Honoring Their Strength & Perseverance
More than 1,240 degrees were conferred by the University, with a significant number of graduates having started their college journey amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The momentous occasion marked the second consecutive combined commencement ceremony for the Brooklyn, Long Island and Online campuses, as well as the institution’s second as a university.
The ceremony drew over 5,000 attendees, including graduates and their guests, University faculty, staff, and alumni. Among the graduates, 870 studied at the Long Island Campus and 277 attended the Brooklyn Campus. The Online program counted 94 degree earners.
Maeve McKeon ’23, Brooklyn Campus Valedictorian: A criminal justice major, Ms. McKeon was a four-year member of the softball team and served as vice president in the Student Government Association.
Asma Hosein ’23, Long Island Campus Valedictorian: Ms. Hosein, a child study major with a concentration in psychology, served in a plethora of leadership roles, including co-program director for the Campus Activities Board and president of the CEC/Educators Club. She was also the president of the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education and co-founder and treasurer of the Women’s Empowerment Club.
St. Joseph’s University President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., praised the students for accomplishing an incredible goal.
“You’ve achieved something wonderful, and it has been no small task over the last few years,” Dr. Boomgaarden said. “You’ve made a dream come true, but you’ve not done it alone.
“It’s a day to reflect on the values that strengthen us as individuals and members of a family, as graduates of St. Joseph’s University,” he added. “It’s also your last day as students of St. Joseph’s, but it’s not your last day as a learner, for while St. Joseph’s never promised it could teach you everything, we do hope we have prepared you to learn anything.”
Students Share Their Stories
“Once the pandemic hit my freshman year, our class really had to grind and pave our own paths,” said Ms. Burroughs, who accepted a B.S. in Biology. “The academic achievement of completing our degrees is worthy of celebration on its own, but I don’t want to let the rest go unnoticed.”
Echoing those thoughts was Long Island Campus graduate Myrka Argueta ’23.
“Despite me not being able to live that college experience the way I wanted to, I am still grateful for all of the professors I had pushing us to do our best,” said Ms. Argueta, a first-generation college graduate who earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice. “This is not only a huge accomplishment for myself, it is also an accomplishment for my family.”
GRADUATES By CAMPUS
“This graduation represents not only the completion of my undergraduate degree but also a milestone of economic independence and personal resilience,” said Mr. Pokharel, whose family in Nepal viewed the ceremony’s livestream.
Serving Our Country, Succeeding in Class
“This accomplishment means a lot to me in terms of what my future can now look like and be, compared to what I’ve been through after the military,” said Mr. Gardner, who attended the ceremony with his service dog Kenzo. “I’m the first person in my family to get an undergraduate degree, and I’m staying at St. Joseph’s for my graduate degree.”
Antonio Perez Reynoso ’23 earned a B.S. in Biology, graduating in five years after taking a gap year for deployment in the U.S. Air Force.
“I feel really proud and happy that I made it this far,” said the Patchogue resident, who has served in Qatar, Iraq and Jordan. “My biggest hurdle in getting here was probably my deployment.
“When you have downtime, it leaves you a lot of time to think, and in those moments I’d think about not finishing my degree,” he continued. “But my dad encouraged me to stick to my path.”
Congratulations Grads
Leadership in Action
“Graduation day represents the culmination of dedication, hard work and devotion to my education,” said Ms. Callahan, a Brooklyn native who earned a B.A. in Child Study. “As a first-generation college student in my family, commencement is a celebration of my individual accomplishments and a recognition of the support and encouragement I have received from loved ones along the way.”
On the Long Island Campus, Psychology and Human Services double major Dana Storm ’23, received the Donald R. Boomgaarden Leadership in Action Award.
“It’s been an honor to attend and get to know each and every student, and it’s an honor to graduate from St. Joseph’s,” she said.
Keshia Holder ’23 earned a B.S. in Health Administration from the Brooklyn Campus. A practice manager at Weill Cornell Medicine, she was inspired by her children to return to school.
“It’s been five straight years of nonstop classes, but it was definitely worth it,” said Holder, 44, who was accompanied by her son, who this month graduated from the Berkeley School of Music in Boston, and her daughter, a medical school student at Boston University.
For 40-year-old Lou Hopper ’23 of Ronkonkoma, the commencement ceremony was the end of a long road.
“It’s been a long journey for me,” said Hopper, who received a master’s degree in organizational management from the Long Island Campus. “Ultimately, it just felt like the next logical step for my career. I definitely feel relief. It’s a day — with the way my life progressed — I thought would never get here.”