Taking that next step
Degrees in hand, RIC’s Class of 2017 celebrates its graduation
PROVIDENCE — On a scale of one to 10, how excited was Maja Giguere?
“A thousand!” she exclaimed, shattering the scale she had just concocted and displaying her overwhelming joy for Saturday morning’s Rhode Island College undergraduate commencement.
“I’m so thrilled, I just want to let out a scream of excitement,” she said just moments before she was to take her seat on the floor of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. “Now I can take that next step. Now I know that I can say ‘Yes, I’ve made it.’”
The Smithfield resident was one of 1,765 undergraduate students whose degrees were conferred at the ceremony inside the Providence arena.
A communications mass media major, Giguere said that when she graduated from Smithfield High School, she wanted to go anywhere that would lead her out of the Ocean State. But after leaving her home state, she found out that while she is a selfdescribed “adventurous spirit,” there’s no
place quite like home, and she returned to Rhode Island to attend RIC.
Sonia Nieto, a professor at University of Massachusetts – Amherst who is an author, researcher, and advocate for social justice, gave the commencement address, telling students to use the “four L’s” in life as they emerge from the arena as college graduates.
The four L’s, she said, stand for love, learn, live, and laugh.
“We’re burdened in this day and age with a narcissistic focus on ‘me-ism,’ a focus that’s self-defeating and that may ultimately rob our society of its sense of community,” Nieto said.
“Be curious, keep an open mind, read, talk – in person, not just online or on social media – and work with others, especially with those whose ideas, experiences, and identities may be different from your own,” Nieto implored.
“In spite of the seriousness of my message today, I also encourage you to enjoy big belly laughs and giggles; laugh ‘til you cry with people you love … That’s what I do and I find that these things, among many others, make life worthwhile,” she later said toward the conclusion of her address.
RIC President Frank D. Sanchez, during Saturday’s undergraduate ceremony, offered students words of advice, telling the thousands of soon-to-be-graduates “Your learning has just begun because your degree is not the end of a finish line; it is a door of endless possibilities and today you are walking through it.”
“It is up to you to see what is beyond the threshold,” Sanchez said.
“This college family is profoundly proud of your accomplishments, you are a force to be reckoned with,” he continued, saying that the Class of 2017 “Demonstrated uncommon persistence. Your stories are compelling.”
Jeremy Boutin, senior class president for RIC’s Class of 2017, called on his fellow seniors to take their shot and take a chance and fight for their own happiness, inspired by his late grandfather who he said always faced obstacles with a smile.
“No one is going to hand you the next step on a silver platter but there are plenty who will try to take it away … You should take a chance and you should fight for your own happiness, your own place in the world,” he said.
“When you’re faced with insurmountable odds, remember you could have 100 million reasons to walk away but you need that one good one to stay,” he said, referencing a Lady Gaga song.
During his speech, he spoke of hearing stories of single mothers, immigrants, and veterans, all of whom overcame adversities to reach Saturday’s commencement ceremony.
“I hear stories like these every day on campus … Every graduate in this audience will face this ever-conflicting world with eagerness and strength,” Boutin said.
Gov. Gina M. Raimondo pointed out a student among the thousands before her, who was wearing a cap that had the words “Just Did It” emblazoned on it. Raimondo said the students did do it, juggling classes, families, and bills and the resilience that got them to Saturday’s graduation will be seen in the future.
“You have what it takes to be great … I am unbelievably impressed with the talent, resilience, and determination. You’ve got what it takes to be successful and we need you here moving this economy forward,” Raimondo said. “We won’t be successful unless you engage.”
“It’s amazing to me, every time I come across a RIC student or graduate, I’m impressed … You have what it takes, you have a degree, you have a great education,” the governor said.
Rhode Island Board of Education Chair Barbara S. Cottam said it’s not easy to take risks but the graduating students have taken many and their experiences have prepared them for great things.
“I have no doubt that each of you faced your obstacles head on along the way … You questioned, I’m sure, whether your goals were truly in reach, but you persevered,” Cottam said.
Giguere said that her postcollege plans include transforming a class project into a full-length documentary on her hometown: “The Hidden Gems and Histories of Smithfield, R.I.: A Tribute to its Townspeople.” She said she was motivated to complete the documentary when she attended the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump for RIC’s school news and heard U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer read a letter from Civil War soldier Sullivan Ballou.
She said that she looked up Ballou and “what are the odds,” but he was from her hometown.
Learning about local history is “very valuable,” she said, “Being from New England and living in a town like Smithfield, there’s so much history, there’s so much to learn. It’s important to take the time to learn.”