More than 30 Bethel WestConn Students Graduate Over the Weekend

It was the professors that made Western Connecticut State University great, graduates said as they marched to receive their degrees during the graduation ceremony Sunday.

“The choir leader at my high school recommended it because of the voice faculty here,” said Jacquelyn Stearns, 21, of Old Saybrook, a music major. “I’m happy with the experience I had here. Next is auditions, grad school, a young artist program?”

She isn’t certain about tomorrow. Stearns mentioned Professor Margaret Astrup by name for thanks.

Matt Hennessy, 22, of Stratford, said he picked WestConn, because he was studying in high school with a graduate from the university.

“I heard really good things about the program. It really lived up to it,” Hennessy said.

Danbury’s Western Connecticut State University awarded roughly 1,000 undergraduate degrees Sunday under cloudy skies in front of a crowd of about 5,000 people.

Ariel Perez, 26, and Angelina Medina, 23, both from Danbury, graduated together, and plan to marry in July.

Medina graduated in secondary education and already interviewed for a job teaching Spanish. Perez works at the Savings Bank of Danbury, and he studied finance in hopes of advancing in his career.

The University also awarded Allan Houston, assistant general manager for the New York Knicks, an honorary degree for his philanthropic in founding the Legacy Foundation, which works to build strong families, entrepreneurship, education and life skills.

“Doctor Houston. I don’t know if I’ll get used to that,” Houston said in his graduation speech. Houston told students he is more than just the points he scored on the basketball court, and they are more than the jobs they’ll get.

Students were thinking about the jobs they might land in the future during graduation, but they were also thinking about what they were losing as they left the university.

“I’ll miss the experience with the friends and faculty I had,” said Samuel Blanchette, 21, of Shelton, who may return to WCSU for a second degree. He earned one in music, and he is considering returning for a second in accounting.

More than 25 students that graduated with Bachelor's degrees Sunday were from Bethel. Here's a list of their names and degrees:

Britney Adams

BA

Psychology

Michael Battista

BBA

Management

Christopher Becher

BS

Secondary Education/History

Jessica Bergstrom

BA

Anthropology/Sociology

Jignyesh Bhavsar

BBA

Finance

Alexandra Cameron-DeNigris

BS

Nursing

Jonathon Catino

BA

History

Adam Cefaloni

BBA

Management Information Systems

Thomas Conway

BBA

Management Information Systems

Gabriella De Abreu

BA

Media Arts

Melissa Garafola

BA

Biology

Arthur Garrison

BA

Economics

Michael Garrison

BBA

Accounting

Alexander Gentile

BBA

Management

Joseph Infurchia

BM

Music/Classical

Preetkamal Kaur

BA

Biology

Tyler Madwid

BBA

Management Information Systems

Kelly Martin

BA

Communication

Kayla Matthews

BA

History

Krista Mayer

BA

Psychology

Leslie Polseno

BA

Social Work

Berat Rifati

BBA

Accounting

Dea Rifati

BA

Chemistry

Salvatore Trichilo

BBA

Management

Ashley Veach

BA

American Studies/History

Travis Wolf

BBA

Management

Western Connecticut State University in Danbury also awarded about 165 graduate degrees Friday night, giving people a special reason to celebrate the end of the week.

For some students, the degree took more than six years to earn. Degrees were awarded in nursing, education, counseling, teaching, writing, arts, justice, health, and business.

Keynote speaker Stephen F. Angel, chairman, president and CEO of Praxair Inc., headquartered in Danbury, gave students dozens of things to consider as they prepare to leave school and start working. Among them, he said, “Prepare, prepare, prepare.”

He said when he looks for an employee, he wants to see a record of accomplishment, the ability to overcome obstacles, a modest upbringing, an edge and intellectual curiosity.

“Don’t press that send button on your computer,” Angel said. “Walk on down the hall. Call them up. You’ll have a far richer and greater exchange face to face.”

Angel joined Praxair in 2001, and prior to that he worked as general manager of GE's power equipment business, managing eight business units and six joint ventures in four countries. He is a member of the Business Roundtable and of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum.

Angel said in a jobs candidate, he is looking for a combination of self-confidence and humility. That balance is hard to find. He said he was told many times during his career about good employees, and in some cases he responded, “I wouldn’t know,” because the worker in question never spoke up for themselves. They were too quiet and not confident enough to speak.

Sometimes the hardest boss a person has is the one who teaches the most, Angel said.

“Work with people who will push you out of your comfort zone,” Angel said. He said ask for and give feedback. He said learning this skill takes years to develop. “It’s a vital skill.”

President James Schmotter, Ph.D., said to the students as the ceremony closed, “You will be looked at for leadership. Provide it.”

There were nine Bethel residents that achieved their masters degrees this year. Here is a list of their names and degrees: