Bristol Community College holds 41st commencement may 31

Approximately 800 graduates are expected to be honored at Bristol Community College’s 41st Commencement Exercises, scheduled for Saturday, May 31, at 11 a.m.

The College will award associate in science, associate in arts, and associate in applied science degrees. It will recognize academic achievement with cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude designations. Certificates of achievement will also be awarded. Dr. John J. Sbrega, president of the College, will preside.

At the ceremony, the College’s Board of Trustees will award its highest honor, the Distinguished Citizen, to New Bedford resident Sister Kathleen Harrington. Sister Harrington, Executive Director of the John E. Boyd Center, is a Sister of Mercy who has championed the cause of early childhood education in southeastern Massachusetts. Her work locally and regionally reinforced the value and importance of the role of early childhood in education development. She is a recognized leader in economic and educational development and served both on the Massachusetts Board of Regents (the statewide governing board for public colleges and universities) and on the Bristol Community College Board of Trustees.

Two retired faculty members will be named Professor Emeritus – Raymond J. Lavertue, Sr., as Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice and Arthur Lothop, Professor Emeritus of English.

Several members of the College community are expected to speak.  Allyson Pereira of Westport, valedictorian of the graduating class, will address the audience. Ms. Periera is a nationally ranked culinarian, earning the silver medal last year at the national SkillsUSA competition in Kansas City, MO. She earned the gold in this year’s state competition and will compete in the national competition next month. Ms. Pereira graduated from Diman Vocational Technical High School and intended to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Finances kept her from going immediately, but the death of her mother made her realize that there was more to life than waiting. She was referred to the College by her high school instructors, and she has distinguished herself both academically and technically in the Culinary Arts program. She received her Culinary Arts degree last year with a concentration in Baking and Pastry Arts and completed an associate in arts in General Studies this year.

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Alan Rolfe will present the Last Lecture. The Last Lecture is delivered by a faculty member chosen by students as one who most affected their education and their lives to give a brief lecture covering what he would say if he only had one more chance to speak to students.

The Commencement ceremony takes place under the tent on the Elsbree Street campus grounds.