Good evening graduates
families everyone welcome here today
i am very pleased to declare quinnipiac
university's
2020 virtual commencement exercises
for the college of arts and sciences the
school of communications
and the school of education officially
open
my name is deborah leibowitz i am the
university provost
and while i believe that i speak for all
of us
that none of us would wanted to be
celebrating in this virtual fashion
we are nonetheless still very grateful
to have the chance to be together and to
celebrate
you the class of 2020 in these most
important accomplishments
it's now my privilege to introduce dr
judy olean the president of quinnipiac
university who will
bring you greetings on behalf of the
entire university community
good evening hello everyone i am
delighted to be with you here today to
celebrate this extraordinary milestone
in each of your lives there's so much
you have to be proud of and i want you
to know that
i'm truly sad that we are not
in person with you today to recognize
your achievements
if you'd asked me back in march when we
finally reunite for your commencement
i would have said late summer or fall is
a pretty good bet
but as we've come to learn these last
six months the one
predictable thing about covert is just
how
unpredictable life has become because of
it
and while i wish nothing more than to be
standing before you and your families
and friends
at the people's united center we didn't
think it was fair to delay celebrating
your milestone accomplishments
any longer so let's think of this as an
excuse to have
two parties instead of one first today
in this virtual format
and then we really hope again in person
next spring commencement has always
marked an exciting and perhaps slightly
anxious time for graduates
a major even mega formative chapter in
your life has come to an end and you're
now just getting started on
writing a series of new chapters in your
life chapters that will contain
exciting journeys eye-opening
experiences successes and setbacks
that's part of moving forward
opportunities to impact individuals
and communities around you but as i
think about our class of 2020 graduates
there's something else special about you
you and your classmates will forever
have a unique bond
that will be etched in your memories you
were the coven graduating class
not a distinction you strived for but
nonetheless
one that was very impactful there were
hardships
and disappointments you experienced and
overcame
over these final six weeks of school
creeping into your final exams
job searches and perhaps your first
months of employment
but from these experiences was born
resilience
adaptability a shared bond and
determination to be strong together
as we get through this to the other side
i was reading a harvard business review
essay about leadership recently
and the author's words struck me as not
only applicable to veteran leaders of
companies and institutions but to this
class of 2020 as well
the author wrote real leaders are not
born
the ability to help others triumph over
adversity
is not written into their genetic code
they are
instead made they are forged
in crisis each of you completed your
college or graduate school experience
forged in crisis
and as a result i firmly believe that
you're now starting the next chapter in
your life
with a set of skills perspectives and
leadership qualities
not taught in the classroom but instead
born out of
adversity with bonds that connect you as
a graduating class
and while covered will certainly not
define your years here at quinnipiac
it has taught you something about
resilience about changing course when
needed
about controlling what you can control
and about building what-if scenarios for
the parts that you
don't control about leaning on others
for support when needed
and offering strength to others when
they need it
those are important building blocks
towards becoming
a leader some individuals will go
through their entire careers without
developing these qualities
so yes there's a silver lining in this
crisis
in what it has taught us about ourselves
forced us to uncover
within ourselves adaptability that we
didn't know we had
and brought us closer in giving each
other support and strength
let's not lose those qualities or
lessons let's use them to help
improve the lives of the people and
communities
around you and our communities
now need you more than ever we live in
times of social
and political polarization of growing
tensions
along economic gender religious ethnic
and racial divides
this summer was a painful reminder of
the deep divide within our country
around race relations
and social injustice was also a reminder
that it is time for our community
to take the burden of our colleagues who
are black
indigenous and people of color onto our
own
collective shoulders so that he's not
there who must again explain or lead
change
rather it's each of us we must affirm
that black lives matter
and we must commit to actions that will
reverse
an entrenched history of racism these
challenges
also present opportunities at a time
when our country is also experiencing
unprecedented discoveries in medicine
in technology services and social
connectors
that if deployed wisely could radically
alleviate these tensions you are the
generation that can achieve this
you are the future sociologists and
journalists
political scientists and educators
scientists and media experts
that will help facilitate these positive
developments
bringing these discoveries to life
making them broadly accessible
improving quality of life through art
and design
offering a transformative education to
all children
rich and poor fighting for fairness and
the truth
challenging the entrenched social order
that is unequal
you are already doing your part not
surprisingly your talents
caring and dedication have extended to
local and global communities
through class projects and through
volunteer efforts
you've developed full-length pr
campaigns
to help local institutions and
organizations grow their reputation
including bradley airport and new haven
youth soccer
you've hosted a virtual diaper drive to
benefit the diaper bank of connecticut
giving
hundreds of babies in need a one-month
emergency supply of diapers
you've helped build the brand and expand
the social media footprint
for a local public library you quickly
pivoted and turned
the annual cuethon dance marathon into a
virtual event and still
were able to raise over two hundred
thousand dollars for connecticut
children's medical center
you've traveled to school districts
across the state each week
to build young students interest in stem
programs
helping them create and test their own
rockets learn the basics of
coding and challenge them with math
themed games
and you accomplished this while managing
a very hefty course load we are so
proud of you and admiring of your
choices and passions
we appreciate your actions which align
well with quinnipiac's strategic
priority of nurturing communities
one of the four pillars of our strategic
plan
you're each ambitious talented caring
and curious
and most importantly you conduct
yourselves with integrity
and decency as you go forth as
quinnipiac alumni
i encourage you to help others as you
have been helped
along the way whether mentoring future
generations who follow you
becoming leaders in government or
community organizations
reaching out to children who are not
benefiting from the childhood
or education they deserve solving
scientific and social problems
that are pla that are the planet's
biggest challenges today
or reaching out to a neighbor or elderly
resident who simply
needs your care and compassion i also
encourage you
to remain curious and open to the new to
continue
learning and growing i have learned most
from people who are very different from
me
who have dissimilar skills and talents
worldviews or upbringing
who were born into very different life
circumstances
be open to those differences and learn
from them if we've learned anything
during this pandemic
it's that our life can change very
rapidly
we don't know what we'll need to know in
ten years in five years
or maybe even next year what we do know
is that to be successful and enlightened
we have to be
lifelong learners and we must be
adaptive to change
you're lucky and you're gifted as john f
kennedy said
to those who much is given much is
expected
remember to share your blessings and to
give back
we will be forever proud of you and will
follow your
life's journey with great interest
remain
a bobcat to life and know that you will
always have a home here at qu
and we hope you come back often stay
connected wherever you land
find ways to remain in touch with your
fellow qu family
remain curious and engage in lifelong
growth
and learning congratulations to the
class of 2020
you have already made your mark and we
can't wait to see
how you continue to change the world
thank you congratulations
thank you president olean and it is
my pleasure to be able to
introduce our first student speaker or
graduate student speaker
cynthia kelsey clement cynthia is a
master of arts in teaching
with a focus and elementary education
student
graduate i should say from bridgewater
connecticut
so i'll turn it over to you cynthia
thank you
good evening on behalf of the graduate
student body i would like to welcome
distinguished guests
the board of trustees president olian
faculty staff
friends and family and last but
certainly not least my fellow graduates
we have done it we are here today
because of our excellence hard work and
drive that has carried us to the finish
line
today we are celebrating just one of our
many accomplishments
as we navigate through life in pursuit
of our respective goals
it is inevitable that we will come face
to face with many obstacles standing in
our way
this year in particular has thrown a
monkey wrench into all of our plans
but here we all are overcoming and
raising the bar for higher expectations
and new goals
while everyone will begin to deviate
onto their own past we take this time to
recognize the true meaning
of success and how it is embodied in
every single one of you
right here right now american author
booker t washington once said success is
to be measured not so much by the
position that one has reached in life
as by the obstacles which they overcame
while trying to succeed
it could have been a small bump in the
road a setback or heck even a global
pandemic
the point is we have all experienced an
obstacle of some sort
that for some may have led us to believe
that we could not do something
a bad grade on exam a stressful day
while interning or maybe just a flat
tire at the end of a really long day
all examples of obstacles in which we
you and i
have ultimately persevered and overcame
take pride in your little successes but
do not dwell on the minor inconveniences
luckily through those hard days we have
been supported by the tireless efforts
of the wonderful qu
staff and faculty and the unconditional
love from our friends and family
from one-on-one meetings with faculty
gaining new perspectives
from peers or calling on your closest
friend or family to have a good ugly cry
all the families and friends past and
present sitting here today
is a testament to you and aiding us
through our moments of doubt
so to the class of 2020 we have shown
that we can persevere through the
toughest obstacles life has dealt
through adversity and hardship we
showcase our ability to adapt at a
moment's notice
may you continue to lead by example and
be an inspiration to those around you
may your obstacles be small and your
opportunities be plenty
lastly may each and every one of you
continue to strive for your
definition of success congratulations to
the class of 2020.
thank you
thank you so much cynthia what a great
way to kick us off
so now i'll introduce
dean chris rausch he's the dean of the
school of communications and he'll
introduce our next speaker
it is my honor to introduce to you marta
tolato
miss tolato is president and ceo of
consumer reports
and she has been in that position for
the past six years
born in cuba and raised in new jersey ms
talata began her career in public policy
advocacy and social justice working
alongside ralph nader and
joan claybrook at public citizen
over her career she has served as
executive director of the domestic
policy group at the aspen institute
the director for national issues and
outreach for senator bill bradley
as vice president of the partnership for
public service where she launched
the best places to work in the federal
government and the service to america
awards
she holds an m.a and a phd in political
science
from yale university marta it's my
pleasure
to produce or to present to you the
class of 2020.
thank you
good evening graduates
good evening graduates thank you dr
olean and thank you dr
rausch for that warm introduction it's
an
honor to be sharing this moment with you
and your families
and the university community i know this
isn't exactly what you imagined
when you pictured your graduation
ceremony
you probably thought about a beautiful
spring day maybe
a last meal at modern or pepe's
maybe a triumphant hike up to east rock
and i'm pretty sure you didn't envision
marking it
on something called zoom in the middle
of a global crisis
but here we are so right as you are
about to enter
that wanted real world that's supposed
to be waiting for you after you graduate
the real world got replaced for all of
us
by something very unreal and frightening
i promise you i'm not here this evening
to sugarcoat things for you
i know precisely as much about what the
world is going to look like tomorrow as
you do
as your parents do and as your
professors do
which is to say we don't know much of
anything
for sure it's because of that
uncertainty even as we grapple with a
horrible pandemic that is causing so
much pain and grief
even as we struggle in the worst
economic and jobs crisis of the century
and even as we reckon with the ongoing
crisis
of racial injustice it is because
of that uncertainty about what's coming
tomorrow
that i have so much hope for all of you
now that may not be intuitive so let me
explain
by telling you a little bit of my story
when i think about extreme disruption
of this moment i think about my own life
and my
parents when i was two years old
a revolution upended the island of my
birth
and suddenly the principles that my
family
cared about freedom to speak to make
choices for your family
and to participate in a free
fair and open democracy were evaporating
the world they knew in cuba
had turned upside down the future they
were expecting for
planning for was evaporating and so they
did what so many courageous parents have
done
who are looking for opportunity and a
better life
they got my brothers and me on a plane
we left havana and we landed in north
new jersey
with a little more than a suitcase full
of dreams
but we set out to write a new future for
ourselves
and i bet your parents have similar
stories and maybe some of you
have similar stories
when i was growing up the future was so
remote
so far away from anything i could
conceive
and i didn't have a master plan
frankly i was quite lost i believed in
the american dream
but i wasn't exactly sure from my
vantage point
how i was going to achieve that dream i
followed my older brother to a local
college
fairley dickinson university and it was
there that i realized
i don't need a master plan there's no
straight path to follow
the thing is when my parents came from
cuba all we knew
in that moment was disruption
there was no clear path from that
disruption for me
to getting that phd there was no clear
path from disruption for me becoming a
ceo
and at that time there were not very
many women
ceos period and they were not latino
women
but the upside of disruption
is the ability to write new rules
to imagine new possibilities
and today amid all the destruction and
playing
the upside is that the slate is being
wiped clean for you
just as it was for me when i landed in a
new country new language
with new possibilities you're being
liberated
from any nostalgia you might be forced
to feel
about the way things have been in the
past
in yesterday's tall world we were told
progress was slow
wait your turn some things were just
the way of the world all male board
rooms
ignoring the climate crisis an economy
that exacerbates inequality
and grinds people down living paycheck
to paycheck
systemic racism embedded in our norms
and our laws and the proliferation of
misinformation
we see across our screens every day
you're now the ones who have the
opportunity
the obligation to replace those things
with better things more
just things our world
has absolutely screeched to a halt
and that's frightening but it also
gives us finally
a chance to open the doors and kick
those things
out that were holding us back before we
get moving again
you've got the keys to the car now
because you're not just a graduating
class
you are a generation
right now you're probably thinking about
the individual choices you have to make
where am i going to live what's my job
going to be and is there even going to
be a job for me
and those choices matter
but the choices that you make as a
generation in the aggregate
they matter most of all those
generational choices can change our
planet
in the story of progress in america and
around the world
it has always always been the younger
generations rising out of challenging
moments like this
who have brought about the most
extraordinary periods
of change and that's going to be true
for you
should you make it true now the power to
change
things isn't easy there's going to be
old forces old ways of thinking
trying desperately to hang on for the
ride ahead
that you're creating you need courage
and you need to pack agility
to navigate the course because there's
no prescribed path
the map of how to get there doesn't even
exist
that makes you the cartographers of our
bound destiny
now please let this moment of pain and
fear
be your touchstone like the civil rights
movement was for a generation
and like the women's movement was for me
let it motivate you to rewrite those
rules to keep
learning to crack the code on equality
and justice
and opportunity for all
let it motivate you to see possibilities
where maybe you couldn't see them
yesterday
for yourself and for the world
i for one never imagined in my wildest
dreams that a kid from newark new jersey
would end up running one of the largest
most storied
social enterprises in the us whose very
mission
it is to create a fair and just
marketplace for all
but i'll tell you this there are ceos
trailblazing scientists and
transformational public servants
among you this evening whatever you
decide to do
you have a role to play in making those
generational choices
you are powerful together in ways that
you cannot even imagine
as the old limits of our thinking begin
to fade away
and you demand more of our economy of
our society and our leaders
it opens a door you're going to be the
first to walk through it
the generation that says here are our
values
and they will be the foundation for
everything
that comes next you have a rare
opportunity to shape the world
one built on truth and science
universal dignity and respect equity and
opportunity
sustainability and mutual care
that's the world my non-profit consumer
reports has been fighting for for over
85 years
so informed to educate to reset the
balance
in the marketplace
but in this moment it's my job your
parents and your professors
to have hope you have a more important
job
your job is to be the hope how are you
going to do
that and use all the incredible things
that you've learned here at quinnipiac
how are you going to build a new
american dream
one that actually delivers for all
families
including some of your own families who
may never have had access to the old one
how are you going to meet this moment
there's no straight line
there is absolutely no master plan
we need you to find your way not guided
by the old ways
but by the values that reside in you
look around you we need you to rebuild
it won't be easy i know the spirit
of your generation and we are all drawn
to it
and i know you're up for the challenge
and i can't
wait to see what you do with the keys to
the car
it will be electric the sustainability
of the planet
bobcats be bold stay
safe and be well
on this incredible journey that you're
about to go on
thank you and congratulations to the
class of 2020.
thank you so much dr deyado for sharing
you know your story uh with the
quinnipiac
graduating students here today i'd like
to now
introduce dr robert smart who is the
dean of the college of arts and science
greetings everybody all the graduates
from
school of communications college of arts
and sciences and school of
communications and education i am
pleased to introduce the candidates for
the degree of master of science
in molecular and cell biology from the
college of arts and science
john r mcgovern
matthew thomas separato
jamie j mc thomas seven
congratulations graduates madam
president i have the honor to present
from the college of arts and sciences
the candidates for the degree of master
of science molecular and cell biology
if someone cannot mute my video thank
you
there we go thank you uh
thank you dean smart by the power vested
in me
by the board of trustees i hereby confer
upon you
our graduates the master of science
molecular and cell biology with all of
the rights
and privileges retaining there too
congratulations to our graduates
and now i'm pleased to introduce
candidates
for the degree of bachelor of arts from
the college of arts and sciences
jamie ackerman
gabriela g agostino
christian robert alfaro
ciel avena
ashley hope baldwin
madison bechtard madison is the winner
of the orea schoolmaker
spanish award
margaret irene bloom margaret is the
winner of the joan phillips gordon prize
in sociology ashley bobinski
victoria sylvia bobinski
nicole m borders
ryan daniel boyle
carrie brennan
zaria renesa brogdon
morgan ashley brown
michael james bruin
carol anne margaret buenegalo
stephen vincent kanglianosi
emily paola carranza
ryan a chait
judith rose chicorn judith is the winner
of the outstanding senior award
in the college of arts and sciences
dustin lee conrad
samantha nicole cuscuna
elizabeth gianna danielle
karen marie de filippo
sarah francis dinardo
colleen mary devere
amanda collette devlin
maria rita dillon maria is the winner of
the christopher becker memorial prize
in history hope juliana estrella
alexis ray yvonne
samantha feeney
julian andrew fryer
julian is the winner of the centgage law
and society student award
jenna theresa gerecht
anna maria giglio
lindsay marie wadliani
megan cecile hamill
hannah elizabeth harris
leah jane hess
kylie christine hixson kylie is the
winner of two awards
the president's scholarship award and
the alumni association undergraduate
academic
achievement award
bailey joanne house
abigail ann ives
gabriela louise izzo
cesaris and javier
indra jit car
effica eva john karife
jasmine a koch
stephanie catsavolos
giovanna la barbara
jennifer lee georgina may
lloyd taylor nicole
long dylan joseph
longo tyler linden
james anthony medio
jennifer christina maldonado
catherine delane martin
maya m maskol
jenna kate mccachney
brittany celine michelle
emily paige mitchell
gwendolyn taylor maloney
caitlin ray mussano
francesca louise napolitano
chidi dean
chidi is the winner of the political
science outstanding senior award
james patrick oliver the third
kevin kwame oseakoto
samantha el paiva
christopher park paige louise
parton anne-marie pascal
valerie catherine perkins
benjamin reed persky
morgan e pitfield
joseph powell molly grace
ravinovitz kelly
and reynolds paige riley ruffino
rebecca l root
catherine marie rozelle
lauren elena salado rosiami
lauren is the winner of two awards the
president's scholarship award
and the alumni association undergraduate
academic achievement
award alyssa marie santos
julia marie schade julia is the winner
of the
cengage law and society student award
peyton rose sultan reich
silva jenna
ann sucado jenna is the winner of three
awards
the president's scholarship award the
alumni association undergraduate
achievement award
and the alice b remail memorial award
given by the english department
julia rose suser
lucas raymond sundewall lucas is the
winner
of the legal studies book award
emily rose samachi
stephen john tarnock
peter joseph thomas
sean patrick tulin
bianca raquel torres
angela christina tornos
olivia christine weirdon
gabrielle maria white
joanne wilcox
jordan charles williams senior
alyssa joy ruble alyssa is the winner
co-winner of the alice b remail memorial
award from the english department
and now madam president i have the honor
to introduce the candidates
for the degree of bachelor of arts from
the college of arts and sciences
thank you dean smart and by the power
vested in me
by the board of trustees i hereby confer
upon all of our graduates the degree of
bachelor of arts with all of the rights
and privileges pertaining there too
congratulations bobcats
and now i'm pleased to introduce the
candidates for the degree of bachelor of
science
from the college of arts and sciences
jamie ackermann
luz adelise avila
claudia gabriela ayela
saviana seabourn
kalyn bracy
quentin alexander burke quentin is the
winner
of the outstanding engagement in the
field of anthropology award
christelle maria candelario
aaron elizabeth carroll
olivia catherine centrella
catherine ann cipollone
cole c cochrane
jordan marie corbishly
sarah marie casaboom
julia kate costarella
caitlyn marie cotto
lauren marguerite coughlin
caitlyn michelle crowley
markella grace de conte
sarah jean dennion
robert joseph de silva
tatiana day kyle
adam dill
ryan simon ditchum
catherine teresa donahue
nicoletta christine dora
melissa n fidei
james preston freeman
gabrielle suzanne garzio
alexis brook gola
justin brian gonzalez
sarah goodrich shane patrick
grant kimberly guerrero
rita hanif
max adam henin
kayla m hosley
emma lucia horn
christiana hicka
brook alexandra yarusi
maria rose impastato
reuben najjat jacobson
ryan cameron kickem
allison king
connor kliegerman
casey e cruzman
katrina julia kumar
hannah marie lavovey
tara ann lacrosse
whitney rose leyland
caitlyn ann mccallum
caitlin marie mccormick
samantha mensah
catherine gene meschino
hudson james molinari
asia marie mandrati
kaylee a o'leary
haley elizabeth olsen
yesha patel andrea
gail ramonto ananda
amanda marie reedy
brittany r riemer
brianna rose rubo
kristen paige rohlmann kristen
is the winner of the r gordon pelosi
graduation prize
in psychology
neve marie savage
julia marie shaden julia is the winner
of the cengage law in society
student award antoinette lee shiallo
emma lauren shipton
jacqueline marie cira
matthew thomas skiba
tabitha sterita
matthew william steiner
jake walker vogel
berlin n weissner
london katarina zographicus london
is the winner of the matt rafferty
memorial economics department
student award student achievement award
and now i have the honor madam president
to present from the college of arts and
sciences
candidates for the degree of bachelor of
science
thank you dean smart by the power vested
in me
by the board of regents i hereby confer
upon our graduates the degree of
bachelor of science
with all of the rights and privileges
pertaining there too
congratulations graduates
i'd like to take an opportunity to
congratulate all of our college of arts
and sciences
graduates that you see scrolling in
front of you
um i'd like to say for this class that
while they have gone through
a number of uh interesting challenges on
their way here to this moment of
celebration
we all celebrate them in the college of
arts and sciences
for their perseverance their honorable
characters
and their determination to make out of a
out of a bad situation
a good thing congratulations all of you
we are very very proud of all of you and
we look forward to hearing some of the
great things that you're all going to
achieve
congratulations all the graduates from
the college of arts and sciences
good luck
congratulations to all of the graduates
of the college of arts and sciences
on your achievement it's my pleasure to
again
uh introduce dean chris rauch
of the school of communications
thank you provost leibowitz i am pleased
to introduce candidates for the degree
of the master of science in interactive
media and communication
from the school of communications
ashley catherine audette
julia soriano chianelli
andrea annaleigh cortine
leah hope lavin
alicia in leo alicia is the winner of
the faculty award for academic
excellence
ashley loperache
natalie rose martinelli
natalia vadimarova melnikova
alexandria t atlowsky
sean david torres
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of
communications
candidates for the degree of master of
science and interactive media and
communications
thank you dean rausch by the power
vested in me
by the board of trustees i hereby confer
upon our graduates the degree of master
of science
in interactive media and communications
with all of the rights
and privileges pertaining thereto
congratulations
graduates
i am pleased to introduce candidates for
the degree of master of science and
journalism from the school of
communications
taylor catherine giangregorio
brian c coons brian is the winner of the
faculty award for academic excellence
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of
communications candidates for the degree
of master of science in journalism
thank you dean rausch by the power
vested in me by the board of trustees i
hereby
confer upon our graduates the degree of
master of science and journalism with
all of the rights and privileges
pertaining thereto congratulations
graduates
i am pleased to introduce candidates for
the degree of master of science and
public relations
from the school of communications kyle
burns javier
antonio cappus
christian francis casagranda
rebecca christie durante
maguelina felix
caitlin marie massler
alexandra marie seeger
stella vlastakas
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of
communications
candidates for the degree of master of
science and public relations
thank you dean rausch by the power
vested in me
by the board of trustees i hereby confer
upon our graduates
the degree of master of science in
public relations
with all of the rights and privileges
pertaining thereto
congratulations to our graduates
i am pleased to announce candidates for
the degree of master of science in
sports journalism
from the school of communications bianca
stroobay
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of
communications candidates for the degree
of master of science and sports
journalism
thank you dean rausch by the power of
rescuing me by the board of trustees
i hereby confer upon our graduate
singular the degree of master of science
in sports journalism with all of the
rights and privileges pertaining thereto
congratulations
i am pleased to introduce candidates for
the degree of the bachelor of fine arts
from the school of communications
sydney barbara
conan peter byrne
alex patrick tameo alex is the winner of
the outstanding achievement award in
film television and media arts
william benjamin wenig
megan laurel white
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of
communications
candidates for the degree of bachelor of
fine arts
thank you dean rouse by the pal
vestiting me
by the board of trustees i hereby confer
upon our graduates the degree of
bachelor of fine arts
with the rights and privileges
pertaining thereto
congratulations graduates
i am pleased to introduce candidates for
the degree of bachelor of arts from the
school of communications
philip eugene aker
christian grace altmeier
garrett alexander emile
marie j batio
daniel vincent ball
jonathan michael banks
anna catherine barton
teresa ellen bates
isaac conrad bauer
megan rose berger
ian addison berkey
kyra binbaum
zachary h brooks
kelsey lauren bross
anna catherine burwanamo
sierra reese carlson
emma whitney carmen
hunter james cassidy
wesley clapp
sabrina rose colonessie de bello
sabrina is the winner of the outstanding
achievement in graphic and interactive
design
darby elizabeth curtin
christopher m daisy christopher is the
winner of the outstanding senior award
amanda collette devlin
americo richard defranzo
christa nicole delane
ryan arthur de salvo
megan e donahue
kristen drakopolis
michela eileen drony
alexis ray evan
ryan christopher fargo
andrew evan feinberg
lisa a ferrara
zachary coss flanagan
elizabeth marie flynn elizabeth is the
winner for the outstanding achievement
in media studies
meredith nicole fox
quinn brian frankel
michaela ray ganasser
charlotte gargiulo
kayla marie gaudet
carrie ann golden
daniel alexander gonzalez
marlena taylor grinberg
rose gruenstein
hanukkah gustafson annika is the winner
of the outstanding achievement in public
relations
matthew ryan halpen
kaylee e heffler
maeve katherine hennigan
taylor lynn heard kevin
thomas higgins andrew elliott
hoff brendan
keelan hurley
chrysostomus ayakovitus
zachary peter christians
jillian marie knox
thomas anthony krasnowski
emma louise lao emma is the outstanding
overall achievement award winner
stephen lawrence leblanc
jennifer lee
samantha harper-levin
zachary lochitaro
adriana mariella lovegrove
yana ruth marnal
katherine delane martin
madison eloise mazzola
sarah c mckernan
amber mercedes
lauren nicole miller
isabelle marie moan
george clayton mark moser
brian joseph murphy
kiara michelle murphy
nolan p murphy
bethany ann noak
peter michael o'neal jr
jessica marie osmanski
carly pascal
sean william patton
antonella petriello
sean andrew ragio
brook allison reilly brooke is the
winner of the outstanding achievement in
journalism
michael gerald riley
nicholas robinson reynolds
sophie francis rogers
inez ruiz martinez
brook caitlin ruleman
michael f ruta
ariel jill sabo
lauren aliano salato rosanet
lauren is the winner of the president's
scholarship award and also the alumni
association
undergraduate academic achievement award
lilly alexandro cerebeau
jacqueline jane cilla
ashley ann sewell
samantha page she
cameron trevor silver
sarah a singer
nicholas roy slater
joey taylor slavis
margaret grace smith
fatima talib
hannah marie tebow
alexis victoria tinney
sophia renato toppo
marie elizabeth trapani
catherine g yuma
sarah g vandevart
christina vitas
marissa catherine wagner
gabriel m velarciak
caitlin haley wardlow
jordan b wolff
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of
communications
candidates for the degree of bachelor of
arts
if someone can unmute my video thank you
thank you there you go thank you dean
roush
by the pal vested in me by the board of
trustees
i hereby confer upon all of our
graduates
the degree of bachelor of arts with all
the rights and privileges pertaining
thereto
congratulations to our graduates
i'd like to take this opportunity to
congratulate all of our school of
communications graduates who names uc
scrolling now
this graduating class will be very
special to me
because they are the first graduating
class during my term as dean of the
school of communications
so i will always remember them and what
they have overcome
and how they have succeeded
i can't believe i'm going to miss all of
you but i
am we will know you will do amazing
things
please stay an active part of bobcat
nation
thank you all graduates
thank you thank you dean roush and
congratulations to all the graduates
from the school of communications
it's now my pleasure to introduce
dr ann deschell dean of the school of
education
to present the graduates from the school
of education
thank you provost leibowitz i
am extremely pleased to introduce the
candidates
for the master of arts in teaching
elementary education
degree jacqueline amanda
anglin amanda
dorothy charlton
sophia rose chirav delhi
cynthia kelsey clement
hannah elizabeth dunleavy
sarah daniela frank
sarah is the winner of the excellence in
teaching
and scholarship award
emily caitlin grindel
caitlin elizabeth hebert
alexandra rose jacobs
julia eleanor morse
maura catherine scully
brianna marie weiner
madam president i have the honor to
present
from the school of education candidates
for the degree
of master of arts in teaching elementary
education
dean dashell thank you by the power
vested in me by the board of trustees
i hereby confer upon our graduates the
degree of
master of arts in teaching elementary
education
with all of the rights and privileges
pertaining thereto
congratulations to our graduates
i am now pleased to introduce the
candidates for the master of arts in
teaching
secondary education ashley
ponce
madam president i have the honor to
present
from the school of education the
candidate for the degree of master of
arts in teaching
secondary education thank you dean
deshelle
by the power vested in me by the board
of trustees i here i
i hereby confer upon our graduate the
degree of
master of arts in teaching secondary
education with all of the rights
and privileges pertaining thereto
congratulations to our graduate
i'm now pleased to introduce the
candidates for the master of science
in instructional design degree
jessica bear
laura gravino
belinda deanne mcclane
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of education
candidates for the degree of master of
science
in instructional design
thank you dean dashell by the power
vested in me by the board of trustees
i hereby confer upon our graduates
the degree of master of science and
instructional design
with all of the rights and privileges
pertaining there too congratulations to
our graduates
i'm pleased to introduce the candidates
for the master of science in special
education
katie elizabeth coate
lauren hart garfield
jennifer g schleiff
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of education
candidates for the degree of master of
science
in special education
uh i'll graduate
i think i might need to do that again
should i do that again
let me do that again by the power vested
in me by the board of trustees
i hereby confer upon our graduates
the degree of master of science in
special education
with all of the rights and privileges
pertaining thereto
congratulations to our graduates
i'm now pleased to introduce the
candidates for the master of science
and teacher leadership degree jennifer
gail lebron
jennifer perry
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of education
candidates for the degree of master of
science in teacher
leadership
thank you dean decell
by the power vested in me by the board
of trustees
i hereby confer upon our graduates the
degree of
master of science in teacher
leadership with all of the rights and
privileges pertaining thereto
congratulations to our graduates
and last but not least i am pleased to
introduce
the candidates for the sixth year
diploma in
educational leadership gene
d barresi
madam president i have the honor to
present from the school of education
the candidate for the degree of the
sixth year diploma
in educational leadership thank you dean
dichelle
by the power vested in me by the board
of trustees i hereby confer upon our
graduate
the degree of sixth year diploma in
educational leadership
with all of the rights and privileges
pertaining thereto
congratulations to our graduate
may i now take this opportunity to
congratulate
all of our school of education graduates
whose names you see scrolling
as dean of education i want all of the
graduates to know your affiliation with
the school of ed
and quinnipiac does not end with
conferring of your degrees
we care deeply that the path you've
chosen
continues to be one that brings you
happiness and success
so to all of you please stay in touch
we want to know where you are in your
careers and in your lives
you've worked so hard and in so many
ways to achieve this goal
enjoy this well-deserved moment in time
congratulations
thank you dean dashell and
congratulations to
all of the graduates in the school of
education
i am pleased to introduce now our
undergraduate student speakers
so first we will hear from elissa
joy ruble from the college of arts and
sciences
elissa is an english major from howell
new jersey
thank you provost leibovitz
college graduation marks the transition
into adulthood
a gradual bittersweet release when we
begin to establish ourselves in the real
world
but evidently this gentle calculated
emergence was not right for the class of
2020
instead the real world came hurtling
toward us
similar to our time as undergraduates
our experiences of this pandemic
pandemic differ widely we have each
traversed these challenging
dare i say unprecedented circumstances
in our own unique ways and continue to
do so
we are now scattered across the country
and possibly even the globe
dispersed across this real world
but regardless of where we are
geographically
we are united by grief we the class of
2020
share the loss of some of the most
meaningful and exciting weeks of our
senior year
together we mourn all of the experiences
we thought we'd have
all of the lasts we didn't adequately
commemorate
and all the goodbyes we never got to
give
so wherever you are right now i hope
this will bring you the one thing we all
need
closure we can't be college students
forever
the world has moved on and we must move
with it since we graduated in may
we've witnessed a historic rocket launch
sparked the beginnings of a social
revolution
and are approaching a presidential
election the world needs us
with our fire and our fervor so in order
to give it all we've got
we must close this chapter of our lives
although i'm experiencing this liminal
stage with all of you
i believe i'm expected to provide a
semblance of wisdom or advice
so i'd like to share with you something
that i've learned during my four years
as an english major
intertextuality though it sounds
daunting
intertextuality is simply the
incorporation of one story within
another
or a text's reference to or reflection
of another literary work
it acknowledges the relationship between
texts depicting the continuous
influence of various authors genres and
forms
upon one another thus urging readers to
place multiple texts in conversation
while fascinating to a literary
discourse enthusiast like myself
this also illuminates a larger social
phenomenon
if we think of ourselves or human beings
in general as
texts intertextuality demonstrates our
network of interaction
it illustrates that we do not exist in
isolation our actions
thoughts and words proliferate through
those of others
knowing that we have the capacity to
affect change on the individual level is
empowering
but realizing how that change affects
someone else that we have the power to
shape
their story is humbling this has become
especially resonant in the contemporary
moment
when we are single-handedly responsible
for maintaining the health and safety of
others
it highlights the importance of empathy
and shows that
pandemic or not our influence extends
far beyond ourselves
i admire the college of arts and
sciences for the ways in which our
learning has been shaped by this very
idea
that our academic experience should be
focused on acquiring knowledge and
skills
not tailored to a specific job but that
will allow us to navigate complexity
with a critical eye
cas views our education not as a means
but as an end
we are fortunate to have a school that
recognizes the intrinsic value of
learning
and compels us to do the same instilling
in us the importance of lifelong
learning
through cis we have been asked to
examine how life and the world around us
operate
and it has disrupted our thinking in the
most productive ways possible
we are now able to recognize
inequalities either mathematical
or social and to articulate injustices
within our own society
we have delved into conversations and
observations
and hands-on work that have provided us
the space to engage in experiential
learning within
and across disciplines and this is
precisely what has allowed us to
flourish
but perhaps the most valuable piece of
our cas education is not
what we have been taught but how we have
been taught and for that
we thank our faculty and staff i know i
don't just speak for myself when i say
that my professors have become my
mentors
parental figures and some of my closest
friends they have been the ones who have
let us cry in their offices and
sometimes their classrooms
who have encouraged us to embrace all of
these changes and who have guided us
through four years with compassion
and generosity without them i don't
think any of us would have made it this
far i know i certainly wouldn't have so
identify those people who have
profoundly influenced your education
and thank them remind them that they
have been integral to your success
my hope for all of you is that you have
found a major discipline
or a field that you have fallen in love
with as i have with mine
but if you haven't now is your time to
go and search for it
don't let your passions escape you give
them time
give them energy identify your interests
and cultivate them
find something that brings you nothing
but joy when you talk about it i want
you to feel overwhelmed with pride and
gratitude
success will come once you have invested
in something that excites you
before you can give the world what it
needs you must first figure out what you
need
and don't settle class of 2020
i'm so proud of us and i hope each and
every one of you can be proud of
yourselves
take a moment and recognize just how far
you've come
even for the smallest of victories for
every day that you got up out of bed and
just
existed be proud of yourself this
ceremony
this official conferral of our degrees
confirms for us the celebration that we
have earned
even though the real world came charging
at us i encourage you all to remember
the words of the late poet maya angelou
still all rise class of 2020
we need to charge back and this time
it'll be the world that isn't ready
congratulations
thank you so much melissa for for
your remarks and i'd now like to
introduce
uh kaylee heffler who is
a journalism major from the school of
communications
thank you provost liebowitz
president olean dean rausch members of
the platform party
parents friends and most importantly my
fellow members of the class of 2020
welcome it is an honor to stand here on
this momentous occasion
to the class of 2020 we did it
let's take a moment to show our
appreciation to everyone who played a
role in helping each of us to reach this
day
families friends administration faculty
and staff none of us would be here right
now without you
each of you have played a role in
creating a culture of
growth inspiration and opportunity
that has helped us become the
individuals we are today
i'm going to be honest when i sat down
to write this speech i had no clue where
to start
how is it possible to condense four
years of a college experience into just
three minutes
i didn't think it was possible until i
thought about where we all started
and where we are now i was able to think
of one thing each of us sitting here
today
had in common the last four years fear
whether we want to admit it or not we
were all fearful going into freshman
year
for most of us choosing where we wanted
to go to college was one of the biggest
decisions we ever had to make
asking an 18 year old what they want to
do for the rest of their life is like
asking a five-year-old
which toy they want in a toy store we
don't know
but somehow we all made the decision to
come to quinnipiac
after we made a commitment to quinnipiac
a feeling of relief set in
knowing where we would spend the next
four years paving the path to our future
lives
but fear was still present finally
our first college move-in day arrived as
freshmen
we were all fearful that we would not
make friends fearful we would miss our
hometowns
and even fearful our futures would not
work out as we had planned them
but the months flew by during our first
year and we soon realized we had no
reason to fear what we once had
and then sophomore year rolls around new
fear is set in such as
doubting the major we chose or not
accomplishing certain goals we set for
ourselves
these fears dissipated too but
resurfaced our junior year
now we have to find that internship we
were fearful nobody would hire us
in fears about life after graduation set
in but so did the fear of our senior
year
being a senior is unavoidable and
eventually august 2019 arrived
for most of us it was our last move-in
day the last time living with our close
friends
and potentially our last time not being
totally independent
as the year moved along reality set with
new fears
new fears about getting an actual job
starting a new chapter in our lives
and we've even had fears about today our
graduation
but for this year in particular we not
only feared life after graduation
but what graduation but what life would
be like in the midst of a pandemic
our thoughts about senior year were
pushed aside by thoughts of our loved
ones getting sick
thoughts about the lack of ppe and
medical supplies for frontline workers
risking their own lives to save others
and thoughts about the unknown
these thoughts consumed us and any
thought about senior year seems trivial
but quinnipiac was and has always been
there for us
and today they have given us the
opportunity to celebrate our
achievements
quinnipiac has given us countless
experiences that ease our fears each day
from showing our bobcat pride at weekend
hockey games
to always relying on java john to give
us some form of a compliment when
getting food
we were always able to laugh during the
school year and we certainly made
memories we will carry with us for a
lifetime
and through these experiences quinnipiac
became our home
but quinnipiac is also an institution
that fosters innovation
growth and opportunity we have
professors and faculty that have become
mentors
or even friends who've guided us through
college easing our fears
we have the love and support of our
families who are here today
celebrating our accomplishments and
always reassuring us that we are making
them proud
we have made lifelong friends that have
become family and that have made the
fearful times less scary
letting one another know we would
conquer our fears together
but at the end of each day we had
quinnipiac
quinnipiac taught us to take the fear we
felt and make opportunities out of it
quinnipiac taught us fear should be used
as motivation
to step outside of our comfort zones to
take risks
but most importantly quinnipiac taught
us to take the fear we have felt
and turn it into fearlessness as dale
carnegie once said
thinking will not overcome fear but
action will
with those words in mind i encourage all
of you sitting before me to take any
fear you feel right now
and use it to take action and take risks
use it to apply to a job you think you
will get or use it to move across the
country to chase your dreams
remember all that quinnipiac has taught
us and remember to be
fearless as we take on this next chapter
in our life
congratulations again class of 2020 and
thank you
i heard the cheering there for all of
our
graduates for all of the speakers
kaylee thank you so much congratulations
to all of you
on behalf of president olian and the
entire university community
i offer congratulations to the class of
2020
as we conclude our ceremony today
i want to thank you all for your
patience with today's
virtual graduation and it's our
sincere hope that you're able to
take this moment in order to celebrate
to enjoy to to put a marker
in the culmination of your time
here as you pursued
the degree that you have just finished
we know that you will all remain active
members
of the bobcat nation thank you
and congratulations to the class of
2020.
you
