PAXTON—With a message of courage, service, and purpose, Anna Maria College celebrated its 76th Commencement on Monday, May 12, at the DCU Center, conferring degrees on 355 graduates and honoring retiring President Mary Lou Retelle in her final commencement ceremony.
Faculty members “clapped in” the graduates to open the event before President Retelle welcomed the Class of 2025 with reflections on their journey and the road ahead.
“You are the authors of the next chapter in the American story of opportunity,” Retelle said in her address, according to the college’s official announcement. “Embrace your potential. Serve with empathy. And never forget that success is measured by the lives you touch and the hope you generate.”
Retelle, who has led the college since 2015, also received a Doctor of Humane Letters during the ceremony in recognition of her service and leadership.
The college awarded a second honorary degree to Kelsa Zereski, President of the Reliant Foundation, who received a Doctor of Public Administration and delivered the commencement address titled Community and Courage on the Unclear Road Ahead.
“The world doesn’t need perfect people,” Zereski told graduates. “It needs courageous, compassionate, hopeful people. It needs you.”
Student-athlete and psychology major Carly Drew represented the graduating class in a student address, sharing how she found strength and growth outside her comfort zone. “Great things never come from comfort zones,” she said.
Three students were honored with special awards during the ceremony:
- Caterina Krusas received the Bishop Timothy J. Harrington Award for compassionate service in promoting peace and justice.
- Mensur Bacaliu, the first graduate of Anna Maria’s Forensic Science Program, was honored with the Sr. Yvette Bellerose Award for embodying the college’s mission.
- Carly Drew received the Dr. Bernadette Madore Award for Academic Excellence.
The ceremony concluded with the moving of the tassels and a benediction by the Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester. As graduates exited the DCU Center, they did so not only with degrees, but with the mission and values that Retelle called “lived experiences woven into every aspect of your education.”
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