GCC grads: ‘Create hope in the world'
President Robert Pura, retiring Prof. Anne Wiley address college's 50th class

By CHRIS SHORES Recorder Staff
GREENFIELD — Protected from the hot, June sun by a large white tent on the campus lawn, students from Greenfield Community College's 50th graduating class were congratulated on their accomplishments but pointedly reminded that their education should be far from over.
A total of 380 graduates earned an associate degree from the college this year.
"You have learned how to learn. What you do with that knowledge and those skills is now really up to you," said President Robert Pura, who used a story of his father to illustrate the importance of working hard while also finding balance in life.
"I do not underestimate how difficult a task all of this will be in this country and in this economy — but that is my challenge to you," he said. "I do have great faith in each one of you. Besides, you will have the rest of your life to work at it." Student speaker Erik Risinger, who will attend the University of Massachusetts in the fall, likened the future to a new product all of his peers had just purchased.
"Your future is, after all, only a container ... what you put there is up to you," he said. "Please enjoy it, use it responsibly and don't be afraid to test its limits, because it has none."
And Anne Wiley, a retiring psychology and gender and women's studies professor, told students to "create hope" in the world — despite the many challenges that they will face. She urged them to be activists for increasing funding for public higher education and preserving face-to-face education in a growing world of large online courses.
Commencement festivities started on Friday with a nurses pinning ceremony — an annual event that symbolizes those students' entrance into the profession.
Awards:
Art Department "Medici" Award: Crystal Atramor and Marita Bianchi Business and Information Technology: Mike Churchill Criminal Justice: Jamal Holland Drama Award: Emily Eaton Early Childhood Education: Sherri Goodwin Liberal Arts/English: Samantha Tan Supnet International Student Scholastic Achievement Award: Iancu Placinta Liberal Arts/Music: Kate McDougall For excellence in nursing care: Mandy Duncan For academic excellence nursing: Kelly Doyle Donald Oberacker Liberal Arts/ Science: Taylor Cook, Michael Roberts, Kathryn Lauer, Andrew Frere Liberal Arts: Andrew M. Curran Peer Tutoring Programs Graduating Tutors 2013: Tigran Ayrapetyan, Mariah Black, Matthew Brown, Megan Burgielewicz, Fabio Dallorto, Christine Daugherty,KellyDoyle,MandyDuncan, Christopher Farr, Andrew Frere, Sarah Frisch, Andrew Gaspari, Michelle Glabach, Ashley Jobst, Kathryn Lauer, Tracey Lawler, Isolina Leiva Bowes, Christie Lemerise, Anthony Leonard, Ryan MacKinnon, Phillip Montaño, Joseph Nickerson, Jason Raymond, Erik Risinger, Michael Roberts, Megan Russell, Abdourahmane Sarr, Evelyn Stankowski, Samantha Tan Supnet, Jonathan Whitcomb, Rose Whitcomb-Detmold The Walter M. Taylor Award: Shannon Coskran The Charles Green Award: Abbigail Cushing, Ashley Sears , Will Collins
Class of 2013

Meaghan Ahearn

Sheena M Alexander

Scott A Allison

Vanessa L Ames

Hattie L Archbald

Crystal Atramor

Samantha G Aube

Cody T Austin

Tigran Ayrapetyan

Vera Ayrapetyan

Dexter Babione-Putnam

Katie M Bachinski

Lynn M Baker

Helaina Y Balcanoff

Andrei Banari

Gina M Bartolo

Oleg N Barun

Douglas G Beach

Dylan A Belknap-Lerner

Amanda J Bell

Youssef Benhatira

Lauretta M Bete

Ryan D Bete

Marita K Bianchi

Jason Bienvenue

Nina N Bisnette

Mariah L Black

Elizabeth M Boliver

Steven M Booth

Ashley L Bordner

Kimberly A Bowler

Amber Boyle

Johnathan D Bratton

Courtnie Brooks

Barbara J Broussard

Matthew C Brown

Alexander W Buedinger

Jamie D Buffa

Bethany L Burdick

Nathanael R Burgess

Megan A Burgielewicz

Allan H Burrage

Melissa A Campbell

Bridie Carmichael

Melissa J Carson

Kyle J Carvalho

Heather Cassady

Joshua M Castillo

Amanda J Chapin

Jennifer L Christian

Michael J Churchill

Martin E Ciernia

Ellemir L Cignoni

Shelby M Class

Mary Kate Classey

Daniel J Cleary

Nicholas J Clough

Charles J Cohen

Alyssa B Collins

William C Collins

Craig A Connett Jr.

Kara L Cook

Taylor S Cook

Christine M Cortright

William B Crawford

Kerri L Cross

Amy A Cuff

Andrew M Curran

Abbigail N Cushing

Fabio Dallorto

Milissa Daniels

Kyle M Dargis

Deborah R Darling Raphael

Christine E Daugherty

Evan S Davies

John F Day

Gina L Delfino

Matthew M Demarco

Andrea M Dennett

Saphrona A Denney

Stacy B Dennie

Kalpana Desai

Heather L Desrosiers

Jozlin E Diaz-Patterson

Kareem A Dieng

Makayla L Dolhenty

Andrea M Doucette

Doris M Douglas

Shelby A Downey

Kelly M Doyle

Robert A Dragone

Laura M Drumheller

John J Duffy

Kalina L Duncan

Mandy L Duncan

Patricia L Dunn

Alyssa L Dwyer

Robert J Eagles

Emily E Eaton

Jill A Eaton

Michael J Edmonds

Jared A Englehardt

Alexandra R Euvrard

Grace Evangelista

Karen J Everett

Samantha A Fabian

Christopher A Farr

William A Farris

Shanti A Ferrini

John Ferriter

Jillian M Finck

Anthony D Flematti

Will T Fletcher

Jackson E Fleury

James D Flynn

Terrance P Foley

Jon Foster

Wendy A Fournier

MacKae E Freeland

Andrew J Frere

Sarah M Frisch

Derek L Fritz

Alexander J Fullerton

Christina E Gallison

Lucas M Gary

Andrew L Gaspari

Rowan S Gay

Jesse L Gexler

Kimberly A Gibowicz

Michelle R Glabach

Kristin Goddu

Robert S Goodnow

Andrew J Goodreau

Sherri M Goodwin

Dylan J Gordon

Jennifer L Gould

Taylor A Granger

Danielle K Grenier

Danielle N Griffin

John L Griffin

Hope Griffis

Michael Griswold

Chelsea E Grybko

Natalia Gutsa

Matthew R Hale-Howe

Owen R Harrington-Woodard

Cheavon A Hatch

Rebecca L Hatch

Melissa A Hathaway

Danielle M Hawley

Bryan Hayes

Richard R Hebert

Bryon S Hefner

Tiffany M Henry

Jake W Hoak

Thomas W Hodsdon

Jamal S Holland

Kasey R Holland

Jordan W Holloway

Rebecca L Holloway

Steven M Holloway

Jacquelyn K Houghton

Emma N Howard

Christopher J Howe

Joseph A Huerta

Angela I Hyrne

Alexander J Indyk-Zapka

Benjamin J Interlande

Austin R Jacobs

Melissa Jacoby

Christopher N Jennison

Ashley A Jobst

Samantha N Johnson

Emily C Juster

Redwan Z Kabbout

Anthony Kanaley

Michael Kappenman

Marci L Katz

Eric J Keenan-Gray

Sheila A Kelliher

Stephanie A Kellogg

John M Kennedy

Susanna S Khasanova

Nathaniel Z King

Annelise M Kloster

Rebecca L Kolosewicz

Crystal L Koncz

Rebecca D Krause

David J Kris

Courtney Krzanowski

Lucas B Kubisch

Jennie L Ladew-Duncan

Aaron R Lafrenaye

Paul H Landry

Nixo D Lanning

Pamela S Lapierre

Katie L LaPlante

Kathryn R Lauer

Tracey M Lawler

Graham C Lawson

JinKwang Lee

Isolina Leiva Bowes

Christie A Lemerise

Darren M Lenois

Anthony D Leonard

Morgan W Leonard

Asha G Letendre-Cahillane

Stacie F Lewandowski

Dylan W Limoges

Brandon S Lively

Diana M Lorenzo

Raylene P Lotz

Carly A Lovrien

Christopher J Lovrien

Julian Lowenthal

Aaron D Mackenzie

Ryan G MacKinnon

Patrick S MacNab

James Maes

Christopher A Malo

Leo T Mammarella

Parker Manning

Michael C Mansfield

George P Marchacos

Mary Marchefka

Amber L Marshall

Emma Marsters

Emily A Martelle

Adam R Martin

Jarod D Martin

Kimberly A Martin

Darrell J Massa

Elizabeth A Mathews

James E Mawson

Justin H Maynard

Aiyana A McConnell-Beepath

Kate F McDougall

Douglass C McGill

Charlotte L McKee

Edythe McKee

Hazen T McKinney

Christopher R McMahon

Amanda L Mehr

Christopher M Merrigan

John A Mielnikowski

Joshua L Mills

Margaret J Milotte

Scott J Miner

Martha Mitchell

Christopher J Monasterski

Phillip J Montano

Campbell W Morgan

Lisa Morrin

Sharon E Nagle

Erkin E Nasar

Alexander M Newman

Joseph H Nickerson

Christopher M Noble

Rachael S Nordstrom

Alexander S Norwood

Sebastian Ohm

Edwin A Osorio

Christopher D Overstreet

Alisha C Parent

Timothy D Parent

Adria L Paulson

Crystal Ann M Payant

Nicholas M Pekar

Jennifer M Penza

Roy A Perdue

Carlyn R Perry

Savanna T Pescosolido

Ethan S Phelps

Iancu Placinta

Alina V Popusoi

Vladislav V Popusoi

Rachel Porter

Ursula M Posl

Michael Posnik

Kyle R Pouliot

Brent T Prescott

Tatiana Quintana

Zoe M Rae

Adriano A Randi

Eileen M Rauch

Jason R Raymond

Kathleen E Reed

John I Rees

Chloe C Reid

James E Rejniak

Melissa Rennie

M. Diane Reynolds

Erik A Risinger

Cameron J Roach

Michael D Roberts

Shenee J Robinson

Wilmary M Rodriguez

Hillary J Rogers

Emily R Rowell

Jason Russell

Megan C Russell

Shelby J Sadler

Allura M Sanderson

Abdourahmane Sarr

Maggie K Schiller

Andrew Schmidt

Eric P Schmidt

Lacey K Schmit

Samantha J Schouler

Jonathan D Schwaiger

Ashley Sears

HollyMarie Sevene

Ashley M Shaffer

Jennifer D Shaw

Patrice M Shelkey

Alexandra B Sherman

Taylor Shulda

Mikhail I Sineokov

Daniel J Sintoni

Sarah L Skiffington

Michael A Smith

Rebecca J Smith

Colin A Sohn

Laura A Sokolosky

Katherine E Soper

Kim Soule

Daniel L Spector

Evelyn P Stankowski

Maria A Steriti

Gerri S Stetson

Jack L Stewart

Albert W Stone

Caleb Stone

Lynnette K Stribley

Ashley M Sturgeon

Samantha T Supnet

Alyssa A Sutton

Kimberleigh J Swasey

Ilene J Sweeney

Brandon M Sylvester

Hillary E Szteliga

Rita J Tauscher

Andrew G Teagno

Hilary Terapane

Joshua C Therien

Robert G Tobin

Eric M Toia

Jake Tourville-Thibault

Stephanie L Townsley

Jillian M Tozloski

Nicole Truman

Yen P Ung

Austin J Urkiel

Samuel A Urkiel

Julie A Vanasse

Brian A VanGuilder

Ashley Vaughn

Michael D Vear

Frank C Waldron

Oliver A Walz

Henry T Ward

Keira P Welikadage

Alex J Westfall

Jonathan A Whitcomb

Rose Whitcomb-Detmold

Robert E Whitney

John Wickline

Frank M Wieden

Ariel Wigdor

Colin Willey

Paul C Williams

Jessica L Williams-Flowers

Chelsea Wills

Samantha G Wondoloski

Noreen F Woodruff

Heather L Wozniak

Alicia B Wrisley

Jeongha Yoo

Michael J Zimmerman

Christopher S Zuron