| 2010 Commencement | |
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Video Highlights Meet the Graduates Photos from the Journal Inquirer Irmgard Witenko Memorial Award Winner |
Article from the Hartford Courant Commencement Program Student Awards |
| A Day Of Celebration |
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Through song, story, and words of encouragement, Goodwin College's 2010 graduates found
inspiration in many forms as they received their diplomas on Sunday, June 13.
The college celebrated commencement in an afternoon ceremony, welcoming friends and family to join in honoring the graduates. 
Festivities included a special guest— Peter Yarrow, a title member of the legendary folk
trio "Peter, Paul, and Mary," received an honorary degree and serenaded the grads with a
pair of classic songs.
Yarrow opened with "Puff, the Magic Dragon," encouraging the graduates not to lose the innocence, sweetness, and hope that the song represents. He told the college not to measure successes in terms of wealth, power, or fame. "It will be the acts where that magic dragon, that little child in you, that belief, gets resurrected and recreated," Yarrow said. "Those moments when you will feel grateful, loving, that will be your triumph." Yarrow asked that the graduates not bow to cynicism and the doubts of others. A civil rights advocate and anti-bullying campaigner, he told the graduates that he has sung for presidents and royalty, but being at Goodwin to speak to the audience was very important. Yarrow closed with Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind," challenging the graduates to think about the words. "Become involved, engaged citizens of this world," Yarrow said. "We need you. I need you. Carry the torch of a commitment of a decent caring world, but also know that the most important aspect of your lives going forward is your ability to incorporate that innocence, that caring, that love, that sweetness. Don't let that die." Students and faculty members also spoke before the graduates, offering advice on appreciating the moment and their own personal stories of their Goodwin journeys. 
Valedictorian Melissa Romanchuk, who earned a degree in Medical Assisting, spoke of
her struggles as a single mother. She was successful working for a mortgage company,
but when the housing market plummeted, Romanchuk found herself without a job. A "C" student in high school, Romanchuk thrived at Goodwin, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and valedictory honors. She announced she will continue her education and told her fellow grads to be motivated rather than held back by a fear of failure. "We should not try to avoid fear, but rather learn how to positively respond to it, just as I have had to turn my crippling fear of public speaking into a fear that motivated me to stand up here today, doing something I never thought I could do, but that I know I will never forget," Romanchuk said. Hawah Randolph reflected on growing up in West Africa during the turmoil of Liberian Civil War. She has overcome the experiences and at the ceremony became the first graduate of Goodwin's new Criminal Justice program. 
Alumni speaker Donnette Martin, who
is now a faculty member of the College, shared her own story of hardship. Raised in
Jamaica, she took strength from her mother but found herself unloved and treated miserably
by other adults in her life, such as her father and grandmother. Martin said education
was her refuge, but her journey included being sold at the age of 16 to a man older
than her mother. Martin's life turned around when she met her husband. She credited her husband and her sons for supporting her, and purchased a seat in the Goodwin auditorium in their honor. Now, Martin has a master’s degree in health care administration and is an instructor at Goodwin. "Give of your time, talent and heart to those you encounter along the way." "As you journey forward, serve humanity by giving back," Martin advised the graduates. |back to top| 
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