Class of 2020
Commencement 2020
The decision to postpone 2020 Commencement did not come lightly. Commencement is an important milestone in your journey. We are committed to finding a way to honor our graduates. With all of the uncertainty that this pandemic has caused, please know that we will find a way to celebrate your success. You have worked hard and have earned your moment to shine.
Please stay tuned for more information about how we will celebrate your graduation. Please note that the distribution of caps and gowns will be postponed until commencement plans are finalized.
Commencement Ceremony
Your graduation is one of the most important milestones in your life. While we can’t be together as originally planned, we have been working hard to find the best way to celebrate your success.
Given the student survey feedback, as well as the continued uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term impact on large-scale events such as our commencement ceremony, we have decided not to delay your celebration too much further and move forward with a virtual commencement ceremony. Students wishing to walk across the stage in person will have the option to attend the 2021 Commencement Ceremony.
In the coming weeks, we will provide the date of the virtual Commencement Ceremony as well as instructions on how students and their families can participate. We will also be distributing caps and gowns prior to the event. Stay tuned for more information.
We hope you can join us for our reimagined commencement ceremony in celebration of the class of 2020 – it will be a wonderful event nonetheless! The event will feature many of the same elements of traditional in-person commencement, including giving a shout out to each and every one of you who rightly earned your credential.
Need more information? Graduates received an email on May 29 with more details. You may also view our commencement frequently asked questions.
Celebrate the Class of 2020
We invite you to share positve messages of congratulations and well wishes to the class of 2020. Here are a few tools that may help.
Sign the Class of 2020 Yearbook
Post a message, photo, or video on the Class of 2020 virtual yearbook.
Click here to sign the yearbook
Profile images
Use one of these profile images on your social media channels.
Honorees
Honorary Degree
Margery Eagan is the co-host of 89.7 WGBH’s midday program Boston Public Radio, featuring smart and engaging conversations with leaders and thinkers shaping the Boston region. Subjects of her thought-provoking commentaries include gender and women's issues, Catholicism and politics.
Margery has strong connections to the South Coast region. She grew up in Fall River and attended BMC Durfee High School before graduating from Stanford University, in Calif., where she earned a bachelor's degree in American studies.
She has written for her hometown newspaper The Herald News, as well as for The Standard-Times, of New Bedford. She has contributed to The Boston Globe, Burlington Vermont Free Press, Boston Magazine and The Boston Herald, where she was a columnist for 27 years. In 2015 and 2016, she earned national awards from the Religion Newswriters Association.
She currently lives in Brookline and has three grown children. She has a perfect attendance record at BMC Durfee High School reunions and two of her closest friends are high school classmates.
Distinguished Citizen
Joseph A. Marshall, Founder and President of J. Marshall Associates
Joseph A. Marshall is the Founder and President of J. Marshall Associates, a Financial Planning Firm in Fall River, and a dedicated member of the community whose contributions are highly regarded.
Upon return from his dedicated service in the United States Air Force, including a tour of duty in Vietnam, Joseph graduated from Bristol Community College in 1978, prior to transferring to the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.
He has held numerous leadership roles at Bristol throughout his devoted service to the college. Most recently, as Chair of the Board of Trustees following his service on the board since 2007 and is the former President of the Bristol Community College Foundation. He is the recipient of Bristol’s 2007 Cornerstone Entrepreneur Award and 2016 Paragon Award. In 2018, the college dedicated the new Joseph A. Marshall Veterans Center, on the Bristol Fall River campus for Mr. Marshall’s tireless advocacy for Bristol and student veterans.
Marshall is also a recognized community servant. He has served on several city boards and community groups, including the Fall River Office of Economic Development, the Board of Assessors, SER-Jobs for Progress, the Prince Henry Society of Fall River and currently serves as the Chair of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Committee. He was recently named the recipient of BMC Durfee High School’s Distinguished Alumnus award, in 2020.
He is a life-long resident of Fall River with his wife Joanne. They have four daughters and eight grandchildren.
Valedictory
Valedictorian
Viviane Goese, Associate in Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences (Humanities Transfer).jpg)
Viviane M. Goese, of Swansea, Class of 2020 Valedictorian, began her journey at Bristol Community College as an English as a Second Language (ESL) adult learner. During her time at Bristol, she gracefully balanced her responsibilities of caring for her family, while pursuing the opportunity she had once not thought possible - to earn a college degree. In addition to her outstanding academic achievements, she has positively contributed to the college community in her service as a tutor and a role model for others.
She credits the support and encouragement of her instructors for her successful transition from the college’s ESL program to college courses and being asked to serve as a tutor. As a tutor for Bristol’s Quest program supporting first-generation, low-income students and/or students with disabilities, she strengthened her own confidence and academic development.
She challenged herself and excelled as a member of Bristol’s Commonwealth Honors Program and was appointed as a Supplemental Instructor in the college’s Dual Enrollment Program, assisting in the education and professional development of high school students, simultaneously earning high school and college credits. She also served Bristol as a tireless volunteer and advocate for the college’s Holocaust and Genocide Center’s initiatives and events.
She was recently accepted at Brown University, in Providence, R.I., in the Resumed Undergraduate Education (RUE) Program, where she aims to pursue the open curriculum offered by the institution. Through its multidisciplinary approach, she aims to achieve her intellectual ambitions while pursuing her goal of becoming an educator.
Salutatorian
Ethan Mort, Associate in Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences (Behavioral and Social Sciences Transfer)
Ethan Mort, of Mattapoisett, Class of 2020 Salutatorian, developed his academic foundation and inspiration while earning his Associate in Liberal Arts at Bristol, before transferring to George Washington University (GWU), in Washington D.C., in Spring 2020.
In addition to his outstanding academic record, Ethan enhanced his experience at Bristol by becoming active in the college community and participating in lecture series. He served as an active member of the college’s Seeds of Sustainability Club, advocating and educating communities toward sustainable lifestyles, as well as the Chief Organizer of the Bristol Climate Day of Active Education. The college-wide event promoted and raised awareness of the issues of climate change and carbon drawdown.
He attributes the support of his hard-working family and the college’s dedicated faculty members to his academic achievements and preparation for success at a four-year institution. He believes that with a Bristol education, you can break barriers and go wherever you want to go.
Ethan is pursuing a major in Political Science and a double minor in History and International Relations at GWU, where he participates on the GWU Parliamentary Debate Team. He plans to pursue a career in the political field in a position he feels can create change.
Student Profiles
The class of 2020 achieved something incredible. Click here to learn more about some of our students.