Proudly Purple: College of the Holy Cross holds 177th commencement at DCU Center

WORCESTER - Valentina Maza had 22 family members cheering her on, both in the audience and virtually from her home in Venezuela, when walking across the stage at the DCU Center for the College of the Holy Cross’ 177th graduation commencement.

“It’s a roller coaster of emotions because it’s my dream and my family’s dream,” Maza, who was graduating with honors and a degree in international relations. “It’s also kind of bittersweet since my parents weren’t able to come to graduation.”

Maza was among the hundreds of graduates receiving their degrees Friday morning, reflecting on the journey they took to get there, as well as the path they will forge for themselves afterward.

She said that making it to graduation was the epitome of the American dream and a big deal for her and her family.

“I’ve been telling my parents this is for and because of them,” Maza said. “I don't think a lot of people where I come from get to be in places like this … and the fact that I think, to some extent, I did a good job at Holy Cross is a big deal.”

Like other students this year, Maza and her classmates look at graduation as not only an academic accomplishment but also a sign of the resilience and tenacity they all had to push through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wish the world didn't have to go through any of what we went through due to COVID, but I feel like, in a really challenging and hurtful way, we came out of it stronger,” she said. “The fact that we're here feels like a testament of what our class is capable of.”

Dave Sainte-Luce, another student graduating with honors and an economics degree, felt similarly.

Sainte-Luce said it was challenging, but the fact that he and his classmates were able to push through and persevere was “encouraging” and excited him.

The son of Haitian immigrants, Sainte-Luce said he was also grateful for his parents and God for helping him get to graduation.

“Thinking about my parents who came here more than 20 years ago, and what little they started with, and how my entire family's doing … that’s very exciting,” he said. “I'm going to work at a law firm in Boston, while I continue to think about where I want to go to law school.”

It was difficult to pinpoint how he was feeling about graduating, Sainte-Luce said.

“I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm anxious. I'm happy. I'm sad. There's a lot of emotions, but you know, I look back at the four years and I realize how far I've come,” he said. “I'm kind of just speechless, honestly.”

Time to reflect, reevaluate

The pandemic was a moment of reflection and reevaluation for Nick Lazzaro, who was graduating with a degree in political science.

Lazzaro originally began his undergraduate education at Assumption University, but after thinking about what he wanted to accomplish and the best place to do so, he transferred to Holy Cross.

“Holy Cross gave me what I needed,” Lazzaro said. “I really took hold of my academic success and focused on school and really made it happen.”

Lazzaro, like his classmates, said the pandemic proved challenging, but so did the other responsibilities he took on while attending school.

A member of the Millbury School Committee, Lazzaro also owns a car-detailing business called Nick’s On-Site Detailing, which took up much of his time when he wasn’t in class.

But his business and working full time helped make sure he could pay for his education at Holy Cross, as well as his MBA at Boston College, where he’ll be attending after graduation.

Graduates heard from multiple speakers on Friday, including graduate Emily Mason Bouzan, who gave the valedictory address, and Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, who gave the commencement address.

Bouzan reflected on the last four years at the college, pointing out several moments she was “inspired” by her classmates, including spending time in the community with seniors who recently lost loved ones, supporting an athlete who was performing in a play by “packing a theater” to watch them, and rushing to make their shift at the dining hall early in the morning.

“These things and countless others I haven’t seen or heard about, represent moments when you connected with someone else,” she said. “You may see them as unremarkable, just another part of your routine, but in the realm of the mundane, we find opportunities to listen to each other and understand one another.”

Honorary degrees

Welch also received an honorary degree along with Rosanne Haggerty, president and CEO of Community Solutions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness.

Lazzaro said, as a political science graduate, he was looking forward to hearing from Welch and any wisdom he may have to impart on the graduates.

“I know that he's definitely going to be fighting for college graduates like us, but I am really nervous about the future, especially given the political climate that we have right now,” he said. “I'm excited to hear what he has to say.”

Welch, who graduated from Holy Cross in 1969, gave the graduates “two pieces of unsolicited advice.

The first was to maintain their friendships, and the second was to listen more than they speak.

He also spoke to the graduates about the challenges they had to overcome during the pandemic, commending them for being able to adjust and endure through the experience and still make it to graduation.

He also applauded families for supporting their graduates through the pandemic as well, before reflecting on his career and how Holy Cross supported his ambition during his time there.

Their education, as well as the relationships they formed at Holy Cross, will help them in their careers, Welch said, the same way they helped him.

Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau also gave remarks during the ceremony, reflecting on how not only the graduates but also himself went from meeting as strangers to becoming a community.

“We erase boundaries and borders entrenched in our lives, and seek to build bridges through shared experiences and dialogues,” Rougeau said. “We open doors to destinations not previously known, we draw strength from our unique qualities that bring us closer.”

He encouraged students, as they continue on from Holy Cross, to look past the differences between them and other people, and to instead become leaders who promote and foster inclusivity.

Before walking out to his seat to wait to have his name called with his fellow graduates, Lazzaro had one last piece of advice to future college students:

“When you put in the work earnestly and you want to achieve something, there's nothing you can’t do that you set your mind to. And I think that's really true.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: College of the Holy Cross holds 177th commencement at DCU Center