Health sciences graduates urged to take risks to find their purpose

Sonja LaBarbera, MS '13, the president and CEO of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, urged the Class of 2021 to take risks and find inspiration in opportunities Saturday at the undergraduate Commencement exercises for the School of Health Sciences.

“My advice to you today is simple: Don’t be afraid to take risks. Take a chance. Take your chance,” said LaBarbera, who earned her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Quinnipiac in 2013.

“Your path in life may be circuitous,” she said. “But if you never veer off the path, or take on the challenges you are presented with, you won’t truly experience life.”

In all, 460 degree candidates and their guests attended the outdoor ceremony on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

President Judy Olian predicted that graduates will radically improve the quality of life for many during their careers.

“You are so well prepared to help alleviate societal ills, to address chronic disease and the needs of an aging population,” Olian said, adding that graduates will conduct “the necessary research to seize the opportunities of rapidly advancing technologies and scientific discovery.”

LaBarbera told her story of growing up in small town in western New York. It would’ve been easy, even comfortable, to spend her entire life there. She imagined marrying her high school sweetheart and working as a speech pathologist in a local school.

But a conversation with her high school gym teacher changed everything, most especially, her career trajectory. She slid into her car, headed east for seven hours and landed in Connecticut.

“Because I took a risk, I get to make a difference every day. We get to impact the lives of our patients and staff,” LaBarbera said. “Inspiration may come from the most unlikely places, and when it does, be open to hearing it and take your chance. You never know where it may lead.”

Haley Wong ’21, DPT ‘24, who earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training, delivered the response of the Class of 2021. Caroline J. Ringle, DPT ’20, sang the national anthem.

“The health sciences at their core are not about the technology, the modalities, the lab equipment,” Wong said. “The health sciences at their core are about people. They are centered around the idea of humanity and how we can impact the world around us.”

It was a common theme in Saturday morning's Commencement remarks.

“What you dream today isn’t necessarily where you will be tomorrow. And that’s a good thing,” LaBarbera said. “As long as you remain open to possibilities and keep people at the center of every decision you make, your life will be richer than you could have ever imagined.”

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Hard work, collaboration critical to success, Gaylord CEO tells grads

As a young girl, Sonja LaBarbera, MS '13, president and CEO of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, ironed tablecloths and washed dishes at her family’s restaurant.

On Saturday, at the Graduate Commencement exercises for the School of Health Sciences, LaBarbera told the Class of 2021 that her experience taught her that hard work and teamwork are essential to career success.

“I learned early on the importance of rolling up my sleeves and doing whatever was needed to get the job done,” said LaBarbera, who earned her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Quinnipiac in 2013.

“I learned that sometimes, you just need to smile and stay calm, work as a team,” she added. “Only when everyone was working together, did we find a way to make it all happen.”

In all, 320 degree candidates and their guests attended the outdoor ceremony on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

President Judy Olian told members of the Class of 2021 that they are uniquely prepared to succeed in their careers.

“As I look out on the Quad today, I see future clinicians and imaging professionals, occupational and physical therapy specialists, rehabilitative experts and scientists,” she said. “This is such an exciting time, and you are so well positioned to join this accelerating wave of innovation and socially impactful change.”

LaBarbera told graduates that hope is often seen in the faces of others.

“Over the past year, the pandemic really showed how much people — and relationships — matter,” she said. “We learned or created new and innovative ways to stay connected. Our patients, our customers, our colleagues, family and friends — they are what matters most.”

Kristelle Caslangen ‘21, who earned a Master of Health Science in biomedical sciences, delivered the Response of the Class of 2021. Julia Orlofski ’21 sang the national anthem.

“We are not the same person we were when we first started our respective programs,” said Caslangen, vice president of the Graduate Student Council. “We have learned new skills to help us in our future careers. We have learned to adapt and be flexible, and yet, still stay strong to stay the course.”

That adaption and persistence will serve graduates well in the future, LaBarbera said.

“What you dream today isn’t necessarily where you will be tomorrow. And that’s a good thing,” she said. “As long as you remain open to possibilities and keep people at the center of every decision you make, your life will be richer than you could have ever imagined.”

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Chief nursing executive urges graduates to take flight

Beth Beckman, chief nursing executive at Yale New Haven Health System, will never forget the flight when she told a mother and her 5-year-old boy she was a nurse.

The little boy, illuminated with curiosity, nudged her to sit forward.

“I smiled at him and asked what he was looking for?” Beckman recalled Saturday at the School of Nursing Commencement. “He said, ‘Your wings. Aren’t nurses angels? I want to see your wings. Where are they?’ I laughed out loud and quickly realized the enormity of this moment.”

On a day of milestones and memories, the enormity of the moment took center stage.

“The power of nursing’s reputation, the weight of nursing’s responsibility,” Beckman said, pausing to let the weight of her words linger. “Remember that even when you are off duty, you are always a nurse.”

In all, 265 candidates for undergraduate degrees and 130 candidates for graduate degrees turned their tassels on the Mount Carmel Quad.

President Judy Olian spoke of the importance and urgency of a career in nursing.

“You have chosen one of the most noble and truly life-saving professions; a career of sacrificing for others, extending compassion, connecting with the humanity of another, listening to others’ fears and dreams,” Olian said. “It can be an intimidating and exhausting vocation, and at the same time, it can be an exhilarating vocation.”

Provost Debra Liebowitz said the nursing graduates have exhibited extraordinary endurance.

“You have continually shown the kind of grit and resiliency that is needed to be successful,” Liebowitz said. “You have risen to the challenge. You know what that means, Class of 2021? It means you're on your way to success!”

Morgan Literate ’21 and Gregory Foster ’14, DNP ’21, delivered the Response of the Class of 2021. Christine Mueller, DNP ’21, sang the national anthem.

For Literate, nursing is always personal.

“One of the coolest things about nursing is that we have a story of why we chose this field,” Literate said. “For me, it was my mom. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was in fourth grade, and due to a series of events, she had to fight every day since.”

But Literate wasn’t finished sharing.

“Watching her fight so hard and the health care team that fueled her fight,” Literate said, “made me realize that I wanted to be that person in someone else's story.”

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Superintendent tells graduates to become architects of people

Joseph DiBacco, superintendent for Ansonia Public Schools, told the Class of 2021 to build the future of those around them Sunday at Commencement exercises for the School of Education.

“I am able to design and create structures that can help staff, students, my children and the community to become stronger and more successful than they had dreamed,” DiBacco said. “Understand as an educator, you are designing, creating and building every day.”

It was a fitting metaphor with real-world results in classrooms and living rooms everywhere, from urban neighborhoods and city schools to smaller districts and rural schools.

“I need you to understand the power you have to help create and foster the unimaginable,” DiBacco said. “You may hear, ‘I want you to think outside the box.’ Forget that. I want you to draw your own lines.”

Straight, curved, squiggly, it doesn’t matter, DiBacco said. Transformative paths are never a straight line.

In all, 195 degree candidates and their guests attended the ceremony on the Mount Carmel Quad.

President Judy Olian spoke of educators as leaders, role models and social advocates.

“As I look out on the quad today, I see an inspiring group of future educators who will be on the frontline shaping generations of future leaders,” Olian said. “As role models for our youth, you will help facilitate positive developments throughout society and improve quality of life by offering a transformative education to all children — rich and poor, fighting for fairness and the truth, challenging the entrenched social order that is unequal.”

Connecticut’s Miguel Cardona, the new U.S. Secretary of Education, shared a prerecorded video message with the Class of 2021.

“Education lays the foundation for the opportunity for success, for fulling lives and rewarding careers,” said Cardona, a native of Meriden, Connecticut like DiBacco. “For each generation in a family to do better than the last for strong, healthy communities, and for a more just, equitable, caring and prosperous society.”

Da’Jhon Darren Jett, MAT ’21, who delivered the Response of the Class of 2021, agreed with Cardona’s sentiments.

“As we embark on our new classrooms, new students and new school communities, I would like us to all keep ... in mind that we will be that connection, that voice for justice for the students in our care,” said Jett, who earned his master’s degree in elementary education. “They will be watching, and we all will be watching.”

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Human rights scholar says young people lead change

Cheyney Ryan, a global scholar of human rights, nonviolence and conflict resolution, tied the social activism of the past to the present at Commencement exercises Sunday for the College of Arts and Sciences.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my involvement in activism over the years, it is that meaningful change is made by young people,” Ryan, who received an honorary degree for his social activism, told the Class of 2021. “This has been true in the past. The late John Lewis became a political activist in high school.”

“He was 19 years old when he and Diane Nash, who was all of 21, introduced America to nonviolent action in the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins. It is still true now,” added Ryan, a senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict.

For President Judy Olian, the future sat before her in black gowns on the Mount Carmel Campus.

“As I look out on the Quad today, I see future sociologists and political scientists, scientists and award-winning authors,” Olian said. “You will bring change for the better, helping bring new discoveries to life, making them broadly accessible, improving quality of life through art and design and offering a transformative education to all children — rich and poor, fighting for fairness and the truth, and challenging the entrenched social order that is often unequal.”

In all, 425 candidates for bachelor’s degrees and five candidates for master’s degrees attended the ceremony with their guests.

For College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Smart, it was his last Commencement in his current role. He will return to the College of Arts and Sciences faculty next year.

“I believe that I’m a very lucky man,” Smart said. “So what do I want for all you? I would love for you all to find yourselves walking — no, running — toward a bigger life, a larger horizon, and to find yourselves hungry and thirsty for new things, new ways. If we did our work here in CAS, at QU, at all well while you graced us, then you already know what this feels like. Don’t stop.”

Anna Marie Ciacciarella ’21 and Christian M. Kearney ’20, MS ’21, delivered the Response of the Class of 2021.

“During our four years, we’ve seen changes in our world and country that have found their way into the classroom,” Ciacciarella said.

“Issues of racial injustice and social inequities are at the forefront of the media, which have prompted our everyday conversations in class as well as our assignments and projects,” she added. “As we’ve grown in our studies and in our understanding of the world we’ve learned that we cannot be silent.”

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News executive asks graduates to elevate communications

Matt Murray, editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal, asked the Class of 2021 to apply the rigors of opportunity and purpose to their professional careers Sunday at the Commencement exercises for the School of Communications.

“The world needs a new standard, a thoughtful approach to break through the noise and elevate communication to higher purposes,” Murray said.

“Remember that communications isn't an end in itself, but a means to higher things,” he said. “It's a way to connect, to share useful information, art and beauty that we all need — in any age, via any technology.”

In all, 325 degree candidates — 240 undergraduate students and 85 graduate students — attended the ceremony on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

President Judy Olian encouraged graduates to be driven by truth, facts and temperament.

“As I look out on the Quad today, I see future journalists and filmmakers, public relations executives and media experts that will help shine light on truth and facts to guide important debates,” Olian said.

“Others will bring brands to life through the art of storytelling, and let us get lost in a good movie or television show — hopefully, more uplifting films than what we saw at this year’s Oscars,” she said. “But ultimately, you will all bring about change for the better in your own way.”

Such change has never been more timely. Or important.

“One could say a fair bit of contemporary communications isn't about connecting at all, but promoting and propagandizing, shaping and selling narratives and presenting false faces that fit into a wide range of agendas,” Murray said. “Much of it seeks, in fact, to squelch authentic human connection in the service of various ideologies and agendas.”

Tyler McNeill ’21, a public relations student, and Sergio David De La Espriella, MS ’21, a sports journalism student, delivered the Response of the Class of 2021. Heather Popovics ’21 sang the national anthem.

“Tomorrow, we will embark on the greatest adaptation of our lives,” De La Espriella said. “We will take what we’ve learned during our time at Quinnipiac and use it to make a positive impact in our communities, in our country, in our world.”

Although their paths may differ, the newly minted graduates will always share the same starting line.

“We are all moving forward on our journey,” McNeill said. “Some of us may stay on the same one together to graduate school or the same company, while others will head in a new direction for a new adventure. But we can always trace our steps back to here, where we first became Bobcats and became members of a community unlike any other.”

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Entrepreneur, trustee encourages graduates to embrace inclusivity

Businessman Carlton Highsmith told the Class of 2021 to build, nurture and maintain inclusive relationships Monday at the undergraduate Commencement for the School of Business and the School of Engineering.

“I urge you to embrace diversity in all of its magnificent and wonderful forms — across race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and thought,” said Highsmith, vice chairman of the Board of Trustees. “You will discover, as I have learned, that the proximity of our differences reveals our common humanity.”

The words hung in the air long after Highsmith folded up his speech and stepped away from a lectern. They mattered and they inspired.

In all, 440 degree candidates from the School of Business and 90 degree candidates from the School of Engineering, along with their guests, attended the ceremony on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

President Judy Olian saw the rows of promise and perspective sitting in front of her.

“As I look out on the Quad today, I see future engineers, cybersecurity experts, software developers, logisticians, analysts, strategists, financiers, entrepreneurs and inventors, managers and leaders who will facilitate these positive developments,” Olian said.

“You will help bring these advances to market; invent, make and build creations that improve the quality of life for a wide cross section of society; offer broad access to these advances; and challenge the entrenched social order that is unequal,” she added.

The ceremony also featured two deans — Matt O’Connor in the School of Business and Justin Kile in the School of Engineering — who will return to full-time teaching in the fall.

“The real honor for any dean — in fact, anyone at any university — is the opportunity to work with students,” said O’Connor, who served 12 years as dean and one year as interim dean. “But let me state for the record: Quinnipiac students are the best. The very best.”

Kile reflected on the School of Engineering’s growth from a concept to a school with ABET-accredited civil, mechanical, industrial and software engineering programs.

“I especially want to thank those students who chose to gamble on Quinnipiac when I showed them a drawing of what an engineering school might look like someday,” said Kile, who helped bring that vision to life after arriving at Quinnipiac nine years ago.

Olamide Gbotosho ’21, the senior class president, and Michael Giannone, an industrial engineering student, each delivered a Response of the Class of 2021. Taina Echevarria ’21 sang the national anthem.

“All the successes, failures and changes we have experienced have allowed us to grow and develop the poise to take those challenges on,” Gbotosho said. “Your failures and your adaptability to change has brought you here today.”

“They have shaped and formed you into the person that is sitting here in that cap and gown,” she added. “Remember, it’s OK to fail and it’s OK for change to happen. What matters is that we learn from those failures and embrace those changes.”

The future is somewhat less clear, but more promising for the Class of 2021.

“It’s filled with uncertainty, which as engineers, we find incredibly difficult to deal with because we don’t like uncertainty, we like concrete answers,” Giannone said. “But the future is also filled with hope. Hope that we can leave the world a little better than how we found it.”

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Telecom CEO appeals to the Class of 2021 to listen with an open mind

John Von Stein, founder and CEO of QXC Communications, told the Class of 2021 to listen with open eyes and open ears, but most especially, an open mind Monday at the Graduate Commencement for the School of Business and the School of Engineering.

“Trust is the basis of every relationship. Without trust, you can’t communicate. If you can’t collaborate, you can’t get anything done,” said Von Stein, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Quinnipiac in 1981.

Von Stein encouraged graduates to perform every job like it’s their ticket to advancement because, well, it is.

“Excelling in your current job is a prerequisite for becoming a candidate for the next opportunity,” Von Stein said. “Map out the traits, knowledge and skills required for each step along the way. This becomes your career development plan. Only you are responsible for making it happen.”

In all, 368 degree candidates from the School of Business and the School of Engineering, along with their guests, attended the ceremony on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

President Judy Olian praised graduates for their commitment to each other as well as their community.

“This day would be an extraordinary milestone in each of your lives in any normal Commencement year,” Olian said. “But it’s all the more extraordinary given how you, the Class of 2021, has persevered during a very difficult year.

“You did that with maturity and resilience, and you still were able to thrive in academics and in your extracurricular activities,” she added. “I give huge credit to each of you for your consideration of the whole community throughout your years at Quinnipiac, but especially this last year.”

The ceremony also featured two deans — Matthew O’Connor, of the School of Business, and Justin Kile, of the School of Engineering — both of whom will return to full-time teaching in the fall.

O’Connor, who served 12 years as dean and one year as interim dean, estimated he’s read more than 10,000 names at Commencement over the years.

“The real honor for any dean — in fact, anyone at any university — is the opportunity to work with students,” O’Connor said. “But let me state for the record: Quinnipiac students are the best. The very best.”

Kile reflected on the School of Engineering’s growth from a hopeful concept to a school with ABET-accredited civil, mechanical, industrial and software engineering programs.

“It was really cool to come to a university that was so excited to have us here,” said Kile, who arrived at Quinnipiac nine years ago as one of two engineering professors. “I especially want to thank those students who chose to gamble on Quinnipiac when I showed them a drawing of what an engineering school might look like someday.”

Gregory Tack, MBA ’21, delivered the Response of the Class of 2021. Caroline J. Ringle, DPT 20, sang the national anthem.

“To say this year was tough would be an understatement, but I can say I’m proud of you,” Tack said, looking out at his fellow graduates. “I’m proud of Quinnipiac.”

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