{"id":2351,"date":"2022-06-30T00:40:30","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T04:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/?p=2351"},"modified":"2022-07-01T14:22:16","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T18:22:16","slug":"fsc-celebrates-its-101st-commencement-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/2022\/06\/30\/fsc-celebrates-its-101st-commencement-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"FSC Celebrates Its 101st Commencement Ceremony!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"fsc

FSC’s 101st Graduation Ceremony<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h3>\n

If anyone was due for a celebration, it was the Farmingdale State College Class of 2022. After having their academic and personal lives disrupted for two years by the pandemic, a gathering at Farmingdale\u2019s outdoor athletic complex for a \u201cnormal\u201d graduation on May 26th was a triumph in itself.<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here!\u201d proclaimed FSC President Dr. John S. Nader, noting that the class boasted more than 1,000 graduates, a record number. \u201cWe\u2019ve never been prouder of any graduating class.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Adding to the festivities, the Navy\u2019s acrobatic flying team, The Blue Angels, who visited Long Island for the Jones Beach Airshow on May 28th and 29th, made a few passes over the field.<\/h3>\n

Parents and students rejoiced over the return of in-person commencement ceremonies. \u201cWe\u2019re just so happy he can have a normal graduation,\u201d said Demetrious Frascino of Massapequa Park, who was there with his wife, Debbie, to see their son Brandon graduate. \u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful day, we\u2019re very proud,\u201d said Debbie Frascino. \u201cWe\u2019re very excited about his future.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Graduation was especially meaningful for the Gayle family of West Babylon, whose daughter Jasmine received a degree in Criminal Justice\/Law Enforcement Technology. Jasmine was a premature baby, her mother Natalie said, and needed support services growing up. \u201cWe are just so proud,\u201d Natalie Gayle said. \u201cShe has exceeded expectations. She was able to persist and make this happen.\u201d<\/h3>\n
\"20220630

Graduates from Spring 2022 Commencement Showing Their Pride<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Multiple speakers praised the students\u2019 resilience and flexibility during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic and how they kept going despite the many obstacles.<\/h3>\n

\u201cLiving in extraordinary times might make it seem like much has changed\u201d, Nader said. \u201cThere remains one overriding constant: the students whom we honor this week are\u2014individually and collectively– extraordinary people,\u201d he continued. \u201cAs an institution, we have never been prouder. Perhaps no group of students has ever displayed such persistence and perseverance on the path to their degrees.\u201d<\/h3>\n
\"20220630

President Nader Speaking at the Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Director of Alumni Engagement and Stewardship Michelle Johnson welcomed the newest FSC alumni and said adversity made their accomplishments even sweeter. \u201cWe are truly honored to be here today to celebrate this monumental achievement with all of you, and we couldn\u2019t be prouder of the way you all pulled together during these challenging times,\u201d Johnson said.<\/h3>\n

The Class of 2022 should be entitled to put front-and-center on their resumes, \u201cI made it through 2020. Enough said,\u201d joked commencement keynote speaker Rushi Kota, FSC \u201809, an actor who has appeared on TV shows including\u00a0Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em>,\u00a0Ordinary Joe<\/em>, and\u00a0Never Have I Ever<\/em>\u00a0on Netflix.<\/h3>\n
\"FTxFvouXoAgox5c\"

Rushi Kota at the Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Kota came to FSC to study Automotive Engineering, but his interests changed. A family financial crisis pushed him out of his comfort zone, he said, forcing him to become more self-sufficient and innovative to continue his education, and be open to new opportunities.<\/h3>\n

Farmingdale provided him with a formative moment when he was a resident advisor. Nineteen Chinese international students that were affected by massive earthquakes that devastated their homes in the Sichuan province of China were calling Farmingdale home. \u201cI had the honor and privilege of being their student body liaison through the resident assistant program,\u201d Kota said. \u201cI learned about the tragedy they went through and how they overcame those odds to not give up and still found ways to make something of themselves. The resilience of their drive had an effect on me.\u201d<\/h3>\n

With no job prospects after graduation, Kota turned to a modeling agent who had given him a card two years earlier, and landed a small part in a far-off-Broadway play. A talent agent spotted him and encouraged him to take acting lessons. He completed an MFA in Acting from Harvard University, but even with that, it took him more than four years to get his first big part.<\/h3>\n

While it took a crisis to help him set goals, everyone has that capability, Kota said. \u201cYou don\u2019t need some sort of major event to happen to you, in your life, to find your way,\u201d he said. \u201cThat ambition is in all of us and you should be fearless to go after what you really, really want.<\/h3>\n

\u201c\u2026It\u2019s okay to be lost and not know all the answers,\u201d he continued. \u201cBecause when you get lost, you start asking the right questions and that\u2019s when you start finding your path forward.\u201d<\/h3>\n
\"20220630

Graduates from the Alumni Commencement Ceremony<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Remember that a disappointment could turn into an opportunity, valedictorian Thomas L. Febbraro of East Islip, a Mechanical Engineering Technology major, counseled his classmates. He ascribes to the idea that everything happens for a reason. Febbraro nearly dropped out of Farmingdale the last semester to take a job he had wanted for two years. As he was about to start training in April, the offer was rescinded.<\/h3>\n

When he got the news about the job, his mother told him not to worry, apparently it was not meant to be. The next week, he learned he was a candidate for valedictorian, and a month later, that he would indeed receive that honor.<\/h3>\n

\u201cIf I got that job, I would not be standing up here today,\u201d Febbraro said. \u201cWhat I want you all to take from this is that even though things may seem bad in the moment, everything happens for a reason. The reason may not be immediately clear, but it is all preparation for what’s to come.\u201d<\/h3>\n

In the moments after graduation, the atmosphere radiated positivity, as students were embraced and photographed by family and friends.<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very special day, and all the hard work paid off,\u201d said Travis Angus of North Amityville, who received a degree in Sports Management. \u201cAnd all my people are here.\u201d\u00a0 Angus said he plans to get a master\u2019s degree in Sports Administration.<\/h3>\n

Surrounded by joyful family members, Starr Raymond of Bay Shore, wearing a first-generation stole, said now that she has earned a degree in Science\/Technology & Society, she plans to enter an accelerated program to get her bachelor\u2019s in nursing. The diversity of the student body and the helpfulness of the advisors make Farmingdale special, she added.<\/h3>\n

Samantha Broda of North Babylon, who received a degree in computer programming and information systems, said she was a bit relieved to be done and expects to get a master\u2019s degree in computer science.<\/h3>\n

\u201cShe is self-motivated,\u201d her father, Steven Broda, said. \u201cShe is the first one in the family to graduate from college.\u201d Vanessa Broda added that her daughter was born when she was very young. \u201cI\u2019m just so proud of her,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything I sacrificed for her, she has made up for.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Members of the classes of Spring and Winter 2020 and 2021 also got their recognition and a chance to celebrate at a commencement held on May 25th in the Nold Athletic Complex. Commencement was cancelled those years due to the pandemic.<\/h3>\n
\"20220701

Graduate from Alumni Commencement Ceremony<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Nearly 400 alumni returned to campus for the ceremony. \u201cAlthough untraditional in the sense that we congratulated four classes of graduates all in one evening, it was a much-anticipated celebration that our alumni and their loved ones deserved and enjoyed,\u201d said Michelle Johnson, the Director of Alumni Engagement and Stewardship. \u201cWe welcomed our pandemic grads into the Farmingdale alumni family with all of the pomp and circumstance that they would normally receive.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Graduates were invited to an after party at the Hilton Long Island Huntington.<\/h3>\n

\u201cThank you so much for all of your dedication to this; it was a fantastic ceremony and I couldn\u2019t be happier\u00a0to have been a part of it,\u201d alumnus Paul Conroy wrote in a message to the alumni office. \u201cI will be sure to be in touch with the alumni association now and in the years ahead. Thanks again!\u201d<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out the pictures from the Spring 2022 Commencement<\/strong><\/h3>\n

using the link below:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Commencement Photo Album<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out the pictures from the Alumni Commencement<\/strong><\/h3>\n

using the link below:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alumni Commencement Photo Album<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read through the official 101st Commencement Booklet:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

https:\/\/www.farmingdale.edu\/commencement\/pdf\/commencement-program-spring-2022.pdf<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thanks for reading! Please ch<\/strong>eck out the information below and have a great day! Feel free to reach out to us at dalenewsfsc@gmail.com<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Dale

DN Online Publication: June 2022<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"20210728<\/a>

Believe in The DN<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

“In Passion We Trust.”<\/strong><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If anyone was due for a celebration, it was the Farmingdale State College Class of 2022. After having their academic and personal lives disrupted for two years by the pandemic, a gathering at Farmingdale\u2019s outdoor athletic complex for a \u201cnormal\u201d graduation on May 26th was a triumph in itself. \u201cWe\u2019re here!\u201d proclaimed FSC President Dr. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":2352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,28,20],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2351"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2368,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351\/revisions\/2368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.farmingdale.edu\/sites\/the-dale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}