Local Students Earn Academic Honors

Riffe of Jamaica Plain Named to Emerson College Dean’s List

Hannah Riffe, a resident of Jamaica Plain, MA, has been named to the Emerson College Dean’s List for the Spring 2019 semester. Riffe is majoring in Theatre Studies: Acting and is a member of the Class of 2019. The requirement to make Emerson’s Dean’s List is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher.

Local Students Graduate from Bridgewater State Univ.

BRIDGEWATER – Bachelor’s degrees in the arts, sciences, business and education were awarded to approximately 2,100 graduates during Bridgewater State University’s 178th Spring Commencement Convocation on Saturday, May 18 on the Boyden Quadrangle. Local graduates include Renadi Durosier and Michael McNeil of Jamaica Plain.

 Undergraduate majors from the Ricciardi College of Business, College of Education & Allied Studies, and the Bartlett College of Science & Mathematics were awarded their degrees during the morning ceremony while graduates in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences received their diplomas in the afternoon.

 Martin J. Walsh, mayor of Boston, addressed graduates during the morning ceremony and received an honorary degree while U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey delivered the commencement address and will received an honorary degree at the afternoon ceremony. 

Mayor Walsh is Boston’s 54th mayor. His agenda has focused on strengthening Boston Public Schools by expanding pre-kindergarten and extended learning time. He has been a champion of social justice, creating programs aimed at ending veteran and chronic homelessness and closing racial achievement gaps. He has led Boston to the forefront of the global innovation economy, helping attract industry-leading companies to the city. Before being elected mayor, he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and headed the Building and Construction Trades Council.

 Sen. Markey has served the residents of Massachusetts in the United States Congress for more than 40 years. He is a national leader and author of some of the most important laws in the areas of energy, the environment and telecommunications policy, and has been a powerful voice for transitioning the U.S. economy to clean and sustainable energy resources and mitigating the consequences of climate change. Sen. Markey served in the U.S. Army Reserve and for two terms at the Massachusetts State House before being elected to Congress. 

Distinguished Service Awards were also presented at both ceremonies. In the morning, Dr. Lisa Battaglino, retiring dean of BSU’s College of Education & Allied Studies, was recognized for her efforts while Marquis Taylor, founder and CEO of Coaching4Change, based in Taunton, was presented the award in the afternoon. 

Lucas Bentes of Milford, a management and marketing major, delivered the student address at the morning ceremony and Gwendolynne Weissinger of Northbridge, a psychology major, addressed her fellow graduates in the afternoon.

Local Students Graduate from Emerson College

On Sunday, May 12, Emerson College awarded more than 970 undergraduate degrees and on Saturday, May 11, awarded nearly 300 graduate degrees during the College’s Commencement ceremonies.

Isaac Nelson from Jamaica Plain graduated from Emerson College, receiving a BA in Media Arts Production. Nelson completed the degree in December 2018 and was honored on Sunday, May 12, during commencement.

Hannah Riffe of Jamaica Plain graduated from Emerson College, with a BA degree in Theatre Studies: Acting.

Nicole Lawrence of Jamaica Plain graduated from Emerson College, with a BFA degree in Creative Writing BFA.

Award-winning journalist, speaker, and author Soledad O’Brien received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and delievered the undergraduate commencement address. Award-winning scholar and writer Nell Irvin Painter, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and theatrical producer Jose Antonio Vargas, and President of Miami Dade College Eduardo J. Padron also received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees.

About Emerson College Located in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has 3,750 undergraduates and 750 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 80 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is known for its study and internship programs in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic. A new, permanent facility on Sunset Boulevard for its L.A.-based program opened in January 2014. The College has an active network of 39,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit www.emerson.edu.  

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