, N.C.

About 30 other commencement awards had been announced earlier in the spring.