Table Of Content

ROXBURY Community College Commencement June 2008 6, One O'clock P.M. ReggieLewisTrackandAthleticCenter 1350TremontStreet MA RoxBURY, 02120 The National Anthem Oh,say,canyousee,hythedawn'searlyUght, Whatsoproudlywehailedatthetwilight'slastgleaming? Whosebroadstripesandbrightstars, thro' theperilousfight' O'ertherampartswewatched,weresogallantlystreaming. Andtherocketsredglare,thebombsburstinginair. Gaveproofthroughthenightthatourflagwasstillthere. Oh,say,doesthatstar-spangledbanneryetwave O'erthelandofthefreeandthehomeofthebrave? Francis Scott Key 1779 - 1843 Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Liftev'ryvoiceandsing Tillearthandheavenring. RingwiththeharmoniesofLiberty; Letourrejoicingrise.Highasthelist'ningskies. Letitresoundloudastherollingsea. Singasongfullofthefaith thatthedarkpasthastaughtus. Singasongfullofthehopethatthe presenthasbroughtus; Facingtherisingsunofournewdaybegun Letus marchon 'til\ictoryiswon. James WeldonJohnson 1871 - 1938 Program Prelude Processional The audience is requested to remainseated during the processionalforstudents and faculty. Musicprovided by Dr.John Weeks. GraftonJob Corps ColorGuardwillpostthecolors. NationalAnthemandLiftEv'ryVoice andSing Led by Ms. TiaMyers Class of08 Students' GreetingsfromAroundtheWorld Greetings From thePresident Dr. TerrenceA. Gomes GreetingsFromtheGovernorofMassachusetts TheHonorableGovernor DevalPatrick GreetingsFromtheCommissioneroftheMassachusettsDepartmentof HigherEducation Dr. Patricia Plummer GreetingsFrom theAlumni Ms. Toya Scott Class of98 MusicalSelection Ms. VelmaDupont IntroductionofCommunityServiceRecipient Dr. AlaneShanks, Vice PresidentofAdministrationand Finance CommunityServiceAward Ms. Brandy K. Cruthird ' . IntroductionoftheValedictorian Dr. Brenda W. Mercomes, Vice President ofAcademicAffairs Valedictorian Mr. Girma Tsegaye Endale Introduction ofthe CommencementSpeaker Ms. Stephanie C.Janey, Vice Presidentof Enrollment Managementand Student Affairs CommencementAddress Ms. BeverlyA. Morgan-Welch, Executive DirectorofMuseumofAfricanAmerican History MusicalSelection Ms.VeJmaDupont ConferringofDegrees andCertificates AuthorizationoftheBoardofTrustees Ms. Michele Courton Broum, Chair, BoardofTrustees Dr. TerrenceA. Gomes, President IntroductionofDegree andCertificate Candidates Presided b^i Dr. Brenda W. Mercomes, Vice President ofAcademicAffairs CandidatesforAssociate ofArts degree introduced b}i Dean Nancy Teel CandidatesforAssociate ofScience degree introduced hy Dean Tala Khudairi Candidatesfor Certificates withspecification introduced b}i Dean David Becker PresentationofDegreesandCertificatestotheStudents Mr. Deval Patrick, GovernorofMassachusetts Ms. Michele CourtonBrown, Chair, BoardofTrustees' Dr. TerrenceA. Gomes, President Presided by Dr. Brenda W. Mercomes, Vice PresidentofAcademicAffairs President's Chargeto theGraduatingClass of2008 Dr. Terrence A. Gomes, President Recessional The audience is requested to remainseatedduringtherecessionaland is invited immediately after the ceremony to areception in the Reggie Lewis Track andAthletic Center Field House. Terrence A. Gomes President Todayisalandmarkindiechosenpadiforyourlives.Beyonddiis landmark, orsignpost, awaitsaworldaroundyouthatisrealand exciting. Butthisisnotjusttheend;thinkoftodayasthebeginningofnew opportunities,experiencesandgrowth. Iwouldlikeforyoutoremembertoday, notjustthemoment,butthe yearsthathaveleadtothismoment.Thedaysspenttogetherinclass,the hardworkandsacrificesenduredandthefriendshipsthathavebeenbuilt alongtheway. Educationisafrontierforchanginghowwechoosetolive,howwe choosetoeducate,andhowwechoosetogovernourselvesforfuture generationstocome. Pleasegrasptheopportunitieswhentheyarise,for therein, liesthekeytoyourfutureandthefutureofallourcommunities. I amveryproud ofyou andwhatyou have accomplished.Your graduationwillhelppavethewayasyoutraveltheroadtogreatersuccess bothincollegeandbeyond.Youwillbetheleadersoftomorrowandwith theeducationyounowhaveandwillseekfurther, itwilltakeyoutonew heightstoachievemanyofyourdreamsandthedreamsofothers. MyheartiestcongratulationstotheClassot2008. 1wisheachofyou theverybestandmuchsuccessinthefuture. Sincerely, a. y^^yr%X4y Dr.TerrenceA.Gomes President Commencement Speaker Beverly A. Morgan-Welch ExecutiveDirector MuseumofAfricanAmericanHistory BeverlyA. Morgan-Welch serves as the chiefexecutive ofthe oldestand mostvisibleAfricanAmerican historymuseum inNew England located on Boston's Beacon Hill and on Nantucket. With four historic sites and collections thatpreserve the powerful past of AfricanAmericans, themuseumprovides BlackHeritageTrail®tours, exhibits and educationprograms thatilluminate aliberatingAmerican History. Underherleadership, theMuseumofAfricanAmerican Historyhasbecome a nationally recognized institution increasing scholarship and collections. In 2006, Beverlylaunched a 200thAnniversaryCampaign to restore and celebrate theAfrican Meeting House in Boston during itsbicentennial and to raise funds for other capital projects including the purchase ofthe Seneca Boston-Florence Higginbotham House (c 1774) onNantucket and a buildingto create an Education and Technology Center in Boston. Beverly has served as the Executive Director ofthe Greater Hartford Arts Council, Director ofDevelopment at the WadsworthAtheneum, and Assistant Dean ofAdmission atAmherstCollege. Shewas also the Manager of Community Relations at Raytheon, a member ofthe Board ofDirectors ofthe Bank ofHartford, and Secretary ofthe Connecticut Mutual Life Foundation serving the company's Corporate Social Responsibility Department. Beverlywas Co-Chairperson ofthe Inauguration ofGovernor Deval Patrick and raised funds for the Bishop Desmond Tutu Southern African Refugee Scholarship Fund. Currentlyshe is a member ot the Board ofDirectors ofthe Boston History and Innovation Collaborative, and a Member ofthe Antiquarian Society, the Colonial Society ofMassachusetts, and the Massachusetts Historical Society. Agraduate ofSmith Collegewith a major in Theatre and Speech, Beverly Morgan-Welch resides inAndover, Massachusetts with her daughter, Alexandra. Community Service Award Recipient Brandy K. Cruthird Founder BodyByBrandyFitnessStudio Brandy K. Cruthird is the founder and owner ofBody By Brandy Fitness Studio in Boston, Massachusetts. A former marketing representative for Reebok, IntL, Brandy is a certified aerobic instructorwith over 10years experience in the fitness industry. She has conducted numerous fitness demonstrations nationally and locally including the YWCA's Breast CancerAwareness Day, the African American Women on & Tour Convention and the Dimock Health Center's Body Soul Wellness Connection. Brandy's signature community event, the "EverybodyWalkYour Body FitnessWalk and Health Fair", was launched in 1997, in collaborationwith MayorThomas M. Menino and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. This annual event has inspired thousands ofpeople tobecome physicallyfit. Her commitmentto hercommunityis also exemplified in her articles on exercise and nutrition for Roxbury.com and BlackBostonOnline.com. Brandyhas been on a 10-year mission to make the community she loves a healthier one. Anative ofDorchesterwho grewup in the Orchard Parkprojects, Brandy parlayed her athleticism into a Division I basketballscholarship toJames Madison University in Virginia. While still a student. Brandyspenther summersworkingfor Canton-based Reebokwhere she moved from Field Services Coordinator to Marketing Representative responsible forover 200 accounts in the Boston area. While at Reebok, Brandysaw there were no fitness centers in her community, so she opened hervery own fitness studio part-time, financing herventurewith Reebokstock and tapping her retirement fund. From humblebeginnings-two studio apartments in DucileySquare-BodyByBrandy Fitness Studio has grown and recently expanded to a newly renovated facility at 2181 Washington Street. The newlydeveloped parent organization ofthe fitness club. My Bociy My Business Inc., pointedlyaddresses prevailing notions about fitness through education, nutrition consultation and empowerment strategies. Familyhealth and fitness has become a major focus for Brandy, and her studio provides fitness, nutrition and healthy alternatives for adults and a fitness and health awareness program for children. In March 2006, Brandy launched BodyByBrandyFitKidz, a non-profitdesigned to help combatchildhood obesity.The firstkidsgym in the community, BodyByBrandy4 Kidz hasbeen made possiblebythe generous support ofits partners the Children's Hospital ofBoston, UnitedWayofBoston, Blue Cross BlueShield and Good Sport. BBB FitKidzfeatures a rockclimbingwall, dancerevolution, gamesbikes, boxingring, cardiovascularand strength trainingequipment for kids and much more. Brandyplans to utilize everything she has learned to educate kids about the benefits ofrecreational and competitive sports Brandy K. Crudiird.. Brandy has always believed that healthyliving is a family affair and in May 2005 she released "TheHouseis GettingFit©"Video, the first in a series offamilyfitnessvideos designed to getfamilies up and moving at home together! Brandysays, "When parents become role models and instill the importance ofexercise and diet in their children at an early age, they develop healthy habits! Most importantly, there is no betterway to bond with your family." & Brandy hasbeen featured in Essence Magazine, the Boston Globe and Heart Soul Magazine. Shehas alsoamassed numerousawardsforherleadership includinga 1998 RoxburyChamber ofCommerce "OutstandingAchievementAward." The GirlScouts' 2001 "LeadingWomenAward," the 2002 Harvard School ofPublic Health "Rebecca Lee Award," and Body By Brandy Fitness Centerwas voted "The Best ofthe New 2005" bytheBostonGlobe, and received theBostonBusinessJournalTop 40 under40 "Up &- ComingAward." Brandywas alsoVoted Dudley "Business oftheYear" 2006 byMain Streets. Ford Motors also recognized heraccomplishments as a pioneerwith the 2006 Fusion "Life In DriveAward". In adciition Brandywas the recipient ofthe Boston Center for Community and Justice "Voices ofInclusion-InnovatorAward" in 2006, as well as a Massachusetts State Lottery "Friends ofthe FairwayAward", for positive contributioiis to hercommunitythrough golfand sport. The Makers ofPine Sol Cleaners saluted Brandy in their "She's Got the Power" contest for leading the charge in childhood obesity. DirectTVrecognized her as a "Home Town" hero forgivingback to her community. Amidst these extraordinary accomplishments, Brandywas most notablyfeatured on NBCNightlyNews "MAKINGADIFFERENCE" and CNNNews "PlacesToPlay" for creating the First Kids Gym in the country that accepts prescriptions from participating health care providers for obese kids enabling them toworkout at BBB Fit Kidz for FREE! Recently, Jake Steinfeld, founder of ExerciseTV, the first comprehensive on-demand network dedicated to fitness, sports training and motivational programming, named Branciy Cruthird the winner ofthe network's inaugural nationwide coritest for "America's Next Fitness Star." As the contestwinner, Brandywill receive a one-year paid contractwith ExerciseTV that includes appearing in an original fitness series on the network and hosting a monthly blog on exercisetv.tv, as well as a year's worth of New Balance footwear and apparel. Brandy's programmingwill premiere on ExerciseTV thissummer. THE Governor of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Governor Deval Patrickwas elected in November of 2006. He brings to the Governor's office a broad range ot leadership experience at the top levels ofbusiness, go\-ernment, and non-profits. From an early age, he has built his life on hope, and traced a trajectory from the South Side ofChicago to the U.S. Justice Department, Fortune 500 boardrooms, and now the Massachusetts Statehouse. Patrick came to the Commonwealth at the age of 14. An excellent student despite the difficult circumstances of under-funded and often violent Chicago schools, he was awarded a scholarship to MiltonAcaciemy through A Better Chance, a Boston-based organization. Aftergraduatiiig from Milton, Patrickwent on to Harvard, the first in his family to attend college. He received his ciegree, with honc:>rs, in 1978 and spent a post-graduate yearworking on a United Nations youth training project in the Darfur region of Sudan. He returned to Cambridge to attend Harvard Law School in the fall of 1979. Following law school, Patrick served as a law clerk to a federal appellate judge before joining the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. In 1986, he joined the Boston & lawfirm ofHill Barlow andwas named partner in 1990, atthe age of34. In 1994, President Clinton appointed PatrickAssistantAttorney General for Civil Rights, the nation's top civil rights post. At the justice Department, Patrickworked c^n a wide range ofissues, including prosecution ofhate crimes and abortion clinicviolence, employment discrimination, and enforcement offair lending laws and theAmericans with Disabilities Act. Duringhis tenure, Patrick led the largest criminal investigation prior to September 11*, coordinating state, local and federal agencies to investigate church burnings throughout the South in the mid-1990s. & Patrick returned to private practice in 1997 with the Boston firm ofDay, Berry Howard. That same year, he was appointed by a federal district court to serve as the first chairperson ofTexaco's Eciuality and Fairness Task Force. Workingwith employees at all levels, Patrickand hisTask Force examined and reformedTexaco's complexcorporate employmentculture, and created a model forfosteringan equitableworkplace. Patrick was hiredbyTexaco in 1999 to serve asVice Presidentand General Counsel leadingthe company'sglobal legal affairs. Deval Patrick.. In 2001, PatrickjoinedThe Coca-Cola Company as ExecutiveVice Presicient and General Counsel. Hewas elected to the additional role ofCorporateSecretary in 2002, and served as partofthe company's seniorleadership team as a memberofthe Executive Committee. Governor Patrick has served on numerous charitable and corporateboards, aswell as the Federal Election ReformCommissionunder Presidents Carterand Ford, and asVice Chair ofthe MassachusettsJudicial Nominating Council by appointment ofGovernor Weld. The Commonwealth's firstAfrican-American Governor, Deval Patrick came into office with agrassroots message ofhope, communityand hardwork. Byfocusingon transparency and inclusion, he hopes to increase accessibilityto government and encourage the civic engagementso crucial to shared progress in educatioii, health care, economicdevelopment and other issues. Diane and Deval Patrickhave been marriecl forovertwo decades and have two college- age daughters, Sarah and Katherine. The Patrickfamilyhas lived in Milton, in a house on Deval's high school paper route, for the last 17 years. 10