2024年春季毕业典礼回顾，照片和亮点

‘You did not accept that things are not possible because they are hard to achieve…’

用一阵五彩纸屑, 周一，十大博彩推荐排名州立大学2024届毕业生庆祝了毕业典礼, 5月13日, 纽瓦克保德信中心的一个欢乐时刻, 新泽西, one especially savored as many receiving their undergraduate degrees were among the cohort whose high school graduations were disrupted four years ago by the COVID-19 p和emic.

The Montclair graduates included many who are the first in their families to attend college 和 earn degrees, 包括波沃罗五胞胎——维多利亚, 卢多维科, 阿什利, 迈克尔和马库斯—— who made 新泽西 history as they graduated from the same college at the same time，一个接一个地走过台子. “Being first gen 和 graduating together for us is definitely a monumental thing,” said 阿什利. “这是一种巨大的自豪感.”

Two Commencement exercises – in the morning 和 the afternoon – were held to celebrate an anticipated 3,来自十大博彩推荐排名州立大学13所学院的648名毕业生. The graduates hail from 26 states 和 eight countries, with more than 860 earning advanced degrees. 总统 Jonathan Koppell encouraged the graduates to stay optimistic in their ability to make change in the world 和 to resist the urge to vilify or dehumanize those with opposing views.

“我对世界的现状深感担忧, 但你们让我心中的乐观之火一直燃烧着,科佩尔说. “你们克服了各种挑战，走到了今天. You did not accept that things are not possible because they are hard to achieve…I urge you not to accept that the world cannot be made a better place.”

看台上整天都坐满了自豪的家庭, with some graduates wearing specially designed stoles highlighting their status as the first in their families to earn a college degree, 他们作为学生领袖的经历, 他们参与研究和其他成就.

为了庆祝这一天的第一次庆祝活动，日出后家家户户开始陆续到来. 第一批, 他们是听力学博士研究生肖恩·克莱兹科夫斯基的祖父母, 他和35名博士和研究生候选人一起戴着兜帽参加典礼. “这是一个千载难逢的机会，可以看到我的儿子获得博士学位,他的母亲香农·吉本斯说. “我想要前排的座位.”

The stage was set for a special day of celebrations when Koppell welcomed graduates 和 guests by saying, “Because some families take this whole teamwork idea a little more seriously than others, we have what I would call a group of extremists who will be walking across the stage,科佩尔说, Povolo五胞胎.

科佩尔祝贺了五胞胎的父母, 他们的父亲, 保罗, 和母亲, 西尔维亚, 他最近加入了十大博彩推荐排名的管理团队. “这是一群真正的红鹰，”他说.

在看台上, the Povolos’ invited guests included the volunteers who helped care for the quintuplets as babies, 2002年7月4日出生. “我一直希望他们高中毕业时我还活着,90岁的贝弗利·齐索说. “我一直在努力争取上大学，但现在我来了.”

Montclair’s commitment to making the world a better place was highlighted throughout the two ceremonies. “To me the most important lesson of today is the power of belief in the possibility of tomorrow – the possibility that things can get better,科佩尔对毕业生们说.

在参与服务和领导的学生中有 马里亚纳Luna-Martinez, the Montclair student trustee who capped off her college career with a Biology degree 和 countless hours of community service through the Bonner Leader Program. 她还在意大利学习, 了解其医疗保健系统和巴拿马, 作为全球医疗旅的一部分协助医生.

Richard Steiner-Otoo是学生会主席, 获得地理学位的人, 环境及城市研究, 对2024届毕业生说:“当我们踏上各自的道路时, let’s carry with us the belief that the good that we put into the world will make it just a little bit better than we found it, 一次只做一件好事.”

Vice 总统 for Student Development 和 Campus Life Dawn Meza Soufleris acknowledged the students who performed community service; who worked full or part time; those for whom 英语 is not their first language; who overcame medical, physical or mental health challenges; veterans, 现役军人, 预备役人员, 国民警卫队成员和公共安全官员. Cheers were heard as many stood to be acknowledged as the first in their families to graduate from college.

第一代学生Yhimara Sarango和Emily Vasquez, 谁获得了家庭科学和人类发展的学位, wore personalized stoles designed to acknowledge their achievements as first-generation graduates – their families coming from Ecuador 和 Mexico, 分别.

“我为他们奉献了一切,瓦斯奎兹说。, who presented her first guest ticket to her 9-year-old cousin to show her what is possible. Added Sarango about her parents’ pride: “To have their daughter graduate in the United States is one of their biggest accomplishments.”

Koppell acknowledged the challenges many students faced in the years it took to get to Commencement 和 the people who supported them through difficult times.

“To me the most important lesson of today is the power of belief in the possibility of tomorrow – the possibility that things can get better. 你们每个人今天都来到这里，因为你们想象着走过那个舞台,科佩尔对毕业生们说. “你在脑海中有了它，然后你让它发生了. 尽管你有疑虑，但你还是成功了, 你有挫折, 意想不到的事情可能会阻止你, 本可以阻止你的.”

这对托尼·特纳斯(Tony Tenasse)来说尤其痛苦, who earned a degree in Physical 教育 和 wore a personal stole in memory of his parents. “我从未放弃,他说, 尤其是在他们去世之后, 我今天站在这里是因为努力工作和承诺.”

下午的学生演讲者Lanaye Kemp, 获得音乐治疗文学学士学位的人, 在被诊断患有肌腱炎后分享了这句话, 让她无法演奏乐器, 她以为她的事业还没开始就结束了. “有很多支持, 我克服了这一点, I realized that I — 和 all of us here — have that power to overcome these challenges.”

伊利亚娜Woodhull, 41, 谁获得了家庭科学和人类发展的学位, 克服了多年的创伤 来实现她的美国梦和学术梦. “我妈妈在这里，我的家人. 墨西哥的每个人都在看(直播). 我忍住了眼泪，我很荣幸. 在我经历了那么多之后，这是件大事.”

罗莎琳·科波拉，72岁的祖母, finally finished what she started 53 years ago when she first began taking college classes. She received a Bachelor of 艺术 in Liberal Studies through the 大学’s Degree Completion Program.

“It is never too late to get involved 和 expose yourself to new people 和 experiences,早上的学生发言人说, 索菲亚·卡拉·维罗奇, 谁获得了营养和食品科学的学位. “Becoming a Red Hawk 和 embracing all that our university has to offer has truly turned my college experience around for the better. 十大博彩推荐排名帮我找到了人生目标.”

在早晨, Joseph Lepinski danced across the Commencement stage to receive his degree in Physical 教育, 对他的致敬 泽西·乔的抖音名气这一事件发生在他的宿舍里. 穿着巨大的黄色拖鞋, Lepinski unveiled himself as the school’s mascot Rocky the Red Hawk 和 a member of Team Rocky.

红鹰队队长尼古拉斯·伯吉斯和进攻锋手卡梅伦·希伯特 获得商业管理和会计学士学位他们将于今年夏天回到校园攻读mba.

主持这两个仪式的是大元帅里奇·沃尔夫森, 谁拿着大学的权杖, 象征大学和校长权威的装饰性权杖. Wolfson is retiring after 14 years as AFT Local president 和 42 years on the faculty in the Department of Teaching 和 Learning.

上午的仪式包括社区卫生学院的毕业生, 教育与参与式学习学院, 人文社会科学学院和大学学院.

在下午, 我从艺术学院毕业, 护理学院, College of Science 和 Mathematics 和 Feliciano School of 业务 had their opportunity to shine. The ceremony also welcomed members of the Class of 1974, who were celebrating their 50th Reunion.

在五彩纸屑之前, what’s become a traditional ending with a Commencement selfie with the 大学 president known as the “Koppellfie,“毕业生们被激励着飞得更高. “充满激情和自信地生活,科佩尔说, ，但也有同理心和谦逊, 抓住每一天.”

仪式被记录下来，可以在网上看到 大学的YouTube频道.

特约撰稿人报道 玛丽莲·乔伊斯·莱伦. 图片由大学摄影师提供 迈克•彼得斯, 约翰J. LaRosa 和 阿里斯蒂德Economopoulos 十大博彩推荐排名州立大学.