Former Ohio State women’s basketball player Katie Smith spoke at Autumn Commencement at the Schottenstein Center Sunday. Credit: Casey Smith | Lantern TV Sports Producer

Katie Smith, Olympian and WNBA coach, told the graduating Buckeyes about the community they now will join and the help they will continue to get from Ohio State during the 2022 Fall Commencement Ceremony Sunday.

The ceremony was held inside the Schottenstein Center. Smith, a student-athlete from 1992-96 who finished her degree 12 years later and now serves as the lead assistant coach for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, used her experience as a Buckeye alumna to show the graduates the kind of community of which they are now a part.

“I had the pleasure and the honor of representing the U.S.A. in three Olympics from 2000 to 2008. It didn’t matter if it was Athens, Sydney or Beijing, not a game went by without me hearing someone yell ‘O-H’ from the crowd,” Smith said.

The university honored 3,564 graduates, with 2,367 in attendance. Of the graduates, there were 2,893 Bachelor and Associate degrees, 480 Masters, 171 Doctorates and 20 graduate professional degrees, Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers said at the ceremony. 

Smith said her ties to Ohio State helped her as she continued her career as a professional athlete.

“It will keep you grounded to what matters and remind you that you are connected to something bigger — that this Buckeye nation has your back.”

Smith said Phyllis Bailey, a pioneer in women’s athletics at Ohio State from 1956-94 who died earlier this year, offered a challenge Smith wanted to pass on to the graduates — to think and be there for others.

“If you’re a Buckeye, it is not just about yourself, as Phyllis said. It is about others, so be there for others now and in the future,” Smith said. “Make the difference. Take the call and be and do all that you can and is required of being a Buckeye.”

Smith was awarded a Doctor of Public Service honorary degree by University President Kristina M. Johnson and Hiroyuki Fujita, chair of the Board of Trustees.

There were also two Distinguished Service Awards given to Paul A. Beck, a leading scholar on democracies and political discourse and accomplished teacher and mentor, and Kara J. Trott, founder and senior advisor of Quantum Health, as recognition for distinguished service to the university.

Johnson addressed the graduates to acknowledge how hard they worked to receive their education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Earning a degree from The Ohio State University is always an achievement, but that accomplishment becomes truly special when you’ve overcome so much adversity to arrive at this destination,” Johnson said.

Johnson said she is proud of the university for always giving opportunities to its students despite obstacles they may face.

“Nothing that we do is more important than giving people from ordinary backgrounds the chance to do extraordinary things with their lives,” Johnson said.

Johnson concluded the ceremony by congratulating the graduates and looking to the future.

“Graduates, I’m so proud of all that you have done and can’t wait to see what you accomplish next,” Johnson said.