School of Business Commencement Ceremony 2021
hello everyone and welcome to the mercy college school of business 2021 commencement i am dr lloyd gibson dean of the school of business and it is my pleasure to welcome everyone to our virtual ceremony especially our graduates and their families and friends let me begin by saying congratulations to each one of our graduates you did it you have persevered during an unprecedented time to complete your degree and that is what you should celebrate today this is your moment you have worked hard and overcome obstacles along the way to reach this point in your life's journey and we are all very proud of you one important thing i ask the graduates to remember is that no one gets to this point without some help or support along the way while our ceremony is focused on your achievements i would like to take a moment to acknowledge the people who supported or inspired you and helped make this moment possible i encourage the graduates to reach out to these people and thank them this includes parents grandparents siblings other relatives friends and teachers keep in mind that graduation is just a step although a big step in your journey through life during your life's journey i have two suggestions to share that can make your life happier and more successful first remember to stop and smell the roses along the way this means you should take time out to appreciate the wonder of life too often we rush through our lives without taking some time to appreciate things we have done or experienced so please remember to stop and smell the roses the second suggestion is that you learn to celebrate your victories even the small ones now your graduation is not a small victory you will and will probably include a big celebration but it is one victory out of many you will have during your life celebrate these victories the more you do the more victories you will have and the happier you will be these celebrations can be as simple as treating yourself to an ice cream or a night out or sharing your accomplishment with a friend studies have shown that by taking time to celebrate victories it makes you happier and helps you achieve even more victories so stop and smell the roses and celebrate your victories even the small ones finally remember that you are graduating during a challenging and unprecedented time and you have succeeded i believe with what you have learned during your time at mercy including the obstacles you have overcome during the past year you are well prepared to take on new challenges and to achieve future success i urge you to go out and use your victories to make a positive difference in this ever-changing world congratulations again to the graduating class of 2021 and best wishes for future success and happiness we are proud of you and what you have achieved to this point and we look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments thank you be the change you want to see in this world those distinguished words were spoken by the imminent mahatma gandhi i aspire to live by these words respected elders parents teachers and peers good morning my name is stefan ibram and i am honored to speak on behalf of mercy school of business mercy college has allowed me to pursue my goals and dreams in a safe environment here i have begun to forge lifelong friendships here i felt part of the community that is especially powerful because as an immigrant and like others in my position i have had to manage various aspects of my life both emotionally and financially i was 17 years old when i graduated high school from south africa with a vision to become a cpa and work for one of the pick four companies in the us at that point it seemed like a distant goal but finding my home at mercy college wasn't even in my wildest dreams when i actually did move to a new country it was a challenge to leave friends family and everything i was familiar with to start life anew all i knew about new york was what i had seen in the movies and as i'm sure you will agree real life is nothing like that i toured many colleges when i arrived in new york but i found difficulty connecting it wasn't until i found mercy with its stunning views overlooking the hudson river that i felt settled today as i prepare for graduation i would like to thank mercy college for helping me realize my goals and for being so welcoming the friendships i forged here will last a lifetime when i began my journey at mercy i assumed that i needed an internship to be successful but many programs i applied to did not accept me either because i had no u.s experience or because i was still a freshman in college i started out as a server in a restaurant by the end of my sophomore year i was fortunate enough to get an internship with a big company in new york it was not related to my major but it was a way to expand my knowledge and also gain experience on how the companies in the u.s operate it wasn't until my senior year when i landed an internship with a big four accounting company which will turn into a full-time offer after graduation i will always be grateful to mercy college for providing the platform that allowed me to achieve this goal i would also like to thank my parents grandparents siblings and friends all in love and support and finally i would like to congratulate my fellow 2021 graduates this is your moment enjoy and cherish every second of your amazing accomplishments this journey was not easy it took a lot of sleepless nights perseverance and countless study sessions but in the end you did it this is what we have all been working towards mercy college has taught me that life does not always work out how we plan it none of us were prepared for pandemic but we adapted it reminded us that change is inevitable and we must always make the most of it and continue working to achieve our goals as james baldwin said not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced so i urge the class of 2021 face the changes embrace them you will come more stronger on the other side and remember your dreams are not big enough if they don't scare you thank you and god bless good morning everyone i'm natalie campareri and i'm so honored to be selected as the speaker for the school of business and best of all i can do it at home without needing to picture everyone in the audience in their underwear to calm my nerves congratulations to the class of 2021 a class that faced challenges unlike any class before in the midst of a pandemic and all the shifts to virtual learning you persevered and worked so hard to get to this day today may look a little different but today is still about celebrating your achievements i know personally how heavily i leaned on my family during my time as a student so today belongs to the people who love you and who supported you family friends and all those who stood with you each step of the way and i include the staff and faculty in that i had countless teachers who went above and beyond they understood the challenges of being a working student or a student juggling a full course load with family a year ago i was standing in your shoes looking out on the world of uncertainty wondering how i was going to make a difference and frankly i was still in that stunt what just happened stage where it was difficult to comprehend how each of our lives had totally changed in just a few weeks i found it nearly impossible to imagine what the future looked like and oddly the opportunity to give the speech commencement speech did not enter my mind for a second i'll admit the giving of speech isn't something that i do often but my entire experience at mercy was that about getting out of my comfort zone and stretching boundaries mercy became part of my foundation and that has made all the difference for me and it will for you getting ready for this event today i've been thinking about some of the lessons i learned here i think the most important thing i took away is that success is built on relationships and working effectively with people i also found amazing opportunities at mercy that would have never existed had i not studied here early in my enlistment in the army i learned about a well-respected commander who was numerous ranks above me i would have done anything to sit down with him and pick his brain learning everything i could from him but that was never going to happen he was a busy man and who would like to try to take so much time from him imagine my delight when i was able to take his course at mercy professor commander daniel harris the semester i spent with you was just as impactful on me as those years i served under your command what amazing opportunities were afforded when we attend school like mercy fast forward a year i'm able to apply my training and education to a profitable and successful career path and this changing world around us the uncertainty or where we will be in a year i welcome it and my wish for you is that you welcome it too a changing world requires us to stop and think about the role we're going to play in it we're prompted to rethink strategies and realign our goals and our roles in the fast changing world most likely will change as well but fortunately you have everything you need to do well you have leadership skills that can carry you nearly through any task you have wisdom that will allow you to make informed decisions no matter what a particular day may bring if you don't have the wisdom yet you know where to look for it and you wouldn't be standing here today if you didn't have perseverance and stamina winston churchill one said to improve is to change to perfect is to change often i wish that kind of perfection on each of you welcome change and let it change you often you will be better because of it scratch that you will be perfect because of it thank you congratulations to the class of 2021 and now the president of mercy college tim hall i will now present the honorary degree to michael hayes michael hayes partner at kpmg and leader of the company's stamford connecticut asset management practice you have deep industry knowledge in areas including financial reporting regulatory compliance enterprise wide risk internal controls taxes valuation and governance based on your expertise you're called upon to present your knowledge to help chief financial officers chief operating officers and controllers of alternative investment funds stay abreast of current accounting tax and regulatory issues prior to your work at kpmg you were a partner at pricewaterhousecoopers where you offered audit and business advice to investment funds and endowments for over 20 years with your bachelor's degree in accounting from mercy college in 1992 you became a certified public accountant in new york new jersey and connecticut and as a member of the american institute of certified public accountants and various state cpa societies you continue to hone your expertise on the current issues of your industry your service to your community includes serving on the board of arch care at home in spirica and the foundation center now by virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of new york and by the board of trustees of mercy college i confer upon you michael hayes the degree of doctor of commercial science honoris causa with all rights and privileges thereto appertaining ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce dr michael hayes hello my name is michael hayes and i'm so delighted to spend a few minutes today to address you i want to thank dean gibson and the faculty of the school of business at mercy college for inviting me to address you all today i myself am a graduate of mercy college the class of 1992 where i met my wife my wife now of 25 years i also have a mother who attended mercy college and graduated as a working mom which i'm very proud of and a brother sister and a sister-in-law who all went to mercy college and graduated and are doing very well in their professional lives mercy is deeply personal to me but today is your day i want you to be proud of what you've done i want you to celebrate and i want you to celebrate with those who got you here remember success doesn't happen alone now let's spend a few minutes and talk about today's business world certainly there are a number of matters which you're going to address in the business world that you've certainly talked about in your business classes it may be environmental issues societal issues governance diversity and inclusion which by the way mercy excels at and i'm so proud of mercy college really champing this issue of diversity inclusion since the beginning of time technology is also another area the ever-changing technology issues if you're the kind of person that embraces change if you're the kind of person that doesn't follow the crowd if you're the kind of person that looks at a problem and says this is an opportunity then this is your time now there's an old saying i wish i knew then what i know now well today's your lucky day i'm going to share a few thoughts in my 30 years of business learning and i'm going to use a mnemonic mercy so let's get started m m stands for make a deal make a deal that's fair fair for both parties it has to be fair for both parties and business if you do that you will have long-term success one-sided deals don't benefit long-term relationships and that's what you're about expectations expectations that's the e expect nothing from others when you help them i know that seems counterintuitive but it'll pay dividends and maybe someday they might ask you to address the school of business commencement speech like they have for me help and expect nothing from others r is for relationships r is very important that's an area of my career where i wish earlier on i spent more time understanding the power of relationships and networking build those relationships starting today build them with your classmates stay involved stay in touch it'll help you long term c is for continuous learning many of you this will be the end of your formal college education but be a continuous learner you don't need to be sitting in a class formally be awarded a formal degree to continue to learn things will change stay pace be open-minded listen read these are all important items for you to be a continuous learner and that will pay dividends and then why is the most important piece why is you and you meaning your time that's the most precious commodity that you have use it very well you can ask anybody that's been around for a period of time they will look back and they will say i wish in certain circumstances i could have used my time better you won't be perfect but be cognizant of using your time well and the last thing i would say is be good to mercy mercy has been very good to you i would absolutely focus on continuing to stay in touch with the college it's worked very well for me i would introduce business relationships to help students i would mentor students at mercy college and you'll get a lot out of it so in closing i want to say thank you again and congratulations on this wonderful milestone in your academic careers and i look forward to meeting many of you when we can in alumni activities at mercy college and wish you nothing but the greatest success thank you hi this is professor stan chu congratulations i wish you the best because that's what you deserve congrats to my daughter ashley colon you're officially class of 2021 i am so proud of you of everything that you have accomplished again congratulations i love you so much and reach for the stars love your dad hi this message is for ashley colon and i just want to say congratulations to you on your 2021 graduation i'm so proud of you and i love you very much and sky's the limit kiddo love you bye mercy graduates professor scorpio rogers i'm going to miss you and hopefully you'll miss some of our classes too hopefully you'll miss the glorious battles you'll miss the top hat quizzes and you'll miss the professor rogers rants anyway graduation is one of the 10 most important days of your life cherish it enjoy it pandemic or not live it to the best you can remember these four words from professor rogers communication collaboration critical thinking never stop any of those be well stay safe hello class of 2021 school of business professor robert bond here wishing you all the best of luck for your future endeavors please remember the mark twain quote the most important thing in life is never stop questioning now remember the robert bond quote if you need my help i'm just a zoom away good luck greetings graduates i'm dr zach williams from the graduate business department and i would like to wish you a heartfelt congratulations this year may have been very difficult but mercy college students have always been tenacious in resilient so i imagine that this year has been one more time in your life when you have successfully taken charge of your future and improved your life through active perseverance i wish you success after mercy college and my sincere congratulations thank you and now our graduates from the school of business anna abettino jean-pierre acevedo raymond ajette joseph j aguiar anjali alaimo with distinction michelle ehlers antonio ryan alexander camilla alexander hala almargie ben alston with distinction yasmine alvarado jennifer martinez alves with distinction brilliant amancio mckenna june amer [ __ ] laude zifa amixo summa [ __ ] laude rafael o andeme with distinction christina arselay diego arias summa [ __ ] laude barbara arroyo sandra maria chantel atkins jamilah e attz j heel tristian travis austin miriam aziz with distinction with distinction clara banner with distinction dean barclay luis a baragon [ __ ] laude henry barrera mohammed barry rose elizabeth bartok diane bellantoni salmon [ __ ] laude alexis rose bennick emmanuel bentham maria d bernard jean-marc s bernardine akil k berry sabrina biancanello magna [ __ ] laude robert blackman rebecca and bloxen laude molly h bold john charles bott summa [ __ ] laude kamali k.a bramble justin brandon iris f bresson amber and brown dominic a brown with distinction lehua r brown teva brown samantha monique bryant alicia burgos summa [ __ ] laude joseph burkhart with distinction yvette jessica butler aisha a byfield with distinction lisa s byfield patricia j burns david caye magna [ __ ] laude justin michael camacho natalie campari with distinction carson samuel cambriello tony ann a campbell with distinction odalys cassandra campos rojas with distinction christopher a capuchi with distinction catherine carfley karine carrion andres carmona with distinction anne-marie carr danielle carrington with distinction nicolette carter with distinction selena casablanca rosemary castellanos edward aruben castillo summa [ __ ] laude edgard alfredo castro mary chang chang clara m chavez hernan chechi with distinction chen chen claudia s cherrington with distinction christie m chismaria with distinction rizwanar choudhary danielle clark melissa a clark with distinction michael j cleary magna [ __ ] laude maureen g clements christina isabel cofresi magna [ __ ] laude jeanette coleman summa [ __ ] laude tara coles magna [ __ ] laude keanu collins kristen m collins with distinction lucinda elizabeth collins with distinction abigail cologne ashley l colon kailyn miranda cologne jessica p conklin taylor conklin kevin m cook with distinction demoli a cooper stephen correa sebastian cortinas creamy jasmine k crisp malik shawn crowder marielle crusetta stefania e cruz tatiana s cruz wilbur cruz virus santina a cunningham with distinction michelle jessica dyche magna [ __ ] laude michael d'amico cyan dancer shamika j daniel cassandra e daniels celine dankwa jameer danzi gumlaude cavon d'andre daryl cherise da silva with distinction virginia de guzman ariel dejesus arlen sabrina de leon leonida cursi de leon madeleine delgado with distinction nicole m d piano with distinction amanda t dhanraj dierno abdul diallo amanda s diaz diana m diaz goom laude jerry diaz stephanie diaz fabiana dibiasi lena a dimiteris mochtar diop michael gerard de preda summa [ __ ] laude naisha and doling pride jose r dominguez colon liliana dominguez christelle dorsey with distinction steve w doreles zachary t downey with distinction emily duarte candace elizabeth dunbar with distinction shona nicola duncan anthony duchai magna [ __ ] laude ryan c dwyer safwan ibrahim suma [ __ ] laude georgia ellison hammond anthony ells with distinction thomas m elser magna [ __ ] laude marlene incarnation summa [ __ ] laude alexa joe ernesto summa [ __ ] laude mario a escobar jimmy esperance eubani espinal ortiz summa [ __ ] laude harold espinoza justin estrella tiffany e estrella magna [ __ ] laude faisal magna [ __ ] laude david fajardo with distinction jennifer a fandino michael phebus christine j fagan with distinction katarina felix summa [ __ ] laude nicholas edward fenton jennifer fernandez tracy fernandez crystal fields tara josette figueroa jennifer fitzgerald at cog flores luis a flores summa [ __ ] laude denise fontanes rodriguez renata franco magna [ __ ] laude joseph fresa with distinction elizabeth m fritz with distinction david anthony gabella with distinction deborah gager with distinction myra galarza gary esmelene gallardo joseph d galluzzo kelvin garcia-quiroz with distinction bradley snader garzon amanda r gaskins raheed gathers jacob antonio gauthier christopher a gossain magna [ __ ] laude ryan t gibbons with distinction jada b gibson mccallum with distinction dylan james gochee summa [ __ ] laude indiana gomez victoria iselle gomez [ __ ] laude charlene goncalves magna [ __ ] laude gonzalez with distinction jocelyn i gonzalez with distinction jonathan m gonzalez gary gornall fabrizio m govea summa [ __ ] laude nicholas r granada cynthia granda janisha a grant danielle gray whitney green with distinction itau guan jennifer getty with distinction priscilla guzman stephanie giovanna guzman julia okra holland with distinction yamna huffies magna [ __ ] laude ashley hall carl a hall with distinction ike harding osoji kishana harris yavareth and eth harwood joanne hayes julian heaven arun a hiralau with distinction carl m hino with distinction stephen m heinrich [ __ ] laude allison a hemmons goom laude charles hendrix with distinction steve a herbert vanessa heredia ledesma with distinction andrew r hernandez josty javier hernandez maria hernandez with distinction yuichiro hirayama crystal holder jason hopper michael a hovey aaron hoyt pei jongsha magna [ __ ] laude justin huang sharon hudson [ __ ] laude shelly huggins alec joseph hudder magna [ __ ] laude spencer iosilly angelo joseph iligore michael amundi devin innis mohammed faheem iqbal zuma [ __ ] laude connor irvine para [ __ ] laude jose david izzara janine jackson with distinction wilbert james robert john janelli goom laude rosa lord jean quizari jocelyn elliott johnson portia jones stephanie yvonne jones kiera joseph isatu kaba with distinction daniel kapustan magna [ __ ] laude patrick paul keane kyle kelly ryan kelly with distinction tiffany m kelly javier f kerr muhammad w khan with distinction ashley king [ __ ] laude ryan j kitchen caroline nizewski suzanne koch [ __ ] laude ali akon tassin zerasanco with distinction marsisha krauser erica lano [ __ ] laude christopher a la madrid christopher lamanna magna [ __ ] laude tamara lambert magna [ __ ] laude ashley lamassiere [ __ ] sabrina monique lawson donovan d lee [ __ ] laude huang sikli with distinction latest monique lee mary e libis edwin gooman lindane with distinction vera d linden gabriella m yanos [ __ ] laude john lombardo goom laude christopher lopez dolan lopez [ __ ] laude dominic lopez elsa lopez [ __ ] laude yamil lopez rios with julie lopez with distinction robert laurico summa [ __ ] laude john j lochren with distinction kayla l lucas shayna and liu hanama with distinction jason mack ryan mcfadyen chelsea marie maestri michael magdanal turkissa mays bianca maldonado carl phillip johannes malmgren summa [ __ ] laude anthony mamano with distinction kyle mancuso daniela mara with distinction richard a marcelos matthew c marcus jason patrick marinen summa [ __ ] laude derek marte antoinette martinez brandon j martinez summa [ __ ] laude christopher s martinez erica shakira martinez [ __ ] laude kyra martinez summa [ __ ] laude mariani martinez laura stephen marielas india master with distinction felix r mateo bailey a mccormick genesis m mckenna magna [ __ ] brian laude magna [ __ ] laude sarah a mclennan cameron s mcmurtry alasia c meadows anthony ray medina with distinction katie memetai with distinction randall m mendez peter gay and merrick michael i messenger with distinction maria manchala jory david mertill [ __ ] laude anderson mitchell shantae marie mullison with distinction daniel james montes [ __ ] laude tamika latest montgomery mario andres montoya cindy morales campo verde with distinction stephanie a morita simone morgan warner troy morrison leslie moya christina erica mullings magna [ __ ] laude kevin murray judith mousaye magna [ __ ] laude gisele lorena naranjo michael narduli caroline noir shade nelson with distinction shaniqua l nelson sean robert new magna [ __ ] laude jack a nicholson reshma nazari with distinction riaka lisbet nunez william x nunez jamie daniel o'brien joshua ochoa michael oppoku juliana m oracle with distinction lance james ortiz michelle vanessa ortiz christina apache with distinction ricardo pacheco nicole magna [ __ ] laude junsuk park heli samir kumar patel aziza patterson ed white d paul emily serreta pena [ __ ] laude summa [ __ ] laude jamie peralta brittany s perez julian perez [ __ ] fan louise margaret phillips costoso kierra piccardo michael w pierce with distinction nancy pineda ashley marie pizzano magna [ __ ] laude joshua samuel porter magna [ __ ] laude dorothy posada with distinction christopher thomas powers luis de quinonez [ __ ] laude mariah same concert gabriela francesca ramdas summa [ __ ] laude kevin ramirez stephanie alexandria ramnath carlos ramos walter ramos miguel goncalves ratanshi edgar j ray bouquet lance b reese natalie a reed shannon regan riley [ __ ] laude chi chang wren christian reyes favel raza with distinction brian a rice with distinction sabrina ridor kaylee morgan riggs summa [ __ ] laude marisol rios laura grace written [ __ ] laude jose a rivera kevin e rivera with distinction luis d rivera with distinction amir kawan roberts magna [ __ ] laude amanda robinson antonia robinson brandon robinson kenneth robinson taylor m robinson stephanie rodriguez andrew justin rodriguez danielle marie rodriguez elizabeth rodriguez makoline rodriguez sochita roon with distinction gabriel j roman magna [ __ ] laude gianna nicole ranca julissa rosales kayla a ross [ __ ] laude joshua b rucker edwin luis ruiz miguel h saiteros melissa st rose magna [ __ ] laude elizabeth salinas [ __ ] laude jessica paula salinas simone salkey lorena raquel salmaron escobar magna [ __ ] laude emma a salisbury [ __ ] laude alexa jacqueline sambula arzu ovn l samson christina samuels with distinction alexis marie sanchez [ __ ] laude ashley santoro junaina s santoro summa [ __ ] laude sabrina s sands rohit sasadar jonathan michael scarnati dominic a scorcher natia scott david scuderi jennifer a seda sarah marie simmell kenneth joseph sessa club repulsia robert shala magna daryl disha summa [ __ ] laude hakeem m slough brown [ __ ] laude derek smith eva m smith with distinction rodney smith antonio vincent salon [ __ ] laude so marsa shale magna [ __ ] laude laurie a spinello carolyn stacia magna [ __ ] laude joseph j stan carone rochelle c stanley summa [ __ ] laude alexis dasola dwight mcdermott stevenson magna [ __ ] laude emily k stron with distinction saminas chelsea suero arena sutherland with distinction charnay c sweeney with distinction savannah r siska with distinction wendy takuri elizabetha s tarakanova summa [ __ ] laude ryan c tarantino rosalia tavares yvonne taylor with distinction and terry amy thomas teddy s thomas maureen r thorne kathleen tierney jeremy w dorado sienna m dorado with distinction brandon s tallett with distinction anthony f tominelli summa [ __ ] laude luis torres magna [ __ ] laude tong tran eliza marie urena nardi valeri serena m valerie miriam vargas with distinction jose alfredo vasquez summa [ __ ] laude maria el vales gina vesetia desi carolina via morocco isabella vittiello magna [ __ ] laude egypt velyman williams judith walker sherri lynn walker marcelo walter [ __ ] laude ronnie d waltz magna [ __ ] laude jessica warner xavier warren andre washington james nguyen monica l whiting hogan's jordan williams tiffany wilson cassidy linda wooten patricia wright summa [ __ ] laude siobhan wright edith yambo janatul yesman magna eva yurchison jordy brian zambrano furalda zafai brian h zaghi anna chang summa [ __ ] laude heechuan chang summa [ __ ] laude el nura zar elgasova jenin [ __ ] laude oscar i zuniga ladies and gentlemen i present to you the graduating class of 2020 please join me in congratulating our graduates you
2021-05-21 15:56
