More than 550 University of Rhode Island undergraduate and graduate students received their diplomas and celebrated their accomplishments on Saturday.

The Block Island Sound Quintet played music to introduce the graduates as they walked into the Ryan Center on the Kingston Campus. Once the students were seated, Barbara Wolfe, university provost and executive vice president of academic affairs, welcomed the audience to the fall 2024 commencement ceremony.

Bianca Zani ’25 sang the national anthem. Once she finished, Wolfe talked about how URI was founded in collaboration with the Narragansett Indian Tribe. Vange Hopkins ’24 read the URI land acknowledgement for the tribe.

“We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship between the Indigenous people and this land, by teaching and learning more about their history and preservent communities,” Hopkins said.

After the acknowledgement, Wolfe returned to the podium to recognize members of university administration including Grand Marshal and psychology professor Theodore Walls, the URI Board of Trustees and members of URI’s executive team.

Once Wolfe ended her speech, she invited URI President Marc Parlange to the podium to speak. He asked the graduates to stand and show their support for the people who came to the ceremony in person or online. Then, military members stood so the audience could acknowledge their accomplishments as well. 

Parlange paid homage to Maureen McDermott, the director of student involvement in the Memorial Union, who passed away on Nov. 15. The commencement took a moment of silence to honor her.

“Maureen was also a long-time member of the university’s commencement committee and commencement day, like the one we are celebrating today, was one of her favorite days of the year,” Parlange said. 

Parlange continued his speech, acknowledging the students’ work to become graduates. He gave advice on how to face challenges and who the students are as people.

“Build communities of trust, empathy and shared purpose and give back to those who have supported you and extend a hand to those who need it,” Parlange said. “Embrace the unexpected, stay grounded in your values and remember that every challenge is an opportunity to grow.” 

When he ended his speech, Parlange welcomed Cortney Nicolato ’01, one of the URI Board of Trustees members, to the stage. Nicolato said the graduates are joining more than 140,000 URI alumni, some of whom were at the ceremony to congratulate the new graduates.

When Nicolato ended her speech, Parlange asked Brenton DeBoef, the dean of the URI Graduate School, to join him in recognizing each graduate’s completion. They started with the doctoral candidates, then master’s degree candidates and finally the candidates receiving bachelor’s degrees.

Parlange then welcomed graduating first-generation student Anna-Trang Truong to the podium to give a speech.

She started by sharing her story about coming to URI; her parents left Vietnam for the United States “in search of a safer and better life.” 

Truong thanked her parents for the sacrifices they made to get her to URI, speaking in Vietnamese.

She mentioned how COVID-19 made her switch her major. Truong started in nursing to give back to others, but when the pandemic hit, she shifted to business administration with a focus on human resources. She wanted to ensure that all people from different backgrounds felt represented and valued in healthcare.

“I think we can all agree that URI has had a profound influence on who we are today and where our journey will lead,” Truong said. “To my fellow graduates, I urge each and every one of you to remember your journey and to never forget where you came from.” 

Truong said she wanted to honor her parents’ sacrifice and pursue a dream and a life to give back to others. Truong also thanked URI for feeling welcomed and for giving her opportunities she never thought she would receive.    

“We are all here today because we refuse to give up, we did not turn our backs onto ourselves, on our dreams and, most importantly, the people who love and believe in us,” Truong said. 

The ceremony closed with the song “Alma Mater,” sung by Sean Connaughton ’25 and “URI Fight Song.”

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