Nearly 300 graduate from Anna Maria College at DCU Center Monday morning

WORCESTER — When the Anna Maria College graduating class of 2023 walked across the stage Monday morning, the students were not just celebrating as classmates, but as “ohana,” the Hawaiian word for family, said undergraduate speaker Meghan Sonia.

Sonia, who has a tattoo of the word, said each of the students receiving their degree found their ohana at Anna Maria over the course of the last four years.

“Anna Maria College showed me, and everyone, how conducive this campus is to growing and fostering bonds between people from different countries, of different backgrounds, and with different ages to become one family,” Sonia said. “The people here are what make this place feel like a home.”

Sonia was among the nearly 300 other students being conferred a degree at the school's 74th graduation commencement, held at the DCU Center Monday morning.

Speaking of her experience as both a nursing student and student-athlete, Sonia said she found a similar community at Anna Maria to the one she had in Martha’s Vineyard, where she was born and raised.

When she arrived at the school campus in Paxton, she said, she was focused on her individual goals and sticking to her plans. But she quickly realized that there was strength in allowing others to help and support her.

She found support in the diversity of her classmates, she said, as well as the staff, faculty and coaches at the school who were always willing and ready to support each other.

She shared memories from her time at the college including staying up late to study or worrying about the results of her exam, as well as participating in sports and the closeness she felt with classmates and coaches when they won big games.

“Anna Maria was not just a school. This was a campus that provided us opportunity for growth. This was a campus that gave us the freedom to express who we are,” Sonia said. “Most importantly, this was a campus that allowed us to develop the powerful, lifelong friendships we cherish and will maintain with us as we continue our journey through life, so thank you all for being my ohana.”

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President Retelle

Anna Maria President Mary Lou Retelle also spoke of the importance of friendships and relationships developed at the college that will be the “foundation” that will carry the students over the years, she said.

She said their time at Anna Maria was meant to “strengthen” their readiness, commitment to serve others and their belief that they can make a difference in the world.

“The journey to the finish line, as in all major life goals, is not always easy,” Retelle said. “Today, you celebrate earning your degree…it is part of your life story and that I hope you are proud of.”

And while the graduates may be saying goodbye to their time as students, Retelle said she expects them all to continue having a relationship with the college in some way.

Two honorary degrees were handed out during the commencement, with a doctor of education being conferred posthumously to Sister Carol Proietti, an alumnus of the college who taught English, journalism and literature at Catholic schools throughout Central Massachusetts.

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Main speaker Peter Caparso

The second honorary degree was a doctor of business administration conferred to commencement speaker Peter James Caparso, a venture capitalist and business executive who spoke of his career and which had “many failures and some great successes.”

Caparso shared four principles with the students that he says he tries to follow including “believe and advocate for yourself, ask the question, treat other people fairly and be present in the moment because you never know when an opportunity is going to present itself to you.”

A graduate of Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Caparso received a degree in economics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and an MBA from Boston College.

His career started in telecommunications with New England Telephone, which would eventually become Verizon, before moving into other fields including e-commerce, technology and investing.

During his speech, Caparso shared with the graduates snapshots of his career and the lessons he learned over time.

One of those stories was from early in his career, when he was working for an e-commerce company that provided software to businesses that allowed customers to pay businesses directly online.

He said that one of the company’s biggest clients was a travel website that began to grow over time. At first, they charged the business high rates, but as it continued to grow the business found better rates with other companies.

Eventually, the business called Caparso into a meeting to fire the company as a client because they didn’t appreciate being taken advantage of as a partner.

That “short-term monetary satisfaction” cost the company that client, teaching Caparso an important lesson, he said, in making sure to “do the right thing,” not take advantage of clients and treat people with respect.

“Your time at Anna Maria has instilled in you a moral compass that compels you to be true to your principles, adhere to your core values, be kind and decent when dealing with others, advocate for others in need, call out injustice,” Caparso said. “And don’t be afraid to rely on your faith when things get challenging.”

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This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'Ohana': Nearly 300 graduate from Anna Maria at DCU Center Monday