Graduating Linguistics seniors—joined by family members, faculty, and staff—gathered in the Michigan Union on April 27 to celebrate their collective academic achievement.

Acting department chair Pam Beddor welcomed students and guests to the annual undergraduate reception. She highlighted the students’ growth and diversity of experiences during the past four years as well as the many varied career paths they will likely pursue.

Two student speakers, Corinne Brown and Denise London, also addressed the gathering. They commented not only on their personal academic journeys but also on the sense of community they found within the linguistics department, which helped them foster a strong sense of purpose.

Associate professor Jelena Krivokapić, director of undergraduate studies, then presented the Matt Alexander Award for the best honors thesis to student Emily Miiller. Miiller’s advisor was Elaine McNulty, and the title of her thesis is Deconstructing Verb Particle Constructions.

The reception concluded with individual recognition of the 2018 graduating seniors.