Rehoboth and Seekonk Residents Awarded Bachelor’s Degrees at Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater – Nearly 2,000 bachelor’s degrees in the arts, science and education were awarded during Bridgewater State University’s 174th Spring Commencement Convocation on Saturday, May 16 on the Boyden Quadrangle.

Undergraduate majors from the Ricciardi College of Business, College of Education & Allied Studies, and the Bartlett College of Science & Mathematics were awarded their degrees during the morning ceremony while graduates in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences received their diplomas in the afternoon.

Presiding over the last commencement season of his 13-year tenure as president of the university, Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria addressed the graduates at both ceremonies. Eugene J. Durgin Jr., chairman of the institution’s Board of Trustees, brought greetings from the board.

Since the time of his inauguration in 2002, Dr. Mohler-Faria has presided over an era of unprecedented growth at Bridgewater as evidenced by: a 50 percent surge in enrollments making Bridgewater the 10th largest four-year college or university, public or private, in Massachusetts; the addition of 90 new faculty positions; the establishment of more than 40 partnerships around the world; a transformation of the campus that has included 11 new buildings, and more than $400 million of construction and renewal; the addition of permanent satellite campuses in New Bedford, Attleboro and Cape Cod; and a more than 70 percent increase in the number of degrees awarded annually.

At the morning ceremony, a Distinguished Service Award was presented to Mark Oliari of Bridgewater, founder of the Oliari Charitable Foundation, an organization that strives to improve the quality of life for town residents – especially its senior citizens and veterans.

An Honorary Degree was presented during the afternoon ceremony to Louis M. Ricciardi, ’81, former long-serving member of the university’s Board of Trustees. The College of Business is named after him for his generous contributions to Bridgewater over the years.

Laura Knapik of Northbridge, a biology major, delivered the student address at the morning ceremony while Brianna McDonald of Peabody, an English major, addressed her fellow graduates in the afternoon.

The following area residents were among those who graduated:

Rehoboth
Devin J. Escobar
Brian M. Espinosa
Michael Joseph Gagnon
Michael J. Gaudreau
Eric L. Hammond
Jessica R. Joyal
Erin D. O'Connor
Amy Jeanne Olson
Elizabeth A. Sherry
Brian L. Strange
Lauren Elizabeth Sylvia
Jessica Tetreault
Diana M. Todd

Seekonk
Victoria M. Bahry
Andrew R. Braunsdorf
Caitlin E. Dilorenzo
Samantha L. Fontaine
Brianna Marie Haslip
Jonathan R. Howard
Derrick T. Lamoureux
Haleigh Jeanne Paul
Abby K. Voyer
Sarah Yu