BEREA, OHIO — Caleb Reed, a graduate of Wilmington High School, graduated cum laude from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, with a bachelor of science: business information systems.

While the reverberations of COVID-19 have faded, Baldwin Wallace University’s 174th commencement exercises noted how the pandemic shaped the college experience for students who completed high school when the pandemic upended the world.

With in-person high school graduation ceremonies canceled that spring, the pomp and pageantry celebrating the BW Class of 2024 on Saturday, May 4, was a first for 638 graduates earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Baldwin Wallace University, founded in 1845, was one of the first colleges to admit students without regard to race or gender. An independent, coeducational university of 3,500 students, BW offers coursework in the liberal arts tradition in more than 80 academic areas. Located in Berea, 12 miles from downtown Cleveland, BW offers students the cultural, educational and business advantages of a major metropolitan area.