The Transformative Suffolk Experience

More than 2,000 Suffolk students walked across the stage at five commencement ceremonies last weekend to become the University’s newest alumni. In a weekend of celebrations that marked less of an end than a beginning, graduates described a life-changing Suffolk experience that prepared them well for the next steps in their journeys.

For graduates, Commencement Weekend sparked simultaneous reflection, anticipation, and gratitude. And for some, it stirred emotions as they realized just how transformational their Suffolk experience has been.

It was a weekend full of Suffolk stories. Tyler La’s journey from poverty in Vietnam to a podium before his fellow graduates is truly inspirational. Pui Yee Lo learned how to make opportunities happen by being fearless. Cherina Clark, a first-generation law student, was named “Law Student of the Year” by National Jurist.

Elainy Mata found the inner drive to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years. And Michael Bayeh found himself, as a graduate student, training a prominent surgeon at a world-renowned hospital.

Sawyer Business School speaker Carol Fulp noted that workplaces upended by the digital revolution require emotional intelligence that can’t be replicated by technology. Catherine D’Amato noted that life and careers are unpredictable, but a person’s core values can offer guidance along the way.

A society shifting its focus from the common good to individual gain, College of Arts & Sciences speaker Robert D. Putnam observed, demands “turnaround experts” able to reform and build new social institutions.

And the Law School speaker, Mayor Martin J. Walsh, declared that a government dedicated to partisan triumphs needs leaders who remember that law can change lives, particularly through the kinds of public service for which Suffolk Law grads are widely known.

As we send off this class of exceptional individuals to their next chapter, please join us in congratulating them. You can share a message using #Suffolk2017 or leave a comment on one of our many Commencement photos.