Hard work pays off for 2,026 CSI graduates

On a day filled with sunshine, students agree years of studying were all worthwhile

Staten Island Advance - June 4, 2004

The 2,026 graduates awarded diplomas by the College of Staten Island in Willowbrook yesterday were told their motivation and ambition will determine how successful they will be.

Basking in the sunshine and the joy of the day, graduates and their parents, friends and teachers celebrated earning the degrees they’ve struggled hard for, through years of studying and endurance.

“You are in charge of your future,” said Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), who delivered the commencement address.

“Your destiny is in your hands. What will guide you [are] your values, your faith, your beliefs, your attitude and your ethics,” the congressman told the sea of students, clad in black caps and gowns.

Fossella, who received the President’s Medal from the college, told the graduates it didn’t matter what position they took, as long as they tried their best to do what made them happy.

“The future is full of unlimited possibilities if you are willing to sacrifice, take risks, take a stand and take responsibility,” he said. “In advance, I salute and thank you for what you’re about to achieve on your joyous journey through life.”

CSI President Dr. Marlene Springer thanked the students for making the faculty and staff proud.

“It’s a wonderful day for you and for us,” she said. You, because you’ve completed another important phase in your life, and for us, who have watched you through that passage with more concern for your welfare, quite frankly, than you will ever know.

Dr. Springer urged students to have “the courage to follow where your heart and your mind leads you.”

“Eleanor Roosevelt said that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,” she said. “Today I wish for you beautiful dreams for the future before you.”

Rita DiMartino, trustee of he City University of New York (CUNY); Russell K. Hotzler, vice chancellor of CUNY; Fred Naider, CSI facility member, and Norman Noble, of the CSI Alumni Association, also spoke at the two-hour event.

Stacey Domenic — who earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology-anthropology with a minor in psychology, and who graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average — told her fellow students it’s crucial they follow what they believe in to get where they deserve.

“Make a pledge with me today that you will follow your dreams,” said the mother of two. “Believe in yourself, because your journey through school has already shown you that you can succeed.”

Zarin Mehta, executive director of the New York Philharmonic, who was yesterday named president of the orchestra, received an honorary doctorate of arts; Steven L. Teitelbaum, research physician and pathology professor at the Washington University School of Medicine, was awarded an honorary doctorate of science; and Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, received an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

“It’s great,” said 22-year-old Westerleigh resident Pamela Moench, who graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in studio art. She plans to continue studying at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and hopes to become a chef. “I’ve waited for this day a long time.”

“It feels wonderful,” said Cindy Signorile of Great Kills, who received her master’s degree in elementary education. The PS 42 fourth-grade teacher and mother of three said she worked long and hard to earn the degree she now holds. “It’s all worth it in the end. It’s overwhelming relief.”