“I am going to ask you as you embark upon your careers to be open to all sorts of possibilities,” Oneglia said. “Another way of saying that is — find something to do that you can be passionate about, and it may not be designing circuits or bridges or robots.”

Oneglia was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters for his contributions to engineering and business. His company, O&G Industries of Torrington, built most of the York Hill Campus, including the Rocky Top Student Center.

“Consider my industry — construction. Our nation's infrastructure is deficient,” Oneglia said. “To correct years of neglect will require the talents civil, geotechnical and environmental design engineers. You are at the right place, at the right time. You will be the ones to help shape the future.”

Kyzer Oliver Halud Gardiola, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree, delivered the Response of the Class of 2017. Gardiola was one of 50 students who received Bachelor of Science degrees from the School of Engineering on Sunday.

“Now that we are graduating and entering the next stage of our lives, let’s hold onto the values and skills this university has given us,” Gardiola said. “As engineers and computer scientists, I believe we must strive to be the solution to the world’s problems. I know that we have the ability to design the next best electric car, make renewable energy more efficient, restore and improve urban infrastructure …. We don’t hold back.”

Gardiola credited the rigor of the engineering curriculum for teaching far more than calculus.

“I’m glad that it was long and difficult because if it hadn’t been that way, the lessons might not have been as clear,” Gardiola said. “As we look back today, all I can say is that the Quinnipiac experience has truly been top-notch.”

This weekend, Quinnipiac University will confer 1,709 bachelor’s degrees in six schools and colleges -- Arts and Sciences, Business, Communications, Engineering, Health Sciences and Nursing.

Last weekend, Quinnipiac conferred 985 graduate degrees during two ceremonies held at the TD Bank Sports Center. More than 100 academic programs are offered at Quinnipiac’s three campuses in Hamden and North Haven, Connecticut.

Quinnipiac is a dynamic, three-campus university where professors who want to know students by name come to teach, and where students who want a personal, challenging education come to learn.

Located in Southern New England, Quinnipiac’s top-rated academics, low faculty-to-student ratio and Division I athletics are just some of the reasons why it is consistently ranked among the best universities by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. It is one of 100 universities to have both a law school and a medical school with the opening of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine in 2013, and its Polling Institute is respected by media organizations around the globe.

Faculty members are experts in their fields and generous with their time. The university prepares undergraduate and graduate students for success in business, communications, engineering, health, education, law, medicine, nursing and the liberal arts and sciences. More than 100 programs are offered to 6,784 undergraduate and 2,884 graduate students.

Throughout its rich history, Quinnipiac has remained true to its three core values: high-quality academic programs, a student-oriented environment and a strong sense of community.

The university is hosting 10 Commencement ceremonies, including our inaugural ceremony for the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine and the first ceremony for the newly formed School of Engineering.