May 15, 2010
A
familiar name to St. John’s University’s Class of 2010 graced the
stage for this morning’s Graduation Ceremonies on Staten Island. Pete
Hamill, well known journalist and author, whose book Downtown: My
New York was required reading when these graduates were freshman,
gave today’s Commencement Address.
Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. John’s
University, presided over the ceremonies and conferred an Honorary
Doctor of Letters Degree upon Hamill, who gave an impassioned
speech to the graduates before a crowd of more than 1,200.
Photo Gallery
Queens Commencement Highlights
Sr. Joan Mahoney, C.N.D, Director of Campus Ministry for the Staten
Island campus, was also honored by the University and received the
President’s Medal.
Rev. Harrington, C.M., speaking to the more than 400 graduate and
undergraduate students amid bright sunshine and a cool breeze,
praised them for the completion of their studies and explained the
value of their St. John’s degrees moving forward.
“Only at St. John’s can students receive a Catholic and a
Vincentian education fostering those central values of respect for
one another which you carry with you throughout your lives. Most
significantly, here on the Island, only at St. John’s can you be a
part of a major national University with a strong reputation well
beyond our national boundaries.”
Hamill, a distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University,
novelist, essayist and journalist whose career has endured for more
than 40 years, was thrilled to accept the invitation from the
University to serve as this year’s Commencement Speaker. It was a
special honor that carried with it a large responsibility.
“When I spoke to you four years ago it was part of a ceremonial
welcome and today is a ceremony of gratitude for all that you’ve
accomplished here at St. John’s,” said Hamill. ”Today you possess
the essential tools you will need as you commence the rest of your
lives – the tools of analysis and thought; the tools of
intellectual curiosity; of skepticism and not cynicism; of
intellectual doubt and the need for evidence. These tools will
allow you to see the world as it is and the world as it might
be.”
Beginning in 1960, Hamill’s journalism career and love
affair with New York took stock. Starting as a street reporter, he
has covered wars in Vietnam, Nicaragua, Lebanon and Northern
Ireland, political campaigns, World Series games and championship
fights. He has also authored 22 books and served as former
editor-in-chief of both the New York Post and the New York Daily
News.
Sr. Joan Mahoney, C.N.D. has been instrumental to the growth of the
Vincentian Initiative to Advance Leadership (known by the acronym
VITAL) on the St. John’s Staten Island campus. VITAL is a unique
program designed to develop spiritual values and Vincentian
leadership skills. She has also worked with seniors, helping them
discern how they can influence the world by incorporating the
University's Vincentian mission into their lives.
Highlighting the 90 minute ceremony was the Student
Address given by senior Michele Trizzino (College of Professional
Studies - CPS). Trizzino acknowledged and thanked her 103 year old
great grandmother, Benedetta (Bea) Alessi, in the crowd amid
tears as she closed the formal portion of the ceremony, expressing
her thoughts, so eloquently, as the representative of the Class of
2010.
Among her classmates was Sierra Leone native Sheku Mansaray, 24,
who earned his undergraduate degree in Legal Studies from CPS. His
emotional story of fortitude and desire to earn his degree despite
his disabilities can be read by clicking the link below.
Read
the Sheku Mansaray Story
For more information contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice
President for Media Relations, at St. John’s University by calling
(718) 990- 6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.