CEDARVILLE — Cedarville University will honor a late student during its 130th commencement ceremony this weekend.
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Grace Maxwell died in a mid-air plane crash over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C, while returning home from her grandfather’s funeral.
As previously reported, an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines airplane collided on Jan. 29, 2025, killing 67 people.
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Maxwell was a 20-year-old studying mechanical and biomedical engineering at Cedarville University. She was scheduled to graduate on May 2, 2026.
Cedarville University President Thomas White will present Maxwell’s parents, Dean and Merav Maxwell, with an honorary degree during the first ceremony.
Approximately 1,167 students will graduate during the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. commencement ceremonies.
“It means a lot to know there are people who recognize and affirm Grace’s accomplishments,” Dean Maxwell said. “She worked so hard. Cedarville was a formative and important part of her life, and we know it would have meant a lot to her to be a Cedarville graduate.”
During Maxwell’s time at Cedarville, she graded for mechanical engineering faculty, participated in a student writing organization, and was a DJ and radio personality on the university’s student-led station.
She was also preparing to be a tutor and was slated to participate on a team of students developing a hand-stabilizing device for a young boy with disabilities, a spokesperson with the university said.
“She became much more comfortable in her own skin at Cedarville,” Dean said. “She loved the classes, the challenge and the community. She loved her friends, suitemates, church, classmates, fellow DJs and writers — we always described it like ‘she found her people.’”
The university has created the Grace Maxwell Memorial Scholarship to honor her faith, excellence, and compassion, the spokesperson said.
The annual scholarship will support mechanical engineering students. Those interested in contributing to the scholarship can click here.
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