MassBay Community College graduates urged to 'say yes and figure it out later'

WELLESLEY — Standing in the face of grit.

That's what state Rep. Priscila Sousa, D-Framingham, told 310 members of the Class of 2024 at MassBay Community College. A total of 620 earned degrees, but only half walked during Thursday evening's ceremony, held on MassBay's main campus.

The student speaker was Ronan Keane, who addressed his classmates and their guests following the national anthem sung by Melissa Ribeiro, a Milford native.

Keane maintained a 4.0 grade point average and was elected to MassBay's Student Government Association, serving as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee. In his speech, he reflected on his journey to MassBay after starting college at UMass Amherst.

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At first, Keane said he felt defeated having chosen MassBay — he had left Amherst due to homesickness — but later found confidence going to school.

"Being accepted into this hardworking community, I suddenly noticed a change in my outlook," Keane said. "My new confidence also allowed me to join the recreational basketball team, something I never would have done in high school."

He then left his fellow graduates with words of advice he received from his late grandfather when he was younger: "You've got this, kiddo."

"I still live by those words, and we're all adults, not kiddos," Keane said. "If you put your mind to something, you can do it. You've got this, you've worked hard putting in your time. Start here, go anywhere. You started and now you have the chance to take your story anywhere you want to go."

State Rep. Sousa: 'Say yes and figure it out later'

Sousa served as commencement speaker. She's no stranger to MassBay, having also spoken during the opening of the school's new Framingham campus earlier this year.

During her remarks, Sousa reflected on her educational journey as an undocumented immigrant coming to Framingham from Brazil. She also discussed the trials the graduates may have faced during their own experiences.

"I'm standing in the presence of survival, I'm standing in the presence of grit and I'm standing in the presence of greatness, and what could I possibly share that you don't already have within you?" Sousa said.

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Her advice: Say yes and figure it out later.

"Saying yes and figuring it out later doesn't always look cute, you can't slap a filter on it, it's not Instagrammable," Sousa said. "It comes with tears, it comes as sacrifices, it comes with ridicule, it comes with leaving people behind who didn't understand the assignment."

She continued by saying that those in the graduates' lives need them to say yes and figure it out later.

"Your family needs it, your friend who is watching you grind needs it, your children need it, the world you're going to change needs it, your state rep in Framingham needs it," Sousa said.

She concluded: "I'm proud of you, I'm here for you, and I can't wait to see what else you will do."

Local organizations, community and students honored

Along with the pomp and circumstance, several local organizations received MassBay Presidential Awards: Dignity Matters; Hope and Comfort; and the MetroWest Women's Fund.

Dignity Matters and Hope and Comfort are each dedicated to helping Massachusetts residents, as well as MassBay students, get access to hygiene products. The MetroWest Women's Fund focuses on helping first-generation, low-income women and girls find educational opportunities.

Stacy Okada received the Distinguished Alumni Award for her work raising funds and awarding scholarships to students overcoming obstacles while pursuing education.

Sandra Lish, a member of the MassBay board of trustees, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award. She co-founded and is principal of The Castle Group, a public relations and event firm that has won numerous local, national and international awards.

Also, several students were honored for being highest-performing in various MassBay programs:

• Division of Automotive Technology: Douglas Centeno
• Business and Professional Studies: Hannah Almeida
• Health Sciences: James McSweeney
• Humanities and Social Sciences: Madison Rose and Shahan Ara Madzounian
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Esther Jagwer, Christopher Simmans and Paige Watkin