2022 Commencement Celebration

May 16, 2022

Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology celebrated its first in-person Commencement since 2019 with two jubilant celebrations in the college Auditorium on Saturday, May 14. The college’s 114^th Commencement Ceremony was a chance to welcome friends, families, faculty, staff, and trustees to celebrate the more than 200 graduates who earned certificates, associate, or bachelor’s degrees.

“These past two years have certainly been quite a journey,” President & CEO Dr. Aisha Francis told the graduates. “They have presented all of you with challenges and uncertainty. But because of your hard work, strength, and determination, you overcame these unprecedented obstacles.”

The morning ceremony, which celebrated graduates from the Automotive Technology and HVAC&R Technology departments, featured a keynote address by Zipcar President Tracey Zhen who also received an honorary degree.

In her remarks, Zhen encouraged the graduates to think of their career journey as a road trip, where a compass would come in handy, they should pick up friends along the way, and remember to enjoy the ride. She said her best memory from her own college graduation was seeing the glowing faces of her parents and her grandfather and their sense of pride in her accomplishment as a first-generation college graduate.

“Coming from an immigrant family and being a first-generation student isn’t something I thought much about in college,” she said. “However, I’ve come to appreciate how much sacrifice it took my family to put me through college….So I also want to thank and extend my congratulations to the families and loved ones who are here today to celebrate with you. Your support and love undoubtedly played a big part in the lives of the graduates.”

Morning Student Speaker Cynthia Cortez Kamishlian, who graduated with an Automotive Certificate, said she was nervous about going back to school to change careers when she enrolled at the college.

“What kept me going is that I really wanted the knowledge the instructors here were offering,” she said. “I knew that if I showed up, and I paid attention, and I participated, I would learn something that would help me fulfill my dream of knowing how to repair automobiles. Everything I wanted was on the other side of my fear. All of us have learned that we can do more than we think we are capable of.”

In the afternoon ceremony, which celebrated graduates from all other programs, Keynote Speaker and honorary degree recipient Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she was “blown away” by the resilience of the graduates.

“What an inspiration each one of you are sitting here today. To not only show what is possible with hard work and sacrifice and just sticking to it, but to do so with what in some ways feels like the weight of the world on your backs throughout this pandemic,” she said. “More than anything, I am grateful to this class for all you’ve done taking care of each other and making sure that this is something we will carry forward, to keep focused and moving forward but also to reach out and bring others alongside you.”

Wu congratulated the graduates for choosing to focus on trades like practical electricity, electrical engineering, opticianry, engineering technology, computer information technology, health information technology, or construction management.

“All of you now possess a practical, specialized set of skills that you will use for the rest of your lives,” she said. “Skills that will help people, help them build and solve and see. You have an understanding of how the world works and an understanding of what makes you the people we need every single day in our communities, to fix what’s broken, and build on what’s working. That is incredible and it’s worth celebrating today and for many days to come.”

Afternoon Student Speaker Monique Nolberto, who earned her associate degree in Construction Management, spoke about her struggle during the height of the COVD-19 pandemic shutdowns to manage both her own online classes and those of her young daughter. “I had to face many challenges throughout my academic path,” she said. “At times, I was required to be a student and teacher for my daughter….This was a sacrifice and I knew day-by-day that it wouldn’t last forever and the outcome would be worth it.”

Watch full recordings of the Commencement ceremonies and see photos from the day at www.bfit.edu/student-life/commencement/