Clark awards over 1,300 degrees at its 119th commencement ceremony Sunday afternoon

WORCESTER — With just a few hours standing between them and their degrees, the 2023 Clark University graduating class, surrounded by their friends and families, snapped photos, ate ice cream cones and laughed and cheered as speakers imparted advice and praised them.

Thousands of people gathered on the campus green to watch the 119th commencement ceremony where over 1,300 degrees were awarded Sunday afternoon.

“I imagine for some of you, you never thought this day would come. For others, perhaps it’s come too soon,” said Gary Labovich, chair of the board of trustees. “While this may feel an ending, it really is just the beginning.”

Labovich, who gave the welcoming address to the graduates, spoke about one of his favorite scenes from one of his favorite movies, “The Wizard of Oz.”

The scene, he said, was when the wizard addresses the scarecrow who wants a brain and awards him a diploma.

“Guess what? You now have what the scarecrow has — a diploma,” Labovich said. “But like the scarecrow, you were already brimming with wisdom and knowledge when you arrived at Clark.”

He said it will not be the diploma that will dictate their future, but rather parlaying the things they learned during their time at the school. Their education has laid the foundation they need to make an impact in their careers and communities.

“Good luck in paving your own yellow brick road. I wish you all the best,” Labovich said before introducing President David Fithian who gave the opening remarks.

Fithian had one request for the students before he began his remarks, he said. He wanted them to give a “full throated” roar, as loudly as possible to celebrate everything they’ve overcome the last four years.

The students met Fithian’s challenge, filling the tent where they sat for the commencement with their cheers.

The president then went on to commend the students on overcoming many challenges during their time at the university, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite having their education interrupted, and having to make quick adjustments to a virtual learning experience after the campus shut down, the students still found a way to make an impact, he said.

He listed some of their accomplishments, like creating a student-led magazine that tells stories focused on the Main South neighborhood, creating apps that help connect students with campus resources and graduate students unionizing for better wages and health care — which also received an enormous cheer from the crowd.

But, he said, while this is the end of their time at Clark, it is also the beginning of a new journey and their education goes beyond receiving a diploma. It means knowing how to navigate what is unknown or not understood.

“Embrace the joy of discovery still ahead,” Fithian said.

Commencement address by Robert Putnam, political scientist

Fithian then introduced Robert Putnam, a political scientist who not only gave the commencement address, but was one of three guests receiving an honorary degree.

Putnam spoke to the graduates about the impact they could have on their communities and the country overall.

He noted that the first commencement speaker at Clark University was Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, which also happened to be a particularly polarizing time socially and politically in the United States, he said.

But it was also a time that inspired a movement of young people who wanted to have a great impact on their communities and the country, such as Ida B. Wells, a former slave who became a journalist and activist and whose writings led to a drop in lynchings.

That era, he said, led to the formation of many organizations and services people still use today such as the Rotary Club and playgrounds because young people at the time saw what was needed and worked to make them reality.

He also spoke about his time in college, when he decided to switch from a science-focused degree to political science.

After meeting his future wife in a political science class, he said, the pair had traveled to Washington, D.C., to see future President John F. Kennedy gave his inaugural address, during which he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

The speech, he said, inspired him and made him feel as though it were a call to action. Since that speech, there have been many improvements in the U.S., but overall, his generation has “failed” the graduates.

Despite some improvements in terms of equality, the United States, he said, has become an “I” society, instead of a “we” society, and inequality has grown, particularly between the rich and poor.

People have become less generous, he said, and are not as civically engaged or volunteering as much as they did in the past.

But, Putnam said, the graduates can change that. They can look at what the young people of the Gilded Age did and see what kind of impact they can have today in their community and around the country.

“The young progressive leaders…did not believe that the future would take care of itself. Neither should you, “Putnam said. “Your generation didn’t cause these problems but only you can lead the way toward a more diverse, more tolerant, more cohesive, more equal society.”

Putnam, as well as Ruth Wilson Gilmore, a geographer, and Ronald Carter, a jazz musician, were then all awarded honorary degrees by the university.

Following recognition of the graduates, the graduate students then traveled to Kneller Athletic Center for their own separate commencement ceremony from undergraduates, who remained on the campus green.

Graduate students listened to an address from Idriss Lauali Abdou, who spoke about the opportunities he has received through his education after moving away from Niger where he grew up including studying in Morocco and France, and becoming a Fulbright Scholar in the U.S.

Undergraduate students listened to Glory Phipps, who was described as a "quintessential Clarkie.”

Phipps, a self-described native New Yorker who wants to attend New York University for graduate school to study law and philosophy, quoted Tupac Shakur’s “Long live the rose that grew from concrete.”

“What this means is that, despite the obstacles we face in our lifetime, like a rose in concrete, we are able to grow,” Phipps said. “I believe this line is a good representation of the journey here at Clark.”

When they began four years ago, they were “illuminated,” she said, by the possibilities offered to them at the school. But quickly, “the world stopped, especially at Clark” after the COVID-19 pandemic began.

But they were able to overcome the obstacles, she said, and, like Fithian, listed some of the things the graduates were able to accomplish.

“We made it through by focusing on our passions. We fought for issues we believed in. We began to use our voices for the greater good,” Phipps said. “No matter how many times we were struck down we still got up.”

Clark awarded 590 bachelor’s degrees, 681 master’s degrees, 29 doctoral degrees and three honorary degrees at Sunday’s ceremony. There were also 329 graduates representing 24 different countries at the ceremony. Nine alumni who received their doctoral degrees during a virtual ceremony in 2020, were also welcomed back to campus for the ceremony.

The university also provided the following list of 2023 Clark University graduates from the Greater Worcester area:

Bachelor of arts

• Ashburnham: Kaitlynn M. Paine (c) and Ryan S. Weston (c).

• Auburn: Ashley D. Hayes (c), Meghan T. Hines (s) (PBK), Daniel Mojica (m) with high honors in Interactive Media and Neil T. Wykes (c).

• Berlin: Mischka A. Altucher (s) (PBK).

• Brimfield: Bobby F. Moseley.

• Douglas: Jeremy Payson.

• Dudley: Zack Andre.

• Grafton: Sarah E. Vacca.

• Holden: Tristan John DeMacedo (m) and Hannah E. Friend (s) (PBK) with highest honors in History, Alex E. Krikonis (m) and Alexis M.T. Stone (s) (FL).

• Hubbardston: Sarah L. Gregory (c), Andrea Techera (s) and Kevin Yack Techera.

• Hudson: Lily Kaplan (m).

• Leominster: Frank Michael Lunetta (s), Ben Aaron Mukda (s) and Tracy T. Nguyen (m).

• Lunenburg: Declan G. Fitzpatrick, Max Tickner-Ernst (s) with honors in Economics, with high honors in Mathematics (GP).

• Marlborough: Andrew Craig Austin, Esther G. De Araujo (s), Matt Lee (s) (PBK) and Emma Ilona Marton (s).

• Milford: Jennifer Wong (s).

• Millbury: Rowan A. Luff (c).

• North Grafton: JC Urella.

• North Oxford: Tiffany Vo (m).

• Northborough: Eli Henry Cohen-Gordon (m) (GP) and Anna A. Nosevich (c).

• Oxford: Luke Bradford Knowles (m).

• Paxton: Josie N. Fitzgerald summa cum laude and Maia R. Simone magna cum laude.

• Princeton: Sasha L. Cross, Luke George Mazur (s) with high honors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

• Rutland: Marta Magdalena Szemiot (s) with high honors in Interactive Media.

• Shrewsbury: Chloe L. Carleton (s) with high honors in Asian Studies (PBK), Samip Dhakal (c) with honors in Economics and Cam Gill (s) with honors in Community Youth & Education Studies.

• Southborough: Reem Abouchleih (m), Luke J.K. Brogna and Jared D. Brudner.

• Southbridge: Daria A. Panayiotou (c).

• Sterling: Charlotte D. LeClair (s) (PBK).

• Upton: Daniel Patrick Cook.

• West Boylston: Sammie C. Doxsey (m) and Mackenzie A. Shea (m).

• West Brookfield: Robbie S. Wilson (m).

• Whitinsville: John Henry Roche (c), Lily J. Salatiello (s) (FL).

• Worcester: Bella Bace, Nash Bourn (c), John W. D'Eufemia (s) (BGS), Zac G. Davis (m), Anton Deti (s), Rucely Paola Diaz Cueto (c), Chau Minh Duong (s) with highest honors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (PBK), Shae Theresa Fitzpatrick, Tamanna Gurung (c) (FL), Adeline Hebert (s) with highest honors in History, Lauren Holmes (m), Blerina Iljas (m), Emery Jeffreys (s) with high honors in a self-designed major, Clay C. Johnson, Maritta E. Kawmi (m), Meghan Elizabeth Kennedy (s), Aiman Khaliq Khan (m), Eleanor E. Krueger, Blake William Leasure (m) (FL), Max T. Leslie (m), Rebecca C. Levine (m) with honors in Theater Arts, Alexia P. Louzado, Ally L. Madow, Liz Mahon (c), Charles Jacob Marble (s) with high honors in Interactive Media, Jacob August Mela (m) with honors in Political Science, Samuel Joseph Nelson, Beshair K. Nurhussien (c), Kofi Owiredu, Phoenix B. Pagan (m) with high honors in Computer Science, Gabriel J. Richman, Chrinovain K. Samuel, Ksenija Scahill (c), Giordana F. Sena (s) with honors in Psychology (PBK), Katy Elizabeth Tucker (m), Teodora Uglean (m), Olivia Wilde (s) with highest honors in Screen Studies, Daniel Williams (m) (GP) and Jing Zhou (c).

Bachelor of science

• Leicester: Lori Buckley (s).

• Shrewsbury: Meng Ling (s).

• Southborough: Jiao Shen (s).

• Worcester: Colton M. Bird, John E. Keough (s) (ASL).

Doctor of philosophy

• Baldwinville: Marc Healy.

• Hudson: Emma I. Kane.

• Oakham: Mandy M. Gaudreau.

• Worcester: Michael Getachew Endale, Ben C. Fash and Reihonna Lee Frost-Calhoun.

Master of arts

• Holden: Jesse Braith.

• Lancaster: Mitchell Hall.

• Upton: Sarah Elizabeth Plutnicki.

• Worcester: Amal Osama Abdelgadir, Ayman Osama Abdelgadir, Feyzal Ahmed Ebrahim, Marissa Renee Kelly, Alexis Slater Restum and Ariana Sarmiento Fielding.

Master of arts in teaching

• Jefferson: Anna Dionne.

• Worcester: Katie Lin Anderson, Sage Layah Halpert, Breanna Kucera, Sydney Lamothe, Kaila Skeet Browning and Emily Grace Stukowski.

Master of business administration

• Boylston: Jessica Mulvihill.

• Charlton: Rich K. Cote.

• Upton: Cam Richey.

• Worcester: Melanie Joy Adams, Michelle Duong, Owen Erickson, Beatriz D. Hidalgo, Sara Kashif (BGS), Lawrence James Lawsen, Maazin Sherif and Yumei Yu (BGS).

Master of fine arts

• Shrewsbury: Skyler M. Barron.

Master of health science

• Worcester: Alero Emily Aikhuele, Nina Ngari and Obianuju Joy Opara.

Master of public administration

• Charlton: Eben A. Nash.

• Gardner: Jon David Zlotnik.

• Grafton: Kelly Grace Dolan, Nathan Arthur Gregoire and Dave Kent Muradian.

• Holden: Clare McRae Robbins.

• Northborough: Julia Chun.

• Shrewsbury: Patrick Andrew Collins (AEL).

• Worcester: Daniel Ramiro Thimke Anderson, Osborne Njoroge Munyambu (AEL), Caroline E. Murphy (AEL), Jenny Pacillo, Anna Maria Parisi, An Pham, Luis E. Santos, Mo Clare Small (AEL) and Mark Gregory Zito (AEL).

Master of science in communication

• Marlborough: David G. Hanrahan (AEL).

Master of science in data analytics

• Worcester: Tom Joseph Ardron.

Master of science in management

• Uxbridge: Erin Carol Hynes.

• Worcester: Doménica Antonella Dillon and Alyosha Jimon Otogawa.

Master of science in project management

• Clinton: Ranjana Kamalakar Patankar (AEL).

Master of science in information technology

• Worcester: Evelin Diaz Araque, Scott Alexander Nelson and Yudong Zhang           .

Master of science

• Athol: Rob Stanislaw Kearney           .

• Cherry Valley: Alexandra Gayle Marie Mars.

• Marlborough: Toni Massinger.

• Milford: Zoe Plumb.

• Pepperell: Caleigh Rose McLaren.

• Worcester: Samantha Bitar, Lester Carver, Nada Christy Haddad, Koki Hayashi, Holden N. Moore, Kim Nguyen, Kylee Rose Rutkiewicz, Ashna Siddhi and Vanessa Lynn Tischofer.

Master of science in accounting

• Worcester: Josh Larbi Mensah.

Key: (c) cum laude; (m) magna cum laude; (s) summa cum laude; (AEL) Alpha Epsilon Lambda; (ASL) Alpha Sigma Lambda; (BGS) Beta Gamma Sigma; (FL) Fiat Lux; (GP) Gryphon & Pleiades; and (PBK) Phi Beta Kappa

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Clark awards over 1,300 degrees at 119th commencement Sunday afternoon