Westfield State hosted five ceremonies to celebrate the commencements of its Classes of 2020 and 2021 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield May 13-14.
On May 13 Westfield State recognized 866 undergraduate students who graduated as members of the Class of 2020, and in a separate ceremony, 486 graduate students from the Classes of 2020 and 2021 were recognized.
On May 14, 794 undergraduate students were awarded their bachelor’s degrees as members of the Class of 2021.
Four members of the undergraduate Class of 2020 shared the honor of valedictorian:
- Julianna Campbell, an English graduate from Springfield, Mass.;
- Carly Thibodeau, a dual environmental science/economics graduate from Mendon, Mass.;
- Jessie Walton, a movement science graduate from Huntington, Mass.; and
- Vita Yurovsky, a business management graduate from West Springfield, Mass.
Sarah Dunn, an elementary education/liberal studies graduate from Holden, Mass., was recognized as the class salutatorian.
The Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence was earned by Jason Richard, a criminal justice major from Granby, Mass., in recognition of finishing with the highest institutional GPA among undergraduate students in the College of Graduate and Continuing Education (CGCE).
Valedictorian, salutatorian, and Dean’s Award recipients for the Class of 2021 are to be determined, pending final grade calculations.
A posthumous degree was awarded to Wildalie Lopez, of Springfield, who passed away in 2019. Her B.A. in Spanish was accepted by her parents, Denisa Nunez and Willie Lopez.
In addition, the University’s Dr. John F. Nevins Outstanding Educator Award recipient for 2021 is Yolonda Bowman, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Social Work. In 1993, the University’s College of Graduate and Continuing Education’s Outstanding Educator Award was first given to Dr. Nevins. After his passing, the award was re-named in his honor. Considerations when deciding who the recipient of the nomination-based award are “concern with student learning, openness to other views, thoroughness in covering material, knowledge of subject area, and a commitment to graduate and continuing education students and programs.”