Shortly before more than 6,000 Virginia Tech students became graduates Friday morning, they were told not to fear the fear that lies ahead.
鈥淚 think fear gets a bad rap,鈥 said Regina Dugan, an internationally recognized innovator in health care, technology and national security who was the keynote speaker at Tech鈥檚 commencement ceremony in Lane Stadium.
Regina Dugan during an appearance at Virginia in 2016.
Most people view fear as an obstacle that should be avoided, she said, or consider it a sign of weakness. 鈥淏ut I do not think of fear that way,鈥 Dugan said. 鈥淚 think of fear as a signal, a sign that something matters.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a stop sign. It鈥檚 a compass,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd fear is the signal that you can learn to walk toward. Fear is what makes you run out of a burning building, but it is also what makes you run into one to save someone you love.鈥
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Graduating Hokie Bird mascots Christopher Boyd and Marisa Goodwin attended the ceremony wearing oversized mascot feet.
Long before she became president and CEO of Wellcome Leap, a nonprofit organization that develops programs to deliver breakthroughs in global health care, Dugan experienced what she called one of the most significant signals of her life.
At the age of 9, she was diagnosed with catastrophic ovarian cancer. It was in June, Dugan said, and doctors told her parents she wouldn鈥檛 live to see Christmas.
鈥淪poiler alert: I made it,鈥 she told the crowd
But it took three major surgeries 鈥 leaving a 13-inch scar on her abdomen and hundreds of stitch marks that Dugan described as 鈥渁ngry graffiti鈥 鈥 followed by extensive chemotherapy that pushed her to the brink of death.
Virginia Tech roommates Kevin Painchaud, left, and Wes Britton toss their hats after the conferring of degrees in Lane Stadium Friday.
Through the ordeal, she developed what she called a fear muscle that she encouraged Tech graduates to use as they confront the most challenging obstacles to come in their professional and personal lives.
鈥淎ll of the things that frighten us the most, all of the things that give meaning to our lives, they are all over there鈥 鈥 beyond the fear that must be overcome, she said.
Minutes after Dugan spoke, those wearing black gowns on the stadium football field were told to move the tassels on their caps from right to left, the exact moment they became Tech alumni. Smaller ceremonies were held over several days at different campus locations, where undergraduates walked across stages to receive their diplomas.
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine students wave inflated examination gloves while being recognized during in the ceremony.
Dugan, who received her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from Tech, has worked as a business executive, producer, engineer-artist, taskmaster, and product developer. She has served as vice president of engineering for Facebook, and before that was head of Google鈥檚 鈥渕oonshot鈥 team that developed new technology.
Fortune magazine described her as one of the world鈥檚 leading experts on product innovation. In 2022, she received Tech鈥檚 distinguished achievement award.
By telling her story, Dugan said she did not wish upon her audience the 鈥渂urning building鈥 of life-threatening cancer.
鈥淚 do wish you the freedom it gave me to live big 鈥 really big,鈥 she said.
Photos: Virginia Tech graduation 2025
Graduating Hokie Bird mascots Christopher Boyd and Marisa Goodwin attended the ceremony wearing oversized mascot feet.
Advertisements soliciting graduation attire littered the Lane Stadium field after the ceremony.
The Virginia Tech 2025 Commencement ceremony was held under ideal weather conditions in Lane Stadium Friday.
Virginia Tech roommates Kevin Painchaud, left, and Wes Britton toss their hats after the conferring of degrees in Lane Stadium Friday.
Virginia Tech graduate Kerin Gorrasi, center, sings "Enter the Sandman" along with fellow graduates at the conclusion of the ceremony. The graduation ceremony followed a live performance of the heavy metal band Metallica in the stadium the week prior.
Graduates and their families gathered outside Lane Stadium after the ceremony. 3,043 Hokies completed their baccalaureate degree programs with honors, having achieved cumulative GPAs of at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.
Approximately 6,119 bachelor鈥檚 degree candidates from all colleges will be honored throughout the weekend.
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine students wave inflated examination gloves while being recognized during in the ceremony.
Virginia Tech president Tim Sands, left, exits the stage as part of an academic procession at the conclusion of the ceremony.
