Friday, May 19, 2023
WAGNER COLLEGE GRADUATES 684 STUDENTS
by PRIYA SHAHI
Members of the NYPD played bagpipes and drums as they led hundreds of Wagner College students down the aisle to start their graduation commencement Friday morning.
The commencement ceremony honored the undergraduate class of 2023 on Friday, May 19, at the outdoor Sutter Oval on the Grymes Hill campus -- where 387 students earned their bachelor’s degree. The school graduated a total of 684 students this year, including undergraduates and those earning their master’s degree and doctorate degree.
This year’s commencement marked the 105th graduation ceremony held on the Grymes Hill campus and the 138th commencement since the school was first founded in Rochester, N.Y., in 1883.
Wagner College President Angelo Araimo welcomed the class of 2023 and their families and spoke about the resilience and leadership the students portrayed throughout their time at Wagner.
“I really want to thank you, Class of 2023. One of the things I wondered about coming into this year ... as we got back to what we call ‘normal’ is would everything come back to the way it’s always been at Wagner,” said Araimo.
Reflecting on the community’s can-do spirit and family culture throughout the Vietnam War in the 1970s and even during the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Araimo told the students that Wagner College has always continued to stick to its core values of “collaboration and inclusion.”
“I did wonder would it (the culture) change ... And what you all did is demonstrate as leaders ... that the Wagner culture is still here, and I salute you for that,” Araimo said.
Two Wagner students -- Nashawn Brooks and Christian Calamuci -- who would have crossed the stage Friday and received their diploma were remembered during the ceremony.
Brooks was a scholar athlete who died in a traffic accident on June 10, 2020. At the time of his death, he was a rising sophomore majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance and a minor in information systems. He was named 2019 school athlete of the year.
Calamuci was an advocate and warrior who lived as a double amputee and championed for those who are differently abled. He suffered from a seizure and died in 2022.
“It’s bitter sweet. I’m very, very proud of him. He worked very hard. When I adopted him when he was 6 years old, they told me I’d probably end up putting him in an institution and he wasn’t capable of learning,” Laura Calamuci said, referring to her son. “He’s got his bachelor’s degree. He worked very hard through the seizures and the headaches and extreme fatigue -- he still pushed through and got his degree.”
Calamuci was a sociology major who tried very hard to make Wagner more accessible for other people, his mother added.
“He didn’t know it, but the night that he passed, he got an email from New York Foundling as a case worker with foster children -- his dream job,” Laura Calamuci said. “He had the best professors in the world. They advocated for him all the time. He was not lost in a sea of students.”
Lou Anarumo, of the Cincinnati Bengals who is entering his 12th season as an NFL coach, was the guest speaker at the commencement. The Wagner alum was honored with an honorary doctorate.
“You think you’re going to go on a path, but you might go left you might go right. That happened to me,” Anarumo said.
He told the students about his journey through working odd construction jobs in New York City after graduating college. And when he applied for a position as a graduate assistant coach at Syracuse University, he said he remembers being told they were full.
“I get a call from the head coach at Syracuse, and he said, ‘Hey, something happened with one of the applicants, are you still interested?’ and in the click of a minute or two, I was driving, and four hours later I was in Syracuse, and I’ve never looked back,” Anarumo recalled. “If that conversation didn’t happen, I’m not standing here today ... because of the people I met at Syracuse and the coaches I met, it helped form my path to where I am today.”
Anarumo told the students what he tells his players all the time.
“Things might not be going right for you. You gotta pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back into the fight, whatever that fight or that race may be,” Anarumo said.
Student speaker Emma Luxemburg (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
Student speaker Emma Luxemburg, a theater performance major with a minor in government and politics, addressed her fellow graduates at the ceremony, acknowledging the hardships her peers overcame throughout their college years.
“At the spring of 2020, Covid-19 rerouted our college experience as we knew it. Suddenly everyone’s ‘why Wagner’ was thrown into question, and yet we all chose Wagner once again as we took on the challenge of turning our well-established in-person community into a vibrant virtual one,” Luxemburg said. “We realized that being a Seahawk is more than just hanging out at D-hall, but how we maintain personal connection and intellectual commitment at the most difficult time.”
Bridget Damon, a double major in biopsychology and environmental studies, was presented with Wagner’s most prestigious award, the Dr. Donald W. Spiro Award for Outstanding Academic and Co-Curricular Achievement.
The Wagner College commencement ceremony for students receiving graduate certificates, master’s degrees and doctorates was held on Thursday, May 18.
BACHELOR OF ARTS
Gianna F. Amato
Cristina Nicole Amuso
Liana Andersen
Hunter William Anderson
Anastasia Antoniou
Rayann Attal
Madelyn Bach
Quincy Barnes
Hunter Preston Baum
Liam Robert Blanchard
Brianna Nicole Bodell
Elisabeth Sabra Burke
Christian Calamuci
Coby James Calvin
Nikki R. Carney
Madison Christine Carr
Melissa Noelle Ciaccio
Cherliz Cohen
Sophia Marie Constantino
Kaitlyn Hanna Cox
Richard A. Coyle Jr.
Luke Hayden Cunningham
Rebecca Joan Curran
Halie Joy DeCarlo
Archer DeGraff
Judith Antonia Solange Desforges
Messiah Divine
Nicole Rose Donello
Jagger Duquette
Dante Giovanni Faicchio
Elijah Martin Fisher
Madison Lydia Fleischman
Ja’Mier W. Fletcher
Richard Thomas Folderauer
Julia Marie Francis
Charlotte Claire Gargiulo
Seong Joshua Gillespie
John Albert Gioia Jr.
Eric Griffin Jr.
Kelli Laine Griffin
Prince Donovan Hall Jr.
Madyson Grace Halpin
Madison Rose Harrington
Fredrayah Renee Heyward
Brendan Patrick Michael Higgins
Kyle Patrick Hoolahan
Ryan Howard
Jennifer A. Huvane
Alexa Rose Iraci
Ashley Rose Iraci
Katrice Jackson
Jameel Breeze Jones
James Buchanan Jones
Nicholas Kargman
Erin Jessica Kelly
Kamy Alexandra Kempton
Jordyn Kerley
Jessica Hope King
Grace Elizabeth Klebine
Katherine Morgan Knepper
Ryan Thomas Kraft
Parker Warren Krey
Zoe Louise Krofchik
Ava Frances Lagressa
Valencio Stephano Lazarczyk
Aidan Scott Leach
Jayvin Krystian Little
Emma R. Luxemburg
Emily Katherine Martin
Angelina Nicole Massaroli
Hannah Lane McFadden
Noah Anthony McKane
Sowande T. McWhite
Allyson Meehan
Neema B. Meena
Isabella Grace Michaels
Maile Alaine Mora
Kira Susan Mordvinov
Cameron Michael Mustizer
Skye Olivia Nankervis
Anastasia Arpi Nardone
Jillian Rose Olsen
Samantha O’Neil
Mark Daniel Osgood
Joseph B. Palmyra
Haley Anne Peaslee
Gina Michelle Prince
Samantha Katherine Pullen
Greyson James Riley
Vincent Christopher Romeo
Joshua Martin Romeo-Mullin
Aubrie-Mei Alexander Rubel
Charles Richard Rudalavage IV
Claudia SalasGimenez
Victoria Eliza Sam
Vincenzo Joseph Scarola
Zoe Chanler Sharpe
Daniel Shikhman
Sofia Shirey
Izabella M. Siek
Abbey Louise Simshauser
Haley CarolAnn Soltmann
Brandon Stapleton
Selma Sulo
Tajhir Tate
Deidre Lynn Thompson
Mikayla Thrasher
Michael Jason Trancucci
Alexander Ullian
Angelica Denise Velez
Hayden Charles Verbanas
Robyn Leah Wasserman
Emily Hannah Wesoky
Emma Rose White Jr.
Jallah Zeze Jr.
Nathan R. Zwart
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Milton Agustin
Emily A. Aiello
Jerry Anthony Alamo Jr.
Imran A. Alauddin
Lennox Tweyo Apudo
Mohamed Saleh Askar Jr.
Taylor Ann Austin
Gulzar Grace Avshalumova
Nicholas Vincent Azzopardi
Alyssa Joyce Morales Bacalan
Branden A. Barnes
Olivia Joy Barone
Janata Begzic
Michael T. Belisario
Madison Riley Bennert
Jack Mark Benun
Alice Theresa Berte
Cody Tyler Bey
Katie Myrna Bivona
Morgan Nicole Blasi
Anida Bolevic
Brianna Nicole Brackett
Daniel J. Brady
Brandon J. Bross
Cheyenne Brown
Garrett Christopher Bugarin
Brittney Burgio
Dillon Matthew Burke
Klareena Sheena Cainglet
Alexandra Calabro
Cade Edward Campbell
Kaero Emmanuel Canela
Bella Daysi Cardenas
Christina Carlo
Nicholas Cartwright-Atkins
Sara Cascio
Daniel Vincent Cassidy
Kelley Nia Castro
Mackenzie Cavataio
DiMaggio E. Cazares
Min Ju Cho
David M. Choi
Jeannine Nicole Colasanto
Nora Degen Conway
Amanda Costello
Alexandra Dominique Cowan
Eric Rand Crouse
Max A. Crowder
Julia Cruces Pastorino
Rebecca Jules Cruz
Isabella Madison Dada
Bridget Yvette Damon
Lorenzo D’Amore
Gianna Davide
Karina Davidyuk
Ava N. De La Cruz
Ruben Joseph Del Castillo Jr.
Olivia Di Vita
Sofia Diaz Alvarez
Cristina Dimaria
Paige M. DiPadova
Melanie Elizabeth Dissanayake
Renata Djuravcevic
Emily Bridget Downes
Gianna L. Drago
Gabriella Lynn Dudek
Corey S. Durden
Mariam Elia Ebid
Alicia Kate Erlandson
Lilika Renee Fairlie
Julia R. Farah
Michael B. Fiorito
Oliver Fodor
Lauren Rose Foley
Robert Timothy Friscia
Tyler James Galantini
Alexa Rae Garcia
Marc A. Garcia
Sonia Maria Garofalo
Jennifer Rose Gatto
Thomas R. Gerbino
Amanda Marie Giordano
Gabriella Marie Goldschmidt
Chloe Gonnella
Chamika Dilmini Goonewardene
Justin Lawrence Gorelik
Megan Gabrielle Greco
Mia Jolie Groetsch
Grazia Guarnera
Vivian Gueorguieva
Natalie Guida
Casey Jordan Haas
Kiyan David Hagan
Maggie Blake Hamilton
Olivia Jean Hardy
Sameh M Hendi
Achintha Hettiarachi
Jordan Howard-Mason
Kai Qi Huang
McKenzy Hupke
Hasan Youssef Ibrahim
Mikaila Alise Incantalupo
Michael A. Ingrassia
Mevlida Isufi
Leema Joseph
Redeina Joudeh
Cory T. Joyce
Caitlin Grace Kahn
Gabriela Kaminska
Maimu Kobayashi
Rajane Lejla Kolari
Sarah Kovnator
Xavi M. Krauss
Nicole Jade Kuehne
Madeline La Barbera
Griffin Thomas Langlois
Alana Ariel Leder
Jolie Nicole Lenox
Jessica Liao
Nicole Mary Liapes
Jesse Loren Liss-O’Neill
Fengxue Liu
Christopher Thomas Livoti
Selena Lombardo
Kristina Marie Lopes
Omar Loutfy
Karl Harris Lovett III
Zewei Lu
Kristen Marie Luisi
Lindsay Evelyn MacLachlan
Nicole Catherine Magnavita
Abhinav Magow
Isabella Manzella
Emily Maresca
Taylor Arada Marjamaa
Bleona Markashi
Samantha Nicole Marquez
Ella Williams Martin
Jennifer Martin
Olivia Patrice Martinelli
Henry P. Martinez
Giana Leigh Martino
Stephanie Love Masciulli
Alice Polina Mashensky
Nicolet Matfiak
Kristen Ann Mattia
Katrina Elizabeth McCoy
Caitlin McGuire
Keith A. McLaurin
Tejasvi Mehra
David Edward Melfi
Anna Melnik
Julie Ann Mendez
Taylor Marie Micale
Alex Micciola
Mia Imani Milton
Ashley Catherine Minetti
Nataliia Miranda
Isabella Woods Moore
Jenna Danielle Moran
Finesa Morina
Ciara Joan Motta
Joy Mei Muller
Hannah Ann Muro
Logan Reese Murphey
Grace Mary Murphy
Nastazia Valentina Nayfeld
Stephanie M. Negrillo
Sara Nejeidi
Sara E. Nelson
Sara Nesimi
Samantha Ng
Dominic John Nicoletti
Felicia J. Nieves
Sevil Nimetullaieva
Nkemamaka Nwabudu
Kelseigh Caroline O’Brien
Jaimmie Garcia Ocampo
Aishat Okeowo
Nicolas Andre Olivier
Gabrielle Ostrometsky
Isabella Renza Panaccione
Gianna Santina Pantaleo
Danielle Kay Paolucci
Audrey Paradis
Angelina S. Parisi
Rithi Ketan Patel
Vidhi Amit Patel
Noah Joseph Patterson
Devon Arthur Pauline
Allyson Eileen Pawloski
Gia C. Pecorella
Matthew Perkins
Jonathan D. Pinkhasov
Isabel Pisakhova
Christie Marie Piscitelli
Adrian Pocesta
Etnada Poga
Jordan Elisabeth Polefka
Karoline Policarpio
Lauren Elizabeth Pollio
Joseph Fortunato Prestigiacomo
Jordyn Price
Michelle Qu
Juliana Rafaniello
Victoria Elizabeth Ramos
Justin James Reha
Elisabeth Domini Renda
Amanda Elizabeth Reynolds
Alexa Riccardi
Kelsey Laura Richardson
Madison Elaina Ricketts
Nikki Danielle Rinaldi
Angela Rizzi
Kevin D. Roach
Justyna Iwona Rogozinska
Diana Romanek
Maria Angela Rotolo
Raquel Rubalcava Reyes
Samantha Marie Sammarco
Alyssa Jeanine Santiago
Damian Santiago
Anthony Santomauro
Maria Martins SantosCarneiro
Antoinette Margaret Scarola
Julie Schneider
Alexis Scott
Pranvera Sela
Griffin Scott Selby
Edin Selovic
Sohaila Shaaban
Sarah Jane Shaughnessy
Catherine Gloria Shaw
Naomi Shorr
Jessalyn Jade Simo
Erica Taylor Soccorso
Miranda Sparacino
Nichole Renee Stanulis
Benjamin Stewart
Matthew Joseph Storti
Madison Kaylee Swift
Yasmin A. Teekasingh
Joseph Temperino Jr.
Sinaiyah Grace Thermidor
Jheyson Torres
Jenesee H. Tripp
Alexandra Umansky
Daniellynn Anne Bernales Ursua
Tiffani-Raye P. Valentin
James Isaac Vallar III
Brittani Elizabeth VanGlahn
Maia Vitoratos
Jessica Lorraine Wallace
Kelsey Ann Walsh
Oscar Wang
Darragh Ann Whalen
Anne Elizabeth White
Emma Margaret White
Madelyn Louise Wilde
Jade Williams
Katrina Grace Wischusen
Francis Joseph Wlazlowski Jr.
Bianca Kennedy Worthy
Shaked Yacoby
Lena V. Yakir
Olivia Mary Youssef
Kathy Yuen
Emily Rose Yurkins
Sarah Zilberzweig
Alyssa Zillini
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Aidan M. Alvarez
Luisa T. Barone
Justin D. Beyer
Sara Meghan Burney
Powers Cleo Burton
Karl Heinz Cajuste
Gabriella Saric Cipriano
Lauren M. DiStefano
Murat Ersoz
Gimale Essacu
Hunter Gantos
Yannik Gerland
Aileen Elizabeth Hannan
Malia Carmen Josephson
Fidan Khalilzade
Arnise Renée King
Alina Kislitskaya
Aaron Stephen Leighton
Nicholas Marshall Lepre
Daniel Joseph McCauley
Matthew Ryan Morris
Nicholas Joseph O’Byrne
Keegan J. Reidy
Matthew Edward Rueter
Penelope Jane Russ
Edda Skoric
Konstantinos Syrmas
MASTER OF SCIENCE
Inna Abramyuk
Victoria Rose Albani
Tara Ann Altschuler
Lisa Marie Aluzzo
Amna Noor Amjad
Reality Jalyn Anderson
Insherah Anees
Marisa Antonia Apolito
GianLuca Bartoli
Bridget Bonnie Beahn
Danielle Christina Bellia
Amanda Kristine Beltran
Elizabeth A. Bennett
Katarina G. Beyar
Madeline Rose Beyzarov
Andras Bimbo-Szuhai
Jacquelyn Katherine Blois
Michelle Bove
Hannah Mackenzie Brown
Yu Hao Cao
Christina Chan
Christopher Wayne Cordova
James Criscione Jr.
Michele Marie Daniels
Erin DePaul
Gina Downey
Aisha Farooq
Gabrielle Lynn Fliorent
Elijah A. Ford
Selina Ariele Francolino
Giulianna Fraschilla
Aldrich Gamboa
Stephanie Marie Gangemi
Christina Felicia Gargiulo
Iryna Gerashenko
Sara Gigliotti
Caitlin Marie Gonzalo
Forest Green
Anna Grefenshteyn
Lissette Gurges
Alexandra Hanin
Catherine Silem Hanna
Barbara MmaMma Ifeanyi
Judy Jomon Jacob
Stephanie Javier
Julia Joy
Krista Marie Kedl
Marissa Kaye Knee
Sabina Kraja
Michael David Kraus
Veronika Laskateleva
Natalie Loffreno
Myles H. Lopes
Sarah Katherine Lott
Abini Mahalingam
Yuliya Mayman
Meaghan F. McDevitt
Jeremy Royal Merchant
Qamar Nisa Mohammad Ayoub
Joseph Morris
Olivia Drew Myers
Blessing Ngozi Nweke
Erin Margaret O’Connor
Skylar O’Connor
Devanshi R. Patel
Vruti Patel
Rachel Lynn Pedulla
Vadim Polishchuk
Caterina Olivia Raineri
Maria F. Randazzo
Bianca Regan
Tessa Lynn Reinhart
Dyana RiveraGarcia
Kendal Ann Robino
Michael Vincent Ruggiero
Jessica Nicole Salerno
Kristina M. Salerno
Erica Marie Salveggi
Kristina Grace Scarfo
Arica Somaiah
Christopher Glenn Sorensen
Victoria Rose Strusinski
Emma Hope Sturdivant
Erin Claire Tesoriero
Menaka Deepani Thilakarathne
Caroline Kelly Thurlow
Cheryl Tobia
Karolina Truchel
Jenna L. Tszuska
Donoveen Tulloch
Salvatore Anthony Uggiano
Gisselle Vazquez
Teagan S. Wasserman
Grace Claire Wheeler
Ellie Cameron Wiese
Jacob Michael Zimmers
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EDUCATION
Summer Ahmad
Lauren Lee Benware
Hannah Dukes
Aidan Molic
Bianca Precious Ramos
William Edward Riches Jr.
Nilah B. Rivera-Colon
Gianna Skowronski
Jaime Lynn Weingarten
Andrew Wilson
POST-MASTER’S CERTIFICATE
Megan M. DiBenedetto
Mary K. Funaro
Domenica Ann Giustino
Kaliopi Konomi
Jillian Sheehy
Cheryl Tobia
DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE
Minos A. Abraham
Dana C. Goidel
Albina Guzman
Elizabeth Harrington
Katherine Gayle O’Connor
Lochana P. Perera
Elizabeth Jessica Ranelli
Kim Rodriguez-Loggins
Teddy Theodorakis
Michelle Torres
https://www.silive.com/news/2023/05/class-of-2023-wagner-college-graduates-684-students-132-photos.html
