Salem State University To Celebrate Graduates At 215th Commencement

SALEM, MA — Salem State University will be packed with celebration and achievement this weekend as the school holds three commencement ceremonies with 1,583 degrees awarded during its 215th commencement exercises.

The ceremonies will take place on Friday and Saturday, with graduates from 21 countries and ranging in age from 19 to 70 years old.

The Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services commencement will be on Friday at 10 a.m. The Bertolon School of Business will hold its commencement on Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. and the McKeown School of Education will host its ceremony on Saturday at 10 a.m.

The College of Arts and Sciences is spread across the second and third ceremonies.

The third ceremony will include the awarding of an honorary degree to commencement speaker Carlos Santiago, former commissioner of the state Department of Higher Education.

Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services:

• Ceremony Date: Friday, May 16, from 10 a.m. – noon.
• Student Address: Christopher DaSilva ’25, criminal justice
• National Anthem Singer: Alondra Pena ’25, nursing
• Number of Undergraduate Degree Recipients: 277
• Number of Graduate Degree Recipients: 161
• Total Number of graduates: 438
• New Double Vikings: 58
• Number of countries represented: Three (China, El Salvador, Uganda)
• Number of states represented outside Massachusetts: Eight (California, Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Texas)
• Degrees awarded: Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice and Spanish, Healthcare Studies, Healthcare Studies and Spanish, and Occupational Health Studies; Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Bachelor of Social Work; Master of Science - Criminal Justice and Occupational Therapy; Master of Science in Nursing; and Master of Social Work

Bertolon School of Business, and College of Arts and Sciences:

• Ceremony Date: Friday, May 16, from 3 – 5 p.m.
• Student Address: Amya Enlow ’25, political science
• National Anthem Singer: Abrianna Madden ’25, music
• Number of Undergraduate Degree Recipients: 479
• Number of Graduate Degree Recipients: 96
• Total Number of graduates: 575
• New Double Vikings: 48
• Number of countries represented: 16 (Albania, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Greece, Haiti, India, Iran, Israel, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Viet Nam)
• Number of states represented outside Massachusetts: 17 (California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Washington)
• Degrees awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Art, Dance, Economics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Theatre Arts; Bachelor of Liberal Studies in Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies; Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts; Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Economics, Fire Science Administration, Information Technology, Media and Communication, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology; Bachelor of Science in Business Administration; Master of Business Administration; and Master of Science in Accounting, Behavior Analysis, Counseling, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology

McKeown School of Education, and College of Arts and Sciences:

• Ceremony Date: Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. – noon.
• Commencement Speaker, Honorary Degree Recipient: Carlos Santiago, Commissioner Emeritus, Mass. Board of Higher Education
• Student Address: Deborah Mariano ’25G, educational leadership
• National Anthem Singer: Natalie Vienneau ’28, biology
• Number of Undergraduate Degree Recipients: 306
• Number of Graduate Degree Recipients: 264
• Total Number of graduates: 570
• New Double Vikings: 115
• Number of countries represented: Seven (Albania, Chile, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria)
• Number of states represented outside Massachusetts: 16 (Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington)
• Degrees awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Biology, English, Geography, History, World Languages and Cultures; Bachelor of Science in Biology, Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, Chemistry, Education, Geography, Geological Sciences, Mathematics, and Sport and Movement Science; Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership; Master of Arts in English, History; Master of Arts Teaching in English, English to Speakers of Other Languages, History, Mathematics, Middle School Mathematics, Physical Education, and Spanish; Master of Arts/Master of Arts Teaching in English; Master of Science in Athletic Training, Geo-Information Science, and Mathematics; and Master of Education in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Higher Education in Student Affairs, Leadership in Physical Education and Movement Studies, Library Media Studies, Reading, School Counseling, Secondary Education, and Special Education.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)