{"id":56687,"date":"2018-07-11T17:16:44","date_gmt":"2018-07-11T22:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/?p=56687"},"modified":"2025-05-20T13:35:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T18:35:25","slug":"wayne-messmer-ph-d-wows-chicago-campus-graduates-at-commencement-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/news\/wayne-messmer-ph-d-wows-chicago-campus-graduates-at-commencement-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Wayne Messmer, Ph.D. Wows Chicago Campus Graduates at Commencement Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"clearfix\"><p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/MesmerFistPump-1.jpg\" alt=\"man in graduation cap and gown with fist in the air\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The vocalist famous for wowing Chicago sports teams&#8217; audiences with his rendition of the national anthem impressed graduates with his story of perseverance.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>At times quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill or John Lennon, Dr. Wayne Messmer offered words of encouragement and inspiration as he delivered a rousing speech to the Chicago and Online campus graduates of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP). The man known for his golden voice and for overcoming great personal tragedy shared truth and wisdom with the nearly 500 graduates and their loved ones on July 6 at the historic Auditorium Theatre.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile this particular race is now finished,\u201d Dr. Messmer told the Chicago School\u2019s most recent alumni, referring to their graduation. \u201cYou may be certain there will be other races and other challenges yet to be discovered. We are counting on you to finish those races as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A professional vocalist who has sung the national anthem for the Chicago Cubs, White Sox and Blackhawks, and is also an announcer, Dr. Messmer survived a gunshot to his neck in 1994 and returned to his career as a vocalist. He is also a radio broadcaster, professional speaker, author, actor and co-founder of a financial services firm. He received his Ph.D. from LaSalle University. The Chicago School awarded Dr. Messmer with a Doctor of Humanities<em>, honoris causa <\/em>degree<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDr. Messmer\u2019s story of perseverance and his desire to help others are inspirational and impressive,\u201d said TCSPP Chicago Campus Dean Dr. Margie Martyn. \u201cHis experiences resonated with our graduates who themselves are trained and ready to affect change and be of service. We\u2019re honored he accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Campus\u2019 34<sup>th<\/sup> Commencement ceremony also featured student speaker Kareem Wasim, Psy.D., who met with his fellow graduates\u2019 loud approval when he stated,<strong> \u201c<\/strong>I stand here with strength \u2013 with and because of you: every man, every woman, everyone who is black, Christian, lesbian, Jewish, transgender, Muslim, Hispanic, gay, white, Hindu, disabled, bisexual, Buddhist, queer, atheist \u2013 everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Distinguished alumna, Dr. Sonali Gupta, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/chicago\/programs\/clinical-psychology\/\">Clinical Psychology<\/a> class of 2002, reminded graduates, \u201cRecognize that your degree not only represents knowledge and expertise, but also gives you power and the capacity to influence\u2026commit to using these wisely in the service of social justice and to advance human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the leading nonprofit institutions devoted to psychology, and related behavioral sciences, The Chicago School offers more than 20 programs on campuses in Chicago, Southern California, Washington, D.C., Dallas and online.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>About The Chicago School of Professional Psychology<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1979, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) is a nonprofit, private school devoted exclusively to psychology, and related behavioral health sciences. The Chicago School is an affiliate of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcsedsystem.edu\/\">TCS<\/a>, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact. The institution serves approximately 4,300 students across campuses in Chicago; Southern California (Los Angeles, Irvine and San Diego); and Washington, D.C., as well as through online programs. The Chicago School is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, (WSCUC), and its Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs in Chicago and Washington, D.C. are accredited by the American Psychological Association. With more than 20 graduate degree programs, thousands of hours of real-world training, and a wealth of international opportunities, TCSPP is the leader in professional psychology and behavioral health education. To learn more, visit www.thechicagoschool.edu.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>MEDIA CONTACT:<br \/>\nLisa G. Riley<br \/>\nlriley@thechicagoschool.edu<br \/>\n312.410.8963<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The vocalist famous for wowing Chicago sports teams&#8217; audiences with his rendition of the national anthem impressed graduates with his story of perseverance. At times quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill or John Lennon, Dr. Wayne Messmer offered words of encouragement and inspiration as he delivered a rousing speech to the Chicago and Online campus graduates of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP). The man known for his golden voice and for overcoming great personal tragedy shared truth and wisdom [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[465,468,477,478,472,479,473,480,197,475,481],"coauthors":[1084],"class_list":["post-56687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-college-commencement","tag-college-graduation","tag-dr-sonali-gupta","tag-grad-school-commencement","tag-grad-school-graduation","tag-graduate-school-commencement","tag-graduate-school-graduation","tag-kareem-wasim","tag-the-chicago-school","tag-the-chicago-school-of-professional-psychology","tag-wayne-messmer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wayne Messmer, Ph.D. Wows Chicago Campus Graduates at Commencement Ceremony - Insight Digital Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dr. Wayne Messmer inspires The Chicago School graduates with story of perseverance and overcoming difficulty to achieve success.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/news\/wayne-messmer-ph-d-wows-chicago-campus-graduates-at-commencement-ceremony\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wayne Messmer, Ph.D. Wows Chicago Campus Graduates at Commencement Ceremony - Insight Digital Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dr. Wayne Messmer inspires The Chicago School graduates with story of perseverance and overcoming difficulty to achieve success.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/news\/wayne-messmer-ph-d-wows-chicago-campus-graduates-at-commencement-ceremony\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Insight Digital Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-11T22:16:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T18:35:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/MesmerFistPump-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Chicago School\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Chicago School\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Wayne Messmer, Ph.D. Wows Chicago Campus Graduates at Commencement Ceremony - 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