Local colleges announce homegrown graduation speakers

Three more local colleges have announced details of their commencement exercises; two will feature graduation speakers who are alumni.

Mauricio RIveros
Mauricio Riveros

Roberts Wesleyan College’s commencement will be May 11 in the college’s Voller Athletic Center at 2301 Westside Drive, North Chili. Ceremonies begin at 10:30 a.m. for master’s degree and non-traditional-age bachelor’s degree recipients. A 2:30 p.m. graduation ceremony will be for traditional undergraduates and students in the inclusive BELL program.

The speaker will be Mauricio F. Riveros, president of LECESSE Construction, and a member of the Roberts Wesleyan College board of trustees. Riveros holds graduate degrees in economic law and law from Bolivia.

A total of 418 students are expected to receive degrees or certificates at Roberts. Further details are available on the college’s website. 

Eastman School of Music will hold its graduation for bachelor’s and master’s degree students at 11:15 a.m. May 19 in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre. Doctoral candidates will receive their degrees the day before at 9 a.m. in the same location.

Julia Bullock
Julia Bullock

Soprano vocalist Julia Bullock, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Eastman in 2009, will speak at the May 19 ceremony. Bullock has performed with major opera companies and symphonies across the country and in Europe. She is serving as artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was recently named artist-in-residence for the San Francisco Symphony.

The ceremony will be live streamed.

Monroe Community College holds one of the latest college commencements of the season, with ceremonies beginning at 9:30 a.m. on June 1, in the Blue Cross Arena.

Tokeya C. Graham
Tokeya C. Graham

Tokeya C. Graham, associate professor of English and philosophy at MCC, will be the keynote speaker. Graham was a 20-year-old single mother of a young son when she started working on her associate’s degree in human services at MCC. She graduated in 1996 and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the State University of New York College at Brockport and the University of Rochester. She also earned a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University. And she’s now the mother of three MCC graduates.

The ceremony will see MCC degrees and certificates presented to some 2,100 students. The college will also live-stream the event on its websiteAdditional details are also online.

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