Stockton Graduation Filled With Music, Advice From Speakers

's Sports Center was filled on Sunday morning for the first of two graduation ceremonies, with faculty, administration, and guests gathered to praise the accomplishments of the Stockton Class of 2012, as well as to give some advice.

Stockton's President, Herman Saatkamp, started the morning off with a brief speech about unemployment, citing statistics that favor the recent graduates: People with bachelor's degrees have drastically smaller unemployment figures than those with high school diplomas or associate's degrees, he said.

"The best thing about graduating is knowing this is the last boring lecture you'll have to see," said Michael Frank, president of the faculty senate. "The faculty is proud of you...may you always think of Stockton as your school."

Joseph Everett, the valedictorian for the morning ceremony, who is engaged to Stockton's other valedictorian from the afternoon ceremony, Sandy Zaher, spoke about change, resisting the status quo, and being willing to really take a look at one's self in the mirror.

"We have all changed in some way while at Stockton," he said. "The most beautiful thing about being a human being is that we can change ourselves."

He implored his classmates to focus on change in their own personal lives.

"Today I'm going to look inside and be a better human being...now that's change we can believe in," he said.

Among the graduates on Sunday morning was Robert Barber, a Galloway resident who graduated from  in 2008.

"It feels awesome," he said. "It feels like a weight lifted off my shoulder...it was a great experience and I met a lot of people."

Barber, an accounting major, has an internship at Ford & Scott in Ocean City lined up for the summer.

Among the other speakers at the event were Kevin DeSanctis, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Revel Entertainment Group and Harvey Kesselman, Provost and Executive Vice President of Stockton College.

Marissa Moore, one of the day's graduates, performed the school's alma mater, "Our Stockton," and faculty and administration walked out to the music of a live solo bagpipe performance.