Sparking success
Mount honors next generation of grads
Overcast skies and a rainy forecast didn’t disrupt the bright atmosphere at the Mount’s 60th annual Commencement Ceremony, which recognized nearly 500 graduates on Saturday, May 20.
Thankfully for the thousands of attendees – including the friends, families, and professors of the graduates – the weather held out until the last student had walked the Commencement stage, holding her degree up for all to see.
The Mount awarded more than 120 master’s degrees and more than 360 bachelor’s degrees. The graduating students hailed from eight states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Psychology Professor Paul Schwartz led the procession to the ceremony on the Dominican Center Field, becoming only the third person in Mount history to bear the college’s ceremonial mace at Commencement. Himself one of the college’s longest serving professors at nearly five decades, Schwartz follows in the footsteps of seminal Mount professors James Finn Cotter and James McEnery.
Dr. Jason N. Adsit, president of the Mount, reminded the graduates that there’s a growing emphasis on artificial intelligence in the modern world. However, this does not negate the need for compassionate and hardworking visionaries.
Photos by Lee Ferris
“Never forget that emotional intelligence, moral intelligence, and spiritual intelligence will always prevail over artificial intelligence,” Dr. Adsit explained. “Carry that with you out there.”
The graduating students then heard from honorary degree recipient and Commencement speaker Tyler Tumminia ’00 MBA ’09, a sports executive and former Commissioner of the Premier Hockey Federation. After her time at the Mount, Tumminia completed MLB Scout School in Arizona in 2011. She is currently a minority owner of the Pittsfield Suns of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.
Tumminia praised the graduates for their ability to overcome unforeseen obstacles while remaining upbeat and focused on their studies.
“You’ve accomplished so much over the past four years and you’re all winners in life,” she said. “Despite facing a pandemic and navigating a polarizing political climate, you’ve demonstrated resilience and determination. You’ve proven that you can overcome difficult challenges. You all have overcome the unthinkable.”
Having been in the Mount graduates’ shoes before, Tumminia discussed the lessons she wished she had known when she graduated from the college.
“Hold on to the passion you’ve discovered here at the Mount and let your ambition guide you in the years to come,” Tumminia said. “Don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams with relentless determination and focus. Keep that spark of inspiration alive and let it be the driving force that propels you to new heights.”
Last but not least
At the very end of the long line of Mount graduates was Nursing major Paige Zaccaro. Hundreds of degree recipients were honored at the ceremony, but Zaccaro didn’t seem to mind being the final name called. She smiled, shook President Adsit’s hand, and walked across the college’s Commencement stage triumphantly. Zaccaro summed up her time at the Mount in one word: “Fabulous!”
Super Mario
He might not be as well-known as Nintendo’s longtime mascot, but graduate Mario Sticca is super nonetheless. A retiree of the U.S. Armed Forces, Sticca earned a bachelor’s degree in History and graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors, among many other accolades.
“I want to do this for me,” he explained. “I always enjoyed history and thought, ‘Let me see what I can do with that.’”
Because Sticca proved to be an excellent student over his time at the college, Mount professors Jeffery Kahana (History) and Lawrence T. Force (Psychology) presented him with an idea: What about becoming a professor?
“They say I really could be teaching,” Sticca explained. “As a result, I’ve started looking into Master’s programs in public history.”
He’s not sure what the future brings, but Sticca likes the idea of coming full circle and teaching History at the Mount one day: “I’d love to keep my mind engaged and help the next generation like that,” he explained.
