Carlson Tells VCU Graduates to be 'Fearless in Your Choices'

By Mike Porter

During May commencement ceremonies today, Teresa H. Carlson told Virginia Commonwealth University's newest graduates to believe in themselves and their abilities and to remember that focus, hard work and perseverance really do pay off.

Carlson is vice president of the Worldwide Public Sector for Amazon Web Services and a member of the VCU Board of Visitors. 

“Be fearless in your choices,” said Carlson, who was honored in Washington magazine’s list of “2011 Tech Titans” for contributing prominently to the growth of the D.C. technology market and was named one of the top 12 executives in Fast Company’s list of “Most Influential Women in Technology” in 2010. 

“Find a hole and fill it. If you see something that needs to be done, this is an opportunity. Do your best at every job you have. It will pay off. Think big and be bold,” said Carlson.

Students received professional, graduate and undergraduate degrees at the ceremony at the Richmond Coliseum. In all, 4,900 degrees were awarded.

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., urged graduates to find themselves by serving others.

“Within each of us is the passion and motivation to make a difference in our world,” Rao said. “Indeed, the very best way to find ourselves as humans, Gandhi told us, is to lose ourselves in the service of others.”

Carlson was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, VCU’s highest form of recognition.

The Edward A. Wayne Medal, established in 1971 to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions or provided exemplary service to VCU, was bestowed on Margaret and Fitzgerald “Gerry” Bemiss. Margaret Bemiss graduated from the VCU School of Arts and Sciences in 1978 and is a former member of the VCU Board of Visitors. Fitzgerald “Gerry” Bemiss was a Virginia delegate from 1955 to 1957 and a state senator from 1960 to 1967. Until his death two years ago, Mr. Bemiss suffered from Parkinson’s disease. In 2008, the couple made a $1 million gift to endow a chair to recruit a director for what would become the VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center. 

The Edward A. Wayne Medal was also bestowed on Stuart C. Siegel, who served as chairman of S&K Famous Brands Inc., until 2009, and currently serves on the VCU Board of Visitors, of which he is a former rector, and the VCU Health System board. As a longtime supporter of VCU Athletics, Siegel was instrumental in the development of the university’s Stuart C. Siegel Center.