Cara Monical of Houston Graduates from Centre College

2013 May 28

At Centre College's Commencement ceremony on May 19, Cara Monical of Houston received B.S. degrees in computer science and mathematics and was valedictorian and graduated summa cum laude. She also was a Brown Fellow, the premier scholarship and enrichment program in Kentucky and one of the nation's elite fellowship programs. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa National Society for Overall Achievement, and was a John C. Young Scholar, Centre's premier program for independent study and research. She did collaborative research in computer science with Dr. Forrest Stonedahl, and was awarded the Computer Science Prize and The Sallie Warfield Memorial Prize, awarded to the student with the highest standing in mathematics. She is a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

The College's 190th Commencement saw the largest graduating class in Centre's history. Martha Raddatz, ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent and moderator of the 2012 Vice Presidential Debate, was this year's featured commencement speaker. She received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Centre during the ceremony.

Award-winning sculptor Edward Norton Hamilton, Jr., also received an honorary doctor of humane letters from the College during the ceremony.

The 293-member class presented an impressive lineup, graduating three Fulbright Fellowship recipients and 78 students with honors. In addition, 86 percent of the class studied abroad at least once during their four years at the College.

Monical is the daughter of Mark and Valerie Monical of Houston and is a graduate of Clear Lake High School.

Centre College, founded in 1819, is a nationally ranked liberal arts college in Danville, Ky. Centre hosted its second Vice Presidential Debate on 10.11.12, and remains the smallest college in the smallest town ever to host a general election debate.