Web Extra

Students of all ages were given a message of strength Saturday night at their graduation from the College of Professional Studies and Graduate School of Political Management.

D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, served as the keynote speaker, telling nearly 150 graduates in Lisner Auditorium to make the best of every situation.

“You are never stuck, you are never trapped, you can always act, you can always move,” said Cheh, who is also a GW Law School professor. “In the name of heaven, act, don’t just whine.”

Cheh said if students are miserable in their situation, they should not accept it, but instead negotiate. And if the negotiations fail, try and find the good in the position.

Student speaker and political management graduate Michelle Tanney told students not to be discouraged by difficulties because they are “steps toward eventual successes.”

“It’s impossible to go through life without failing, which sucks for us Type A personalities,” Tanney said. “But life is about the process, the journey.”

This year’s ceremony was the third for CPS, said Kathleen Burke, dean of the College of Professional Studies. In addition to programs in Police Science, Landscape Design, Law Firm Management, Middle Grade Science, Molecular Biotechnology, Paralegal Studies, Publishing and Strategic Public Relations, the School of Political Management joined CPS in 2006 in a departure from the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.

Rasma Plato, who graduated with a master’s in landscaping design, said she chose GW because the school has the best sustainable land program.

“It’s on the cutting edge in what everybody is trying to do, what everyone should be doing and emphasizes issues we’re facing as individuals,” Plato said. “My experience has been fantastic.”