News 14 Carolina's Johnny Chappell has more from the commencement ceremony in this report.
DURHAM -- More than 4,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees were awarded Saturday at Duke University's 156th commencement.
Instead of a sea of caps and gowns, it was a sea of umbrellas as people made the best of a less-than-perfect day. While the rain gear kept friends and family dry, it also made the graduates almost invisible for most of the ceremony.
The commencement speaker described the event as fabulously soggy, and while the conditions were out of anybody's control, two graduating Blue Devils did their best to lighten the atmosphere. Kyle Knight and Matt Zafirovski won a competition to address their fellow graduates.
"A friend of ours did it last year and we thought well that might be something we can do,” said Zafirovski. “Why don't we do it together?"
Kyle Knight and Matt Zafirovski won a competition to address their fellow graduates.
And together, they were able to bring out a few smiles, even with the rain.
"We moved into our 144-square-foot room, including closet space,“ Knight said during his speech. “When Matt walked in, my greatest fear for college was confirmed, my roommate was as big as I was."
They used laughter to make a point -- that the college experience isn't just about the books.
"No one will remember the amount of hours you studied or the number of lattes you drank or the number of second interviews you went on, what we will remember are the people we celebrate with this weekend," said Zafirovski.
Also at the ceremony, writer and commencement speaker Barbara Kingsolver urged graduates to escape their dependence on fossil fuel.