Being part of an academic program that is only offered at 17 universities in the United States led Eastern Kentucky University student Elizabeth “Liz” Roche to realize opportunities and moments that she never thought possible.
As a student in the PGA Professional Golf Management Program, the Hebron, Ky., native was able to intern at golf courses each of her three summers throughout her EKU experience, worked at the Masters tournament, served as president of the PGA Professional Golf Management Student Association, and accepted a full-time job at a top golf facility in Boston.
“All of these accomplishments would not be possible without the hard work of our PGM staff that cares about each of their students so much,” Roche said.
Roche shared these experiences with graduates attending EKU’s 2022 Spring Commencement Ceremonies for the College of Business, the College of Education and Applied Human Sciences, and the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences on Friday, May 13. Roche graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in marketing and a concentration in PGA Golf Management.
Taking advantage of all the academic opportunities presented to her, Roche was named a Patterson Scholar, awarded to outstanding business students, and a PGA Works Scholar, awarded to a select number of students from the 17 PGA accredited institutions.
Considering her four years as an Eastern student, Roche took the audience down memory lane with a variety of defining moments such as move-in day, first day of classes, Homecoming and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“While I only shared a few moments of our past four years here, every day and every little moment that was in between has created and formed who you are right now,” Roche said.
Roche reminded the graduates to enjoy the little moments of the next chapter of their lives.
“Today is the day that we finally say goodbye to being undergraduates of Eastern Kentucky University and say ‘Hello’ to being the class of 2022 alumni,” she said. “All of these big moments that we have experienced have led us here. Today feels like the end, but today is not the end. It is only the very beginning.”
EKU recognized 2,292 degree candidates from its six academic colleges during its spring commencement ceremonies.
View the ceremony in its entirety via YouTube: EKU Spring 2022 Commencement-Morning Ceremony