James Washington III, Class of 2024 Valedictorian.
MANHATTAN.EDU/COURTESY
By Grace Cardinal, Editor-in-Chief
James Washington III, an exercise science major and army veteran, has been selected as the valedictorian of the undergraduate class of 2024. Washington will give a speech at the undergraduate commencement ceremony, scheduled for May 18 in Draddy Gymnasium.
Washington came to Manhattan College after an eight-year stint in the army. When he left the service, he returned to New York City where he got in touch with the Bronx Veterans Association to help him find a college to pursue a bachelor’s degree. While his original intention was to pursue physical therapy, Washington ended up an exercise science major on a pre-nursing track. Ultimately, Washington credits the Veteran Success Center at MC for being the reason he committed to the college – and says it will be what he misses the most.
“The first thing that I’m going to miss is the community from the Veterans Success Center,” Washington said. “It was so nice having somewhere to belong, somewhere to go right away. I didn’t have to find it, it was already there waiting for me. So I had something to integrate me and help me integrate into college life as an older student.”
Washington credits the professors and students in the kinesiology department for his success after taking a decade away from the classroom.
“I’m also going to miss the kinesiology department,” Washington said. “Honestly, there are extraordinary people there that genuinely care about the students. They want your success. They will make things happen for you…they are those people that if you ask them, they will move a mountain…Everyone’s looking after everybody to ensure their success, and that’s something I don’t think I would have gotten anywhere else if I didn’t come to this school.”
Washington is described by his friends and professors as a humble individual with a drive to accomplish all he can while bringing up those around him.
“He’s just an overall good guy,” senior exercise science major Carina Ashman said. “He’s a very hard worker. He’s so busy, but he really takes the time to make everyone feel like they’re important.”
One of Washington’s close friends, Dylan Lyons, a fellow veteran, shared an anecdote with The Quadrangle that he believes showcases Washington’s true character.
“I remember one day, we were at the Veterans Center, and I was having the worst day,” Lyons said. “I was not doing well with my class. And he forced me to walk with him to go get coffee. It’s something so small, but it shows he knows the person pretty well. I got up and I got going, it made me feel better. He’s persistent. And him doing that really changed my day.”
During his four years at MC, Washington was involved in various organizations and honor societies, including serving as the Veteran Liaison between Student Government and the Veteran Success Center and as president of Phi Epsilon Kappa (PEK). Washington is also a student member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AHPERD).
Christie González-Toro, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology at MC, has interacted with Washington both as a student in her classroom and as a leader of PEK.
“He has qualities of being a kind, honest, and caring person,” González-Toro said. “As the president of PEK, James has brought that inclusive leadership into the society. He created a welcoming environment within the honor society…It was amazing how he was working interactively with the board members. He listens to their ideas and they make the decisions together.”
Washington said that his experience transitioning from the army to higher education wasn’t as difficult as many assume.
“I’m not gonna say it was difficult, and if it was difficult, it’s because I made it difficult,” Washington said. “What I mean by that is, I had a perception of what I would come to being an older student and being around younger kids… are we going to be able to have normal conversations that didn’t feel like big brother/little brother/little sister, can we be equals and just have casual conversation and pick each other’s brains? And we can.”
David Bollert, Ph.D., the director of veteran services and a philosophy professor at the college, said that Washington is one of the most loving students he has ever come across in his 19 years at MC.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen, when I’m in the center, just talking to another student vet, them come in and come up to James and say, I need a hug,” Bollert said. “And James will of course, and he gives the best hugs in the world. But there’s a seriousness to it as well that for James, he takes caring for others very seriously. He’s just another regarding [and] caring human being who goes out of his way to make those that he interacts with, those that he’s around, feel better about themselves.”
Washington says that while he never planned to be valedictorian, he’s honored to have been selected. Washington also acknowledged his fellow candidates as extraordinary individuals.
“How I got this status is all because of me wanting to challenge myself, because I wanted to know what I could truly do,” Washington said. “Can I be the guy that sticks it out from day one all the way through? Can I keep myself accountable for that long? Can I continue to show up the way I need to show up? And that was my mission for college, to prove to myself that I can be a student that excels the whole way through.”
Bollert said that outside of what his religious beliefs may be, Washington is the perfect embodiment of what it means to be a Lasallian.
“He’s thoroughly Lasallian,” Bollert said. “Part of what it means to be a Lasallian is to care for others, in terms of their complete personhood, their mind, their heart, and perhaps given their beliefs, their soul as well, it’s James. Part of being a Lasallian is respect for the dignity of the human person…He lives it in terms of his words and his deeds and that’s why I think he’s perfect for addressing the graduating class of 2024.”
After graduation, Washington plans to move on to the Pace Nursing Program in the spring of 2025. Ultimately, his goal is to receive his doctorate of nursing practice with a focus on cardiology.