2021
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SATURDAY, MAY EIGHTH | ERIE INSURANCE ARENA | ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA
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2021
COMMENCEMENT Graduates and members of the audience are asked to remain in their seats throughout the ceremony so that they do not interfere with the special moments of others. During the ceremony, please turn off all cell phones and mobile devices. Thank you.
COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM Dais Party
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1. Keith Taylor, Ph.D. President
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5. Rev. Michael T. Kesicki ’83 University Chaplain and Associate Vice President for Mission and Ministry
2. The Most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L. Bishop, Diocese of Erie Chairperson, Board of Trustees
6. Matthew Schlessman President, Student Government Association
3. Harry Hairston ’77 Honorary Degree Recipient and Speaker Retired Senior Investigative Reporter, NBC10 Philadelphia 4. Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Student Experience
7. David B. Barker, Ph.D. President, Faculty Senate 8. Karinna M. Vernaza, Ph.D. Dean, College of Engineering and Business 9. Lori D. Lindley, Ph.D. Dean, College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences 10. Sarah J. Ewing, Ph.D. Dean, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences
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Order of Exercises Processional* “Pomp and Circumstance: March No. 1” Sir Edward Elgar Posting of the Colors of the United States and Gannon University* Gannon University’s Army ROTC National Anthem* “The Star-Spangled Banner” By: Francis Scott Key Call to Commencement Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Student Experience Invocation* Rev. Michael T. Kesicki, University Chaplain and Associate Vice President for Mission and Ministry Welcome Keith Taylor, Ph.D., President
Presentation of Degree Candidates Karinna M. Vernaza, Ph.D., Dean College of Engineering and Business Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Lori D. Lindley, Ph.D., Dean College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences Associate of Arts Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science Conferral of Degrees Keith Taylor, Ph.D., President Conferral of Distinguished Student Awards Keith Taylor, Ph.D., President Archbishop John Mark Gannon Award Gannon University Medal of Honor Prayer of Sending Forth The Most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L., Bishop, Diocese of Erie
Musical Interlude “Our Time” from the musical Merrily We Roll Along Music and Lyrics by: Stephen Soundheim Performed By: Seamus A. Clerkin ’21 Brevin S. Flowers ’21 Camryn E. Grey ’21 Nico A. Lombardo ’21 Rebecca A. Ropelewski ’21 Petra N. Shearer ’21 Introduction of Commencement Speaker Keith Taylor, Ph.D., President Commencement Address Harry Hairston ’77 Honorary Degree Recipient and Speaker Retired Senior Investigative Reporter, NBC10 Philadelphia
All who are able are asked to stand.
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Prayer of Sending Forth The Bishop: God, our Heavenly Father, we praise you for creating us in your image and likeness. In your generous Providence, you allow Gannon University to be a community where this great truth of human dignity is proclaimed, learned and lived. You wish Gannon to be a place where our students can seek and find you. With grateful hearts, we thank you for sustaining our graduates with your love and your truth. All respond: Amen The Bishop: Lord Jesus Christ, by your death and resurrection you redeemed a fallen human family. Be with our graduates as they continue to discern what is right and good and true in the midst of the confusion and tensions in our world. Help us to build a culture where each human life, no matter how vulnerable, may be respected and protected from degradation and violence. Lord, be our way, our truth and our life.
Faculty, Staff, Parents recite together: Lord God, You accompany us at each moment of our journey through life. Continue to guide our graduates in the paths they have chosen. May your truth purify their values. May your wisdom enlighten their decisions. May your goodness be the foundation of their relationships. May your love be the consolation of their souls. Be at their side in difficulty. Prompt their generosity in prosperity. Deepen their humility in success. All respond: Amen The Bishop: May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All respond: Amen
All respond: Amen The Bishop: Come, Holy Spirit, bestow upon our graduates soundness of mind and holiness of life. With the aid of your spiritual gifts, prompt them to integrate their faith into their lifestyles, their work, and their relationships. Help them to value the service of others over selfish gain. Come, O Spirit, enkindle in them the fire of your love. All respond: Amen
Academic Regalia in American Universities In 1895, the Intercollegiate Commission presented to American institutions of higher learning the Intercollegiate Code. Today, this code provides for three types of gowns. Those for bachelors are made of black material and have long, pointed sleeves. The master’s gown is made with an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist. The rear part of its oblong shape is a square cut and the front part has an arc cutaway. The doctor’s gown is made with bell-shaped sleeves and like the master’s gown, it is designed so that it can be worn open or closed. The black oxford cap is worn for all degrees, but only the doctor’s cap may be made of velvet. Only doctors and presidents of colleges may wear a gold tassel on the cap.
It is the hood which is the most important and distinctive feature of the American code.
Arts, Letters, Humanities - White
The doctor’s hood, of black cloth, is four feet in length and made with a wide panel. The master’s and bachelor’s hoods are three-and-one-half feet long and three feet wide.
Engineering - Orange
The binding or trim of all hoods is of velvet, two, three and five inches wide for the bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degrees, respectively.
Nursing - Apricot
The color of this velvet trim indicates the department or faculty to which the degree pertains, each department having been assigned a different color by the Intercollegiate Code. The lining of the hood reflects the official colors of the college/university.
GANNON UNIVERSITY | COMMENCEMENT 2021
Business - Drab Education - Light Blue Health Sciences - Sage Law - Purple Medical Sciences - Green Philosophy - Royal Public Administration - Peacock Public Health - Salmon Science - Gold Social Work - Citron Theology - Red
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COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER Harry Hairston ’77 Harry Hairston earned his bachelor’s degree from Gannon College in 1977. He recently retired as senior investigative reporter for NBC10 Philadelphia, where he worked for 17 years. Hairston received several Mid-Atlantic Emmy® awards during his career with NBC10. In 2015, he was the first in the nation to report aggravated indecent sexual assault charges filed against actor and comedian Bill Cosby. Hairston’s reporting also heavily influenced and helped strengthen New Jersey’s anti-swatting laws. In 2013, he was recognized for an investigative series that uncovered candy drop box scammers, which led to their arrest and conviction. His work also led to stronger accountability processes within City Hall after he exposed how Philadelphia officials could not account for $21 million in missing items purchased with taxpayers’ money. In 2012, Hairston received a Mid-Atlantic Emmy for his exclusive jailhouse interview with Rabbi Fred Neulander, who was serving time inside New Jersey’s maximum-security state prison for the 1994 murder of his wife. Hairston received another Emmy in 2012 for his exclusive report on a New Jersey schoolteacher who bullied a special needs student in class, garnering national and international attention. In 2011, Hairston was named “Journalist of the Year” by the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. Hairston’s passion has been to be the voice for those who feel they aren’t being heard. Through his work with NBC10 Responds, he helped viewers with consumer issues gain back more than $1 million. Hairston is a native of Pittsburgh. He participates in many community causes around heart disease, cancer research, mental health research and education, diversity and community improvement. Hairston also supports the dedication of first responders. His hobbies include golfing, playing tennis and riding motorcycles.
Harry Hairston Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa
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CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES Undergraduate Studies COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND BUSINESS Bachelor of Science Aram Emad Alsihli Arnon Ashkenazi Mohammed Mansour Ashmouni Julia Susannah Baumgarner Connor Hamilton Byers Second Lieutenant Cristian Cicchinelli Kaden Andrew Conley Minh Cuong Do Tyler Emick Evan M. Fisler Justin Edward Groshek Brett Aaron Hammond
Joo In Han Albaraa Khalid Hawalah Justo Mieklo Hernandez Alexa Nicole Howard Chidera L. Idabor Aaron Koch Mary Teresa Kutschke James Manzer Alyssa Marie Monohon Travis Newcamp Emily Poach Brandon Michael Richardson
Joseph Samuel Rubaker Daniel Joseph Schell Emily Elizabeth Schweitzer Maxwell L. Servick Siman Shrivastwa Jordan James Smith Gabriel Alberto Simon Sosa Simontae R. Taylor Kassianne Joy Tofani Wesley Wohlford Asyah Mohammed Ziyadi
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Leticia Al Taie Abdullah Warad Alanazi Ahmed Alawami Dhuha Obiad Aldhafeeri Kaye Andrea P. Algarme Hussain Aljaroudi Hussain Ali Alrashed Alan Andrezeski David Ariza S Moises Velasquez Ayala Sydney Alicia Bennett Jonathen Bugdon Daniel Burkhart Timothy Caulfield Joseph Guy Deemer Kennedy DeMatteis Kristina DeMatteis Vladimir J. Diaz Adam Scott Ebach Zena Ellamei
Franklin Castro Espinoza Benjamin Patrick Fuhrman Roxanne A. Garceau Klajdi Gjura Michael E. Gorman James Hanchett Laurel Claire Harris Michael S. Hughes Ryan Kalbfus Taro Kashiwabara Dominic Knowles Tobias Yannick Koppmann Celia Pauline Kottakis Haavard Sandland Kristensen Aidan John Lovejoy Patrick Ludwig Mark Allen Majewski II Michael Paul Marsico Jorge Ignacio Mejía Nathan D. Mensch
Jacob William Mertz Michael Edward Mozdzen Katherine E. Mraz David Nies Jr. Jesse Ntihemuka Nkusi Braden M. Olsen Kyle James Peck Alexander Pepke Lucas Petzold Justin Ritter Alex John Schroeck Philip F. Selker Javan L. Shouey Benard A. Verrico Brandon Weber Zachary B. Werstler Brandon Wetherholt Molly Kathleen Whaley
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Saeed Alqahtani Abdullah Abdulaziz M. Alshaie
Michael Eckels Keefer David Gregoire
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Brandon L. Aller Noah Salvatore Cardella Kenleigh Rosalind Dickinson Kasra Ghahremani Anamol Koirala David Kuhar
Joel D. Leise Evan William Mangan Joseph Samuel Rubaker Emily Elizabeth Schweitzer Arvin Sharifbaev Gabriel Alberto Simon Sosa
Harley L. Stoughton Griffin Virgil Joshua Wolf Karim Yousef Bryan Zehe Anna Lynne Zito
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COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Associate of Arts Brittany Blanton
Bachelor of Arts Mohammed Abdulrazaq Alkhalifah Rafeef Abdullah Alshammari Iacovos Antoniou Leah Marie Applebee Nicholas Scott Babay Jr. Aram Babitski Ethan F. Bennett Alexander L. Billingsley Nathan A. Bly Emily Rose Bogle Kyle T. Breitfelder Madison Amber Carson Mr. Kyle P. Carter Hannah Clark Seamus Clerkin Joshua A. Coleman Keirsten Ashley Collier Jimar Cunningham Nicolina Marie Cuzzola Tara Marina Czarnecki Alexis Dean Kayla Nicole DePalma Marcel Miruka-Owuer Churchill Deya Kentana Duck Brian Elias Jr. Taylor Dawnyale Euell Brandon Felkins Chloe Forbes Cierra Fosco
Nicolis Alexander Franz Nicholas Scott Frisina Katie Gimber Taylor K. Gushie Ian Laurence Headley Blake M. Heffernan Justin Johnson Keosha N. Johnson Kabila Kabarole Danielle Louise Kowalski Beth A. Kropf Lyndsey Marie Lakatos Leigha Lockhart Mary Iromo Lohitai Nico Lombardo Nathan N. Maciak Alaina Jean McKenna Lillian McKinley Konner Means Colin Robert Miller Lauren Elizabeth Miller Jennifer Moran Armend Morina Samantha A. Muto Freddie Nixon Fatuma A. Nuhow Christine Nutter Drew Odom Antonette Paterniti
Naomi Hawai Ilani Peltier Kara Anne Purpura Giovonna Rogers Rebecca Ropelewski Michael Christopher Scanga Gita Kaushal Sharma Petra Nicole Shearer Laura Kaitlin Cynthia Small Marcus Kiley Smith Jr. Arlette Somda Anthony James Squeglia Kaitlyn A. Stocker Stephen Syrotiak Ryley Evan Tarasi Michael Tertsea Paribhu Drew Thapa Abigail C. Urbanski Sinde A. Reyes Urbieta Meghan Lynn Van Essendelft Sarah Rose Vicary Zachary M. Waggoner Sydnie Rose Whitaker Hannah Wieczorek Nathan David Winkler Erin M. Wise Emma Kate Wright Cora R. Yenges
Jocelyn Caldaroni Kayla Nicole DePalma Alexa Margaret Evanoff Eden Keith Mya Aggie Konieczny
Gabriella Montagna Daniel Rathburn Rebecca Ropelewski Caitlin Alexandra Shaner
Bachelor of Science Ghader Al-Asady Hope Elizabeth Babinger Taylor Bennett Serena Bishop Melissa M. Bronder
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ACADEMIC AWARDS Undergraduate Studies For Excellence in... Accounting Franklin Castro Espinoza
Freshwater and Marine Biology Gabriella C. Goodwill
Psychology, Bachelor of Arts Christopher M. Freeman
Advertising Communication Kayla Nicole DePalma
Healthcare Management Molly Kathleen Whaley
Psychology, Bachelor of Science Melissa M. Bronder
Biochemistry Rachel Stubler
History Kara Anne Purpura
Public Health Emma L. Oas
Biology Ryan C. Young
Industrial Engineering Connor Hamilton Byers
Radiologic Sciences Alli Lyn Jacobs
Biomedical Engineering Kassianne Joy Tofani
Information Systems Travis Newcamp
Respiratory Care Moussa Hassan Alshardi
Business Administration Phillip Andrew Vargo II
International Management Haavard Sandland Kristensen
Risk Management Mark Allen Majewski II
Chemistry Madison Harrier
Journalism Communication Chloe Forbes
Software Engineering Chidera L. Idabor
Computer Science Joo In Han
Legal Studies Katie Gimber
Social Studies Bennett Wesley McCoy
Criminal Justice Alaina Jean McKenna
Management Celia Pauline Kottakis
Social Work Justin Johnson
Digital Media Nicolis Alexander Franz
Marketing Bryan J. Carlson
Special Education Pre-K-8 Mallory Lynn Sarkis
Early Childhood Education Pre-K-4 Gabriella Montagna
Mathematics Ryan Cedzo
Sport and Exercise Science Silvija Marija Taraska
Economics Timothy Caulfield
Mechanical Engineering Kenleigh Rosalind Dickinson
Sport Management and Marketing Alexander Pepke
Electrical and Computer Engineering Michael Eckels
Medical Laboratory Science Kylee S. Schaumleffel
Supply Chain Management Rimah Obaid Aldhafeeri
English Nathan A. Bly
Mortuary Science Mya Aggie Konieczny
Theatre Communications Seamus Clerkin
Entrepreneurship Laurel Claire Harris
Nursing Grace Lorraine Nasso
Theatre Design & Technologies Nico Lombardo
Environmental Engineering Emily Poach
Nutrition and Human Performance Maria Catherine Lohmann
Theatre Performance for Media & Stage Petra Nicole Shearer
Environmental Science Daniel T. Kaufmann
Occupational Therapy Maria Lynette Wojtila
Finance Joseph Guy Deemer
Physician Assistant Dynara Mirone
Foreign Language Nicolina Marie Cuzzola
Political Science Heather Ann Zelcs
Theology Justin Johnson
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Service Awards Doc Beyer Service Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship and Athletics Samantha Faye Gaffney Jordan James Smith
Joe Luckey Award for Dedication to the University Sarah Ann Steeb Martha Noyes/Sandra Mead Leadership Award Paige M. Wolf
Inspiration for the Next Generation Leadership Award Franklin Castro Espinoza
Monsignor Wilfrid J. Nash Service Award Melissa M. Bronder Justin Johnson Reverend Charles Drexler Award for Outstanding Leadership in Faith, Worship, Community and Service Aaron Stephen Brown Sarah N. Fiorello
Distinguished Student Awards The Archbishop John Mark Gannon Award For General Scholastic Excellence Ryan Cedzo Nicolina Marie Cuzzola
Beth A. Kropf Jordan James Smith
The Gannon University Medal of Honor For Character, Leadership and Scholarship To be announced at Commencement Ceremony
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GANNON UNIVERSITY | COMMENCEMENT 2021
Kassianne Joy Tofani
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Honors Program Graduates Honors Scholar These students have fulfilled the requirements for recognition as Honors Scholars: eight honors courses, two semesters of a foreign language, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25, and significant participation in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. Nicole Ashley Baker Ethan F. Bennett Taylor Bennett Alexis Grace Brown Hollen Davinsizer Julia Lauren Dixson Franklin Castro Espinoza Alicia Christine Fenton Sarah N. Fiorello MacKenzie Fitzgerald Gretchen Ann Gasmire Cecilia J. Izydorczak
Mary Teresa Kutschke Hayley Ann Latvala Alaina Jean McKenna Cassandra McKernan Rachel Anne McKernan Molly Nicole McNutt Dynara Mirone Evan Thomas Moore Meredith L. Morse Gabriela Cristina Palombo Kyle James Peck Kara Anne Purpura
Rachel Kathryn Ross Joseph Elie Shamatta Petra Nicole Shearer Hannah Claire Spiess Rachel Stubler Kassianne Joy Tofani Margaret Waters Hailey Wehner Alena Rose Wisniewski Ryan C. Young
Associate Honors Scholar These students have fulfilled the requirements for recognition as Associate Honors Scholars: a minimum if six honors courses and no foreign language, or four honors courses and two semesters of a foreign language; a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25; and significant participation in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. Mariam Alkhafaji Melissa M. Bronder Madison Amber Carson Hope Churley Brandon Felkins Sadie E. Frey
Katelyn Ann Gress Jessi Marie Hanhilammi Justin Johnson Beth A. Kropf Lyndsey Marie Lakatos MacKenzie Libengood
Elizabeth Maurer Katherine E. Mraz Natalia S. Mazzitelli Pérez Erin Renwick Emily Elizabeth Schweitzer
ROTC Commissionee The following student was commissioned as officers in the United States Army: Cristian Cicchinelli Corps of Engineers
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GANNON UNIVERSITY MISSION Gannon is a Catholic, Diocesan university dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. Our faculty and staff prepare students to be global citizens through programs grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and professional specializations. Inspired by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, we offer a comprehensive, values-centered learning experience that emphasizes faith, leadership, inclusiveness and social responsibility.
The list of graduates included on the commencement program is not intended to be used as an official indication of graduation. The diploma of the University and the official transcript, signed and sealed by the proper officers, provide authentic testimony to the conferring of a degree.
WWW.GANNON.EDU | 1-800-GANNON-U
