'Say Yes To Opportunities': Salem State Graduates Embrace Future

SALEM, MA — Amya Enlow told her fellow graduates to create opportunities — not simply wait for them — as she spoke to one of three Salem State University commencements where 1,583 degrees were bestowed this weekend.

SSU held its 215th commencement Friday and Saturday with 438 degrees awarded to graduates of the Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services, 575 degrees awarded to graduates of the Bertolon School of Business and College of Arts and Sciences, and 570 degrees awarded to graduates of the the McKeown School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences.

"Today, I stand before you as a composition of ideas, encouragement, and investments made by so many people, including all of you," Enlow, a political science major, told the Bertolon School of Business and College of Arts and Sciences graduates. "And if I can offer any steadfast advice from this journey, it's to say 'yes' to opportunities, because you never know where they might lead."

Christopher DaSilva, a criminal justice major, told the Maguire Meservey graduates: "This moment is the collection of years of dedication, countless late nights, moments of doubt, and, ultimately, perseverance. Each of us has taken a unique path to arrive at this very moment, and today, we stand together, stronger than ever, ready to take on the next chapter of our lives."

The school said Friday’s ceremony was celebrated in unique fashion by the Goncalves family, who got to celebrate the graduation of media and communication graduate Sydney Goncalves with the return of her brother, Tyller, from his active deployment in the United States Air Force.

Friday’s ceremony was also paused during the conferring of degrees to recognize and honor Tam Nhi Le, an international graduate student who passed away last November. Her degree was posthumously awarded to her family, who traveled from Vietnam to witness themoment and accept the degree on her behalf.

Deborah Mariano, principal of KIPP Academy Lynn Middle School, said during the McKeown School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences that the completion of her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in educational leadership marked the end of a journey that began a dozen years ago, when she first started at Salem State University as an undergraduate student.

"Today marks the end of my final Viking voyage as an educational leadership graduate, closing a chapter that began all the way back in 2013—when I stepped onto this campus as a young girl with a dream, just hoping to become someone who could make a difference," Mariano said. 'I never could have imagined all the versions of myself I would become along the way — student, autism advocate, proud mom of two beautiful boys, and today, a newly appointed middle school principal.

"As we graduate today, I want to leave you with one truth I've learned along the way: Every version of you — the dreamer, the doubter, the fighter — deserves a seat at the table. Don’t shrink who
you are to fit where you’re going. Whether you're stepping into a classroom, a boardroom, or somewhere brand new — bring all of you with you."

(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.)