Shauna Clifford, ’18 Commencement Speaker

When Shauna Clifford arrived at La Salle University as a freshman, she made a promise to herself to face her fear of public speaking and submit a Commencement speech her senior year for consideration.

Shauna did just that. On May 20, 2018, Shauna stood on the Commencement stage and encouraged her classmates to explore the world around them with courage, kindness, friendship, and character—qualities she encountered across campus during her time as a student.

Shauna served as the president of the La Salle Singers and as the vice president of alumni relations and records for La Salle’s theater club, The Masque. “La Salle is very important to me; this University changed my life,” she said. “I will be forever grateful for the way that I have been treated here,” she said.

Mileidys Barreto Colon, ’18

Mileidys says that moving from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia was a challenge for her and her family that impacted every aspect of their lives. “But we did it for a better future,” she said. “I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities we have gained since we’ve been here.”

Those opportunities include earning a bachelor’s degree in public health, making a difference in the community with PHEED Philadelphia as a public health student organizer, and helping others who speak Spanish as their first language gain a better understanding of English. Mileidys says wherever she goes from here, she knows she will continue to make an impact on people’s lives.

Robert Scholle, ’18

Robert was tired of feeling like a number at the large state school he attended and wanted to find where he belonged.

“La Salle was the perfect choice,” Robert says. The personalized attention of faculty coupled with the amazing relationships he has made with his classmates and friends has helped change his outlook on life.

Robert’s dream is to continue his education and eventually earn his Ph.D. in mathematics. He recently saw of one of his mathematic papers published in the Rose-Hulman Institute Undergraduate Mathematics Journal. Since his time here, Robert says he has become far more optimistic. He remarked, “the things that I used to see only as obstacles, I now view as opportunities.”

Kyle McIntosh, ’18

At first glance, Kyle McIntosh may seem like an easygoing guy. But, beneath the calm and collected exterior is a burgeoning entrepreneur who is ready to face new challenges. Shortly after transferring to La Salle after receiving his associate’s degree from Manor College, McIntosh was working as the host of Sports Talk Philly with La Salle TV and was asked to stand in as the very first Student CEO of the University’s new Saxbys location on campus. Aside from the hard work McIntosh put in behind the counter, he says he worked hard to remember everyone he met on a daily basis. “You never know where we’ll end up one day,” he said.

Now as a La Salle alumnus, McIntosh says he will continue on the entrepreneurial path, hoping to become an actor and content creator. “I won’t be satisfied in life until I’m writing checks to myself,” he said.