WORCESTER, Mass. — The following local students received a degree from Clark University on Sunday, May 20:

• Anne Baxter Read of Arundel graduated with a Master of Arts in community development and planning.

• Lydia Althea Berry of Kennebunk graduated with a Master of Arts in community development and planning.

• Alexander M. Vesenka of Kennebunkport graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts and a self-designed major.

• Delaney Catherine Regan of Old Orchard Beach graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching.

• Alexis Nicole Richards of Old Orchard Beach graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in international development and social change.

• Misa Thanh Mai of Sanford graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry and molecular biology.

• Alexander Daniel Wall of Sanford graduated with a Master of Science in biochemistry and molecular biology.

• Caileigh E. Clark of Wells graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.

During the 114th Commencement exercises, Clark awarded degrees to 1,052 graduates (451 bachelor’s, 577 master’s, and 24 doctorates) in a ceremony on the Jefferson Academic Center Green.

Hauwa Ibrahim, international human rights and Shariah law attorney, received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree and delivered the commencement address.

Ibrahim, a lawyer who defends women sentenced to death by stoning under Shariah Law, stressed the importance of focus, of having a plan. “Be firm but flexible,” she told the grads.

“I encourage you to know what you know, and be an authority. For every challenge you encounter in life, there is a solution within. Sometimes you just have to scratch a little deeper to find it.

“You will be tested — and when you are tested what should you do? We are going into a new world order that you will be defining, or redefining,” Ibrahim said. “Faith, resilience, and humility will not hurt. When tested, understand your situation and work within.”

The University also conferred honorary degrees upon Susan Hanson and Christine Ortiz. Hanson, distinguished university professor emerita in Clark’s Graduate School of Geography, is an urban geographer with interests in gender and economy, transportation, local labor markets, and sustainability. She is past-president of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and the recipient of lifetime achievement honors and the Brunn award for creativity from the AAG. Ortiz is Morris Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and founder and CEO of Station1, a new college focused on inquiry-based learning in science and technology for students from underrepresented backgrounds.

President David Angel told the crowd, “Clark graduates throughout the decades have made a difference, and we are proud and excited to welcome you to this distinguished alumni community.”

Visit the Clark University Commencement 2018 site for photos, speaker bios and more.

Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university addressing natural, social and human imperatives from local to global scales. Nationally renowned as a college that changes lives, Clark is a transformative force in higher education today. LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark’s pioneering model of education that combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences. Clark’s faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to complex challenges in the natural sciences, psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change.