June 18, 2022
kept the promise
Two years after Dr. Dennis DePero took an oath at an online graduation ceremony caused by the pandemic that the 2020 St. Bonaventure University class would one day celebrate its debut on campus, nearly 120 class members took their personal lives on Saturday morning. Tassels flipped. Reilly Center Arena.
“This weekend is a fulfillment of what Dr. DiPero promised to you,” said Alice Miller Nation, director of the university’s Franciscan Center for Social Concern and the keynote speaker chosen by the students in the Class of 2020.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he wanted to be with you this weekend. And my faith tells me that he’s really present with us today, in a way that we sometimes only get a glimpse of.” can do.
President DePero died of COVID-19 complications on March 1, 2021, just three weeks after he was sent home for the Class of 2020 to finish his academic career online at the start of the pandemic.
“Your class learned the hard way that life isn’t always fair,” said Miller Nation. “Do you remember March of 2020 when we really believed we had to flatten the curve for a few weeks? We have learned a lot in the last two years. And somehow, somehow – you’ve got to know how to move on, how to keep going and how to live the dreams that are being created in your heart. ,
Dubbed as Graduation 2020 – a hybrid weekend of graduation and reunion – students were also able to attend the traditional baccalaureate mass and candlelight ceremony on Friday, welcoming them to the university’s National Alumni Association. A picnic was organized for the graduate students on Saturday afternoon and the alumni office treated them to Saturday night events at The Other Place and Burton.
Dana Porzio, a summa cum laude education major who is now a kindergarten teacher, was selected as student speaker two years ago, before the pandemic struck and to follow through on her commitment to addressing her classmates on campus I returned. She returned with a perspective sized daily according to her place in the classroom.
Porzio said, “My challenge to you, as we move forward in our lives, is to never lose sight of our inner 5-year-old.” “Find something you love and share it with everyone you know. Effortlessly tell the people in your life that you love them, because I promise, it will make their day. … Get fascinated by science and remind yourself that taking breaks is a good thing. But most importantly, never stop learning.”
The ceremony was the final event for Dr. Joe Zimmer in his role as Acting President of the University. In his remarks, Dr. Michael Hill, President of the Chautauqua Institution and outgoing Secretary of the University’s Board of Trustees, thanked Zimmer for his selfless service and maintaining the university’s momentum during one of the most challenging periods in the school’s history.
Dr. Jeff Gingerich 22 of SBU. began his role asRa President on Tuesday. Zimmer will return to his previous position as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
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About University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, Saint Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring them to a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the #5 Regional University Value of the North in the 2022 College Ranking edition of U.S. News & World Report.
