A Day Of Heartfelt Speeches And Smiling Faces

Graduating students joined University of Connecticut Avery Point for a graduation celebration to be followed by commencement at the Storrs campus this Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8.  Students who have completed a bulk of their course work at the Avery Point campus were welcome to take part in this celebration complete with all the pageantry of a formal graduation. 

“Students choose to take place in the graduation celebration.  It’s nice for many of them to be able to graduate on the campus where they did the bulk of their work.” Associate Director of Admissions, Laurie Saunders. 

Enthusiastic graduating Senior Martina Parashkevova from Bulgaria is an Anthropology and Sociology major.  She says, “I love it here,” she said. “This is like my second home and all the teachers know us by name.  I will miss it.”

The welcome address, given by Michael Alfultis Director of Avery Point Campus, spoke of campus diversity and congratulated students, reminding them they “will always have a home here at Avery Point.”

Alfultis was followed by keynote speaker and Avery Point Marine Science professor Dr. W. Frank Bohlen. 

“Frank is a wonderful educator and he is retiring so this is the last hurrah for the students to hear from him,” said Trudy Flannery, Director of Student Services for Avery Point.

Bohlen, elected by an overwhelming margin as speaker by graduating seniors, has been a faculty member since 1969, and according to Alfultis has touched the lives of hundreds of students. 

His message was one of the many environmental hurdles that lay ahead for graduating seniors, but he encouraged perseverance and local involvement to invoke meaningful change in our communities.  He reminded them in closing, “What the pessimist sees as adversity, the optimist sees as opportunity.”

Department Professors delivered personal and heartfelt speeches, hugs and handshakes for each graduate.  The personal approach was both refreshing and indicative of a small campus community.

The closing address was given by graduating senior and Marine Sciences major, Katelyn Arruda. 

Proud father of Robert Auscavitch from Milford said his son, Avery Point Marine Science major chose this campus because it’s a small college that provided a major in his area of interest.  Said Auscavitch, “I’m proud of him.  He took something he wanted to do and made something out of it.”

According to Flannery, although students are encouraged to attend commencement at Storrs many of them won’t.  Having spent most of their academic life on Avery Point campus, many students are happy to consider this Avery Point Graduation Celebration a bittersweet goodbye. 

Graduate and English major Val Dougty from Ledyard summed it up: "I will miss this small and beautiful campus, and the professors are awesome."

Among the local graduates:

In American Studies:

Samantha McCarthy – Gales Ferry
Matt Nixon (Magna Cum Laude) - Ledyard

In General Studies:

Jennifer Carroll – Gales Ferry
Kaitlynn Richmond – Gales Ferry
Annette Viall – Gales Ferry

In English:

Valerie Doughty (Summa Cum Laude) – Gales Ferry  (Way to go Val!)