SUNY Orange celebrates 75th commencement

SUNY Orange graduates are young (and not-so-young) adultswho have authored their own stories and traveled distinctive paths to reach commencement.

The Thursday, May 22, graduation was SUNY Orange’s 75th.

The school submitted a few details of some individual stories:

Abigail “Jakoi” Jamieson, is a two-time scholarship winner who aspires to earn a Ph.D. degree in pharmacology.

Joe Pierro, 53, holds and bachelor’s degree and initially felt like a square peg in a round hole before being accepted by his younger classmates as he returned to the classrooms of SUNY Orange to pursue a cyber security degree.

Student speaker Brianna Reid accepted a liberal arts degree Thursday with plans to return to the College for an engineering degree.

Audra Relaford, at 31 weeks pregnant raced to the ceremony 90-minutes late due to a morning doctor’s appointment.

These are only a few graduates who brought their own stories to the college and continued them through graduation.

Commemorative coin

More than 450 gratuates walked in the ceremony, receiving a 75th anniversary commemorative coin in addition to their degree.

Pending certification of their transcripts, a total of 714 students are in line to complete degree requirements over the recently completed academic year.

Scheduled to be held outdoors on the Alumni Green, Commencement was moved indoors to the Physical Education Center due to rain and unseasonably cool temperatures. Despite the move, an estimated 2,500 friends and family members crowded into the gymnasium.

SUNY Orange President Dr. Kristine Young emceed the ceremony, with featured remarks from Reid and Charles Passarotti, assistant professor of architecture. Reid, of Middletown, was a winner of this year’s SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence while Passarotti received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The College was also honored to welcome Dr. Merryl Tisch, chair of the State University of New York Board of Trustees, who offered remarks during her first-ever SUNY Orange Commencement. County Executive Steve Neuhaus attended and addressed the graduates as well. But it was Reid who received the loudest ovation.

“I have been amazed by just how incredibly different, and perfectly made, each and every mind sitting across from me during a study session, or sharing a laugh in between homework sets, all eager to be heard, to share meaningful life experiences, to make a life-long connection,” Reid shared with her classmates. “If no one’s told you, let me be the first to thank you for your intimate moments of storytelling, for adding who YOU are to our world in a way only you can.”

Passarotti opened his speech by thanking some people who have been instrumental in his life’s journey as a student, architect and professor, and then urged the graduates to do the same. “To the graduating class I ask you to thank those who have helped you get here. Thank those who inspire you as role models. Thank those who helped you get out of your own way, or those who taught you to be patient with yourself. Thank those, like my sister, who maybe gave you that ‘swift kick’ that you needed to move forward. Even if they didn’t know it, I’m sure your family, friends, classmates, faculty or staff have impacted you in these ways. So, thank them by going on to greater things and by paying it forward, to believe in yourselves and the importance of what you have accomplished today at SUNY Orange and to use this as a foundation to build something great.”

For the past academic year, the College has been celebrating its 75th anniversary with a series of events designed for students, employees, retirees, alumni and the community-at-large. SUNY Orange will celebrate its 75th birthday on its Founder’s Day, Monday, June 9, one day after Young marks her 10th anniversary as the College’s president. She has been championing the College’s anniversary theme, “Transforming Lives for 75 Years” and on Thursday she offered her thoughts on how the graduates may have transformed during their time at the College.

Young speaks to the class of 2025

“You have earned a college degree. But that degree is more than a credential. It’s a reflection of how you’ve grown—not only in your area of study, but through the general education core that helped you think critically, question assumptions, and see connections across disciplines and perspectives. Those aren’t just academic exercises. They are how you clarify your purpose,” Young noted. “They are how you lead, how you listen, how you decide what matters and act on it—even when the conditions are murky. That’s what makes your education so powerful.”

Each year, SUNY Orange awards diplomas to students who earn Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees, while presenting graduation certificates to those who complete the College’s various certificate programs.

More details on grads:

Jamieson, of Cornwall, earned her Liberal Arts degree in Math and Science. She was recently recognized at the College’s Convocation ceremony with the prestigious Orange Ribbon Award, an honor she is especially proud of. She also received the Dr. Cortland R. Mapes Biology Scholarship and the Christine M. Morrison Scholarship. Jamieson served as president of both the Math and Chemistry Clubs, and as treasurer of the Outdoor Club. She plans to pursue a chemistry degree at the University at Albany and hopes to one day earn a Ph.D. in pharmacology abroad. Asked if she had any advice for incoming students, Jamieson said, “Expect anything. Do not be afraid to speak up because people will listen. I was so timid when I started (at SUNY Orange). Also, do not limit yourself because you have a lot of potential.”

Pierro, 53, of Middletown graduated with an Associate in Science degree in cyber security. He already holds a bachelor’s degree in film and broadcasting from Mount St. Mary College. “Working in IT, I felt I needed a degree in my field, and now I have my associate degree in cyber security,” Pierro said. “I was back in the classroom full time, feeling a little like a square peg in a round hole among students far younger than me, but they were very welcoming.”

The final graduate to cross the commencement stage was Audra Relaford, a Liberal Arts major whose journey to that moment was anything but ordinary. At 31 weeks pregnant, Relaford spent the morning in the emergency room due to medical concerns. Just hours later, she arrived at SUNY Orange with only minutes to spare, determined to walk across the stage. A first-generation college student, she had returned to the classroom after 11 years. “I had so much support,” Relaford said. “I was paralyzed by fear in the beginning, but I made it — and with honors, by the way.”

Angela Elia, SUNY Orange Information Technology Services support manager, opened the ceremony with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

SUNY Board Chair Dr. Merryl Tisch shared that her own grandmother did not speak English, then invited all first-generation college graduates to stand and be recognized. The audience responded with enthusiastic applause. It was a powerful moment that underscored how many students continue to represent this proud group.

Colin O’Dea, a graduate of Cornwall High School and resident of Woodbury, was presented his diploma by his father, Joe O’Dea, director of safety and security at SUNY Orange. The College encourages employees to present graduation awards to their children. A criminal justice major, Colin said, “It is heartwarming and such an honor to receive my diploma from my dad. I’d like to add I had a lot of great professors who have helped me acquire so much knowledge for my future.”

Adam McCarey, chair of the SUNY Orange Foundation Board of Directors, urged the graduates to “Do good. Be kind. Never forget to lend a helping hand to the person behind you.”

Commencement tidbits

· Graduates and graduate candidates for 2024-25 academic year: 714 [December 2024 graduates (140), May 2025 pending graduates (467), and August 2025 pending graduates (107)]

· Three students will graduate with perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point averages

· Fourteen graduates were members of the Honors Program

· There were 13 veterans among the graduates

· 17 were graduates of the Excelsior Academy [the collaborative P-TECH program at Newburgh North High School in partnership by SUNY Orange and IBM]

· Two students earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence [Sarah Calle Alvarado of Middletown and Brianna Reid of Middletown]