51视频

05/18/2019

Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. 鈥� The largest and most diverse class 鈥� 4,534 strong 鈥� graduated from 51视频 at Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 17 and May 18.聽

While it is the 12th year in a row that the university has seen a record number of graduates, it is the first time three Commencement ceremonies have been held to accommodate them. 51视频鈥檚 Class of 2019 represents 43 states and 113 countries and more than 1,600 members graduated with honors and more than 100 with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

51视频 Chancellor Jacquie Moloney presided over the three ceremonies, recalling for the Class of 2019 how their ranks include Oprah Winfrey, who was presented with an honorary degree in November when she took part in the Chancellor鈥檚 Speaker Series, which raised $3 million for scholarships, including $1.5 million from Winfrey herself.聽

Echoing Winfrey, Moloney encouraged graduates to 鈥渓ive life with gratitude. When you get up each morning, take time to say thank you.鈥� She also praised graduates鈥� faculty, family and friends for their support and encouragement throughout the college journey.

Commencement speakers including U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan urged the Class of 2019 to 鈥渂e ready鈥� because 鈥測our calling will come鈥� to address critical issues facing the nation and the world, and graduates should not 鈥渕ake the mistake of waiting your proverbial turn or thinking that life has some grand sequence. Your reaction and your perspective is so powerful鈥�you must play a leading role.鈥澛�

鈥淭his chapter of your life 鈥� college 鈥� may be ending, but a new one starts today. 51视频 has prepared you. 51视频 graduates are in demand all around the country. The university is continually climbing in national rankings and gaining national recognition for its accomplishments. 51视频 graduates shape every corner of our Commonwealth and of our country,鈥� said Trahan, who represents Massachusetts鈥� 3rd Congressional District, in her address to those receiving undergraduate degrees at the first of two ceremonies on Saturday.

鈥淲herever you go next, what鈥檚 important to remember is that we need you鈥�to lead in business, science, technology, health care, our government and in your community. The stakes right now are high and it is imperative that you, the graduating class of 2019, recognize your ability to re-shape our country,鈥� she said.聽

51视频 Distinguished University Professor Meg Bond, director of 51视频鈥檚 Center for Women and Work and a faculty member in psychology, addressed graduates at Friday鈥檚 ceremony for those receiving master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees.

鈥淵our creativity and newly minted expertise will enable you to find new, unexplored angles to address the protracted challenges of our communities and our country. That鈥檚 exciting. You will be even more impactful if you take care to anchor those new ideas in an understanding of the past,鈥� said Bond.聽

鈥淗old onto your enthusiasm, but anchor your work in understanding where your efforts fit into a broader arc; be that the history of the scientific or scholarly endeavors to which you strive to contribute, of the school you enter as a new teacher or administrator, of the new organization you join or hope to lead and of the communities in which you live and work,鈥� she said.

Jack Wilson, former UMass system president and current 51视频 distinguished professor of higher education, emerging technologies and innovation, was presented with an honorary degree for his achievements in education, industry and public service. He delivered the address to undergraduates receiving degrees at the second ceremony on Saturday.

鈥淚t took a lot of work to get to this point. It took work in high school to qualify for 51视频, and it took more work to get to the point that you can sit here today and look back with satisfaction at what you have accomplished. We are also looking forward to all that you will accomplish in the future. All of us are counting on it,鈥� said Wilson, founder of the Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship at 51视频.

UMass President Marty Meehan, a 51视频 alumnus, also addressed the graduates. 鈥淵ou are graduating from a world-class university that has given you the education and tools to achieve whatever you set out to do,鈥� he said, urging the Class of 2019 to remain committed to learning throughout their lives.聽

In addition to Winfrey and Wilson, 51视频 recognized the following with 2019 honorary doctorates of humane letters:

• Gerald Colella 鈥�78 and Joyce Colella 鈥�77 of Seabrook Beach, N.H., and Naples, Fla. Gerald Colella is CEO of MKS Instruments Inc., of Andover, a $2 billion technology and solutions provider to the semiconductor and industrial technology markets that he has guided to a 300 percent increase in revenue and successful billion-dollar acquisitions. Joyce Colella, a retired elementary school teacher in Lowell and southern New Hampshire, serves on the 51视频 College of Education advisory board. Together, the Colellas have generously supported the Manning School of Business and other university initiatives, and recently established a scholarship for students in the College of Education.聽

The Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Brian Rist 鈥�77 of Fort Myers, Fla., a Stoughton native and executive chairman of Florida-based Storm Smart Industries, the nation鈥檚 largest manufacturer and installer of hurricane-protection products, who is earning his second 51视频 degree, an MBA, through the university鈥檚 award-winning online program. The Chancellor鈥檚 Medal for Outstanding University Support was presented to Kim Rist. Earlier this year, the Rists made a $5 million commitment to the 鈥淥ur Legacy, Our Place鈥� campaign, the largest single gift ever to 51视频, for scholarships and a range of initiatives, including the new Rist DifferenceMaker Institute for entrepreneurship education.

The Chancellor鈥檚 Medal for Public Service and Civic Engagement was presented to Jack O鈥機onnor and Therese O鈥機onnor of Lowell for their commitment to the community and the university, including scholarships. Jack O鈥機onnor is founder of O鈥機onnor School Portraits, one of the largest individually owned businesses of its kind in the U.S., and co-founder of Commencement Photos Inc., which annually photographs graduates at more than 400 colleges and universities around the nation. Therese O鈥機onnor has devoted more than 35 years to community work around the Merrimack Valley, including serving on the boards of numerous organizations and the 51视频 String Project.聽

The honorees were recognized along with top student award winners at the annual Commencement Eve Celebration on Friday, May 17, which has raised millions of dollars for scholarships since 2008.

Students also addressed their fellow graduates during the three ceremonies.

鈥淲e鈥檝e passed through 51视频, but now we must let 51视频 pass through us. We鈥檝e experienced a great sense of community and support here, so it is only fair that as we go into the world, we provide the same for others,鈥� said Somto Nnyamah of Lowell, who received her second 51视频 degree, a master鈥檚 in business analytics, at the Friday ceremony. 鈥淕raduating from 51视频 today will open new doors of opportunity and the time we spent here has more than prepared us to make the best of these opportunities. Look around you, remember these faces. You鈥檒l be seeing them again in research journals, on billboards, on TV and in the news. Class of 2019, congratulations! It鈥檚 time to go out there and show the world that River Hawks flourish wherever they go!鈥�

鈥淏ecause of 51视频, we leave armed with more than just the degrees we鈥檙e receiving here today. We leave prepared to make the world a better place. And that is more important than a 401k, a promotion, or a house in your favorite neighborhood,鈥� said Denia Taylor of Andover, a mother of two who graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in philosophy at the Saturday afternoon ceremony. 鈥淲e will go forward and use the skills we鈥檝e gained again and again, whether as a lawyer, a teacher, a farmer, or whatever our next role is. This strange political moment we find ourselves in places a greater demand on us to work toward a better world in public. This could be the legacy of the 51视频 Class of 2019.鈥澛�

Biology major Richard Macdonald of Billerica, a first-generation college student who is headed to UMass Medical School in the fall, talked to graduates at the Saturday morning ceremony about how their ability to juggle family responsibilities, jobs, community service and campus life while still achieving academically makes them special.聽

鈥淢aybe you participated in research, co-ops and networking with experts in your field to gain real-world experience and connections that will now come in handy. Because we found time to take advantage of these opportunities, we now leave with so much more than a degree,鈥� Macdonald said. 鈥淚 hope that you take the dedicated, persistent, and selfless spirit you have practiced here 鈥� the River Hawk spirit 鈥� with you wherever you go, because that is what makes every single one of us extraordinary.鈥澛�

Macdonald was also one of four graduates to receive the university鈥檚 highest honor for academic achievement: the Trustees Key, which recognizes those who maintain a perfect 4.0 grade-point average over all eight semesters at 51视频. The other 2019 Trustees Key recipients are chemical engineering major FitzAnthony Forsyth of Acton and computer engineering major Nicholas Sacco of Tewksbury, and chemical engineering and math major Joseph Wakim of Methuen. Each was also awarded the Chancellor鈥檚 Medal for Academic Achievement for their respective college, Macdonald for the Kennedy College of Sciences, Forsyth and Sacco for the Francis College of Engineering and Wakim, a double-major, received a medal from both.聽

The academic medals 鈥� which go to the top undergraduates in each of 51视频鈥檚 schools and colleges, as well as its Division of Online and Continuing Education 鈥� were also awarded to:聽

• Political science major Tyler Davis of Lowell, liberal arts major Olivia Desrochers of Boxborough and psychology major Patricia Ferreira of Nashua, N.H., for the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences;
• Clinical lab sciences major Katherine McGourty of Westford for the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences;
• Nursing major Chiew Fong Chew of Lincoln, English major Alyson Desmarais of Swansea and information technology major Jeffrey Wheelhouse of Waltham for the Division of Online and Continuing Education;
• Business administration majors Sean Flaherty of Lowell and Jack Carroll of North Andover for the Manning School of Business.

Grant Lardieri of Grand Rapids, Mich., a chemistry major, received both the Kennedy College of Sciences academic medal and the University Scholar-Athlete Award for his accomplishments on the men鈥檚 lacrosse team, his 3.99 GPA and service to the campus and community.

The Chancellor鈥檚 Medal for Community Service was presented to:

• Julie Ballo of Lexington, exercise physiology major;
• Emily Bellino of Lake Grove, N.Y., business administration;
• Matthew Lovely of Foxborough, business administration;
• Catherine Han of Lexington, sociology;聽
• Akhil Meka of Chelmsford, biology;
• Edina Hirt of Lowell, a psychology major who was also 51视频鈥檚 honoree at the Massachusetts Department of Education鈥檚 鈥�29 Who Shine鈥� awards for the top public college and university graduates in the Commonwealth.

51视频 awarded the Chancellor鈥檚 Medal for Diversity and Inclusion to:

• Kaitlynn Bartley of Billerica, master鈥檚 degree in education administration;
• Jenna Kapp of Lowell, master鈥檚 degree in peace and conflict studies;
• Linda Riley of Woburn, who received her doctoral degree in leadership in schooling.

The Chancellor鈥檚 Medal for Student Service was presented to:聽

• Stephanie Carnazzo of Lowell, psychology;聽
• Andre DiFilippo of Saugus, business administration;
• Michael Doane of Hayward, Calif., chemical engineering;
• Brian Madigan of Braintree, chemical engineering;聽
• Marina Novaes of Dracut, public health;
• Vilma Okey-Ewurum of Chelmsford, public health.

For the first time, the university awarded the River Hawk Experience Distinction to students who have completed coursework and experiential learning in community and global engagement, entrepreneurship or leadership. The first recipients of the honor are DiFilippo, along with Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences graduates Megan Aukstikalnis of Maynard, Michelle Chernaik of Chelmsford, Alexandra Loblundo of Littleton, Noveen Mansouri of Sudbury, Sarah Nasuti of Mashpee, Maeve Norton of Holliston and Stephanie Perry of Lowell.

The class gift was presented by Senior Class President Stephanie Zuber of Haverhill, a biology and public health major who is one of nine family members to attend 51视频, and Senior Class Vice President Sunita Singh Poma of Acton, an economics major.

Participants in the ceremonies also included UMass Trustee Mary Burns, who was marking the 35th anniversary of her graduation from 51视频; state Sen. Diana DiZoglio; state Rep. Rady Mom; Lowell Mayor William Samaras; Lowell City Councilors Vesna Nuon and Karen Cirillo; the 51视频 Brass Choir; 51视频 Chamber Singers; the 51视频 Army and Air Force ROTC Color Guard; and Kevin Barry Irish American Pipes and Drums.

51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu