NEW ORLEANS — Former Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi was among the thousands who attended Loyola University graduation on Saturday to support the class of 2024.
The ceremony was held on Saturday at the UNO Lakefront Arena.
The former speaker of the house, who also serves as a U.S. Representative from California, was there to support her grandson, a 2024 graduate from Loyola's College of Music and Media.
Loyola's 2024 commencement speaker was co-host Michelle Miller, who was a reporter and anchor at WWL from 1994 to 2003.
Miller said her mentoring by former news director Joe Duke was her introduction to the city.
"I came to New Orleans ... onboarded by Loyola alum Joe Duke," Miller said in her Saturday speech. "I was literally schooled by Loyola University, even before this honorary degree I was part of this wolfpack."
Duke has served as an instructor at Loyola since 2015.
While living in Louisiana, Miller became the First Lady of New Orleans after she married Mayor Marc Morial in 1999. Morial and MIller later moved to New Jersey together.
WWL Louisiana Reporter Lily Cummings, an alumna of Loyola who interned for CBS News and Miller while in college, was also mentioned in Miller's speech.
And weeks after the U.S. House of Representatives and Pelosi approved a $95 billion military aid package to Ukraine and Israel, and amid nationwide protests across college campuses over the Israel-Hamas War, Miller acknowledged those international conflicts.
"This generation ... has a lot its contending with: war; inhumanity; famine; oppression; age-old conflicts that have plagued people for ages," Miller said. "And I'm not just talking about Gaza, the Middle East, or Ukraine; I'm talking about Sudan, Haiti ... many other countries around the world. Recognize that it's not just about what's on your television sets."
