June 11, 2024 Submitted by Quincy College
A total of 319 students – including five from Hingham – were awarded diplomas or program certificates at Quincy College’s 66th Commencement exercises at the Marriott Boston Quincy Hotel on May 17.
Katherine Craven, chair of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and a member of the College’s Board of Governors, delivered the Commencement address and told graduates that the day was “a testament to your character, achievements, grit, and resilience in pursuing an education that matters. Today’s celebration of your accomplishments, as aided by the nurturing environment fostered by our faculty and staff, can all be boiled down to one single common thread: every one of you made a positive choice by coming here and sacrificed much to be sitting here today, which will better your future and that of your loved ones.”
Craven was joined on stage by Mayor Thomas Koch, Quincy College President Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Servet Yatin, Board of Governors Chair Gregory Hanley, and Vanessa Medina of Hingham, who represented the Class of 2024 as its student speaker.
In his remarks to the graduates, Dr. DeCristofaro encouraged them “to be proud of your discipline, your efforts and your accomplishments. As this journey concludes, you will be introduced to new opportunities with unlimited possibilities. Go forward with confidence. “Dr. Yatin offered graduates praise for “having many qualities that set you apart from others: ambition, bravery and persistence, to name a few. Whatever came your way, you persevered. You forged ahead because you had a vision and, with your eyes fixed on your goal, you made it!”
Medina, who received her Associate of Science degree in Business, spoke to her classmates of seeing “flashes of a tapestry we wove together from memories that are forever etched in my mind. Each thread represents a moment of our journey that has led us to graduation and, although each little piece appears disparate and unique, they all contribute to the larger tapestry of our lives. Although no two threads are the same,” she said, “we are intertwined by our shared experience at Quincy College.”
Born into a military family, Medina lived in six states prior to moving to Massachusetts and enrolling in Quincy College in 2022. She combined her formal educational pursuits with her love for crocheting by launching her own retail business making and selling plush animals and by starting an on-campus crocheting club. She served as president of the college's drama club and has been a featured performer in a number of community theatre productions, and also successfully completed multiple work-study assignments in departments throughout the college while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and membership in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She plans to pursue a Bachelor’s degree at Pace University in the fall. In addition to Medina, graduates from Hingham were Elizabeth Goldrick, Veronica Gratta, Vinci Nguyen and Michael Pace.
Of the 319 graduates, 221 were awarded Associate’s degrees, 85 were awarded program certificates, and 13 were awarded Bachelor’s degrees. The Bachelor’s degree recipients in Business Management are the second cohort to have completed that four-year course of study, which was introduced in 2021. The College’s Bachelor’s degree programs in Computer Science and Psychology – introduced in 2022 and 2023, respectively – are expected to graduate their first student cohorts in 2025.
The most popular majors among the 2024 graduating class were Nursing, Business Management, and Biotechnology & Good Manufacturing Practice. The graduating class includes residents of communities throughout Massachusetts as well as five other states (Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas). The diversity among this year’s Quincy College graduating class is noteworthy, as more than half (55.8%) are students of color.