Maryland Senator and Pitt alumnus Benjamin Cardin stressed the need for Pitt graduates to find… Maryland Senator and Pitt alumnus Benjamin Cardin stressed the need for Pitt graduates to find an avocation as opposed to a vocation at the 2011 commencement ceremony today.

“Your avocation is your calling. It’s a mysterious force — a quiet but determined voice — deep inside you, compelling you to do something, somewhere, somehow for the greater good,” he said. “Your obligation is to pay attention, to heed that voice, to recognize and cultivate that calling, and to act on it.”

Cardin spoke to an audience of nearly 2,000 graduates dressed in black regalia, some wearing caps decorated with paw prints and Greek letters at the 1 p.m. ceremony in the Petersen Events Center.

A 1964 graduate, former Student Government Board president and Pi Lambda Phi member, Cardin urged graduates to volunteer in their communities, a civil duty he said Pitt encourages its students to do through events such as Pitt Makes a Difference Day.

“Serve your families. Serve your neighbors. Serve your cities. Serve the poor. Join others who serve. Serve, serve, serve … For in the end, it will be the servants who save us all,” he said.

As a Pitt alumnus, Cardin recognized Pitt’s role in shaping him for life after college.

“I loved going to a school that prepared me for my future,” Cardin said. “The University of Pittsburgh is a unique institute that instills a responsibility that challenges you to do more.”

David Gau, who gave the student response, shared Cardin’s sentiments about Pitt’s positive influence on the city.

Gau, a bioengineering, mathematics and economics major, said he’s proud to be a Pitt student “because we cured polio,” but also because of how much Pitt students “share their time and talents with the community.”

His undergraduate accomplishments include receiving the Omicron Delta Kappa 2011 Senior of the Year Award, serving as SGB board member and founding the Pitt Association for Leadership and Success, which trains students in leadership activities.

Standing on stage, Gau recalled memorable moments to the class of 2011 including the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl XLIII in 2008 and last year’s Snowpocalypse.

Chancellor Nordenberg led the audience through commencement and opened the ceremony “on behalf of the entire Pitt family.” In his welcome speech, he recognized the dreary weather outside, but contrasted this with what he called an “occasion of human brightness.”

At the closing of the ceremony, undergraduate, master’s and doctorate graduates stood up in the blue and gold-decorated Pete, threw their caps and cheered in celebration.

The Alumni welcome speaker Jack Smith, president of the Alumni Association, also extended his congratulations to the class.

“Stay connected. Good luck. God speed. Hail to Pitt. Hail to the class of 2011,” he said.