One of our favorite things is celebrating Spider achievement, and what better time than Commencement to brag on our 2018 grads and welcome them to the alumni network!

Over the weekend, our alumni family grew by more than 1,200 talented lifelong learners. We’ve already told you about our 117 first-gen grads sweeping the stage, but there’s a lot more we want to share. From San Francisco to Dublin and Chicago to Vienna, this group of hard-working grads is taking on jobs at top companies — think Amazon and Deloitte — and premiere graduate schools — hello, Yale and Harvard — all over the world.

More than 60 percent of our seniors studied abroad with University support and the highest percentage ever of Richmond Law grads earned the Carrico Center Pro Bono Certificate for completing 120 hours of service throughout their three years. Over at the b-school, the Class of 2018 completed 12 international residencies, traveling to Verona, Italy, and Zagreb, Croatia, and MBA grads completed capstone projects with 13 companies.

As any alum will tell you, our Spider connection is for life. Chris Carlson, ’81, president of the UR Alumni Association, said it best last weekend when he told our newest alums: “The Richmond experience is not limited to your years on this beautiful campus. It is a shared experience that shapes us in profound ways — that animates and informs much that we do throughout our lives, and that makes us part of an extended family that spans generations.”

We’re so proud of you, Spider grads! Wherever you’re heading in the world, we’re looking forward to having you back for Homecoming and Reunion, so don’t be strangers and keep in touch.