Non-Traditional Grad to Highlight Purchase Commencement

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SUNY Purchase’s 40th annual commencement ceremony at the Westchester County Center on May 18, 2012 will salute the 1,100 graduates; bestow honorary degrees upon celebrities; recognize distinguished alumni and congratulate three graduates for student excellence.  

But the unsung hero at the event may well be White Plains resident and student commencement speaker, Fernando Octavio Gonzalez.

This 29-year-old veteran grew up in Florida. He dropped out of a Florida State University and joined the U.S. Army Reserves, where he became a chemical operations specialist and sergeant while on active duty in Iraq in 2006 -2007.

His job was to identify hazardous materials then dispose of them. Back from Iraq, Gonzalez joined the work world. Always fascinated with computers, he landed a job with Apple, Inc. in Florida and was then assigned to help open and work in the new glass-box stores in Manhattan. Meanwhile, as a reservist, he continued to train other soldiers to do what he did in Iraq.

When Gonzalez’s fiancé was accepted to study law in Westchester, he looked around at nearby colleges. He liked Purchase College because of its relatively small size, and the friendliness of students and staff, so he enrolled in 2009. He also found appealing the college’s study abroad program in Japan. As a child, he had been inexplicably drawn to Japanese culture and language. Clearly, he felt it was an opportune time to apply for admission and take advantage of the new GI bill to pay his tuition.  

Once a student at Purchase, he studied in Japan for a semester at Kansai Gaidai University, greatly enriching his studies in history and political science. His senior project focuses on Chinese immigrants to California in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

“Beyond consistently making the dean’s list, Fernando participated in the community, on campus (history club, teaching assistant, study abroad program events) and off campus (US Army Reserves Tactical Psychological Operations Company, International Law Society),” said Jason Alt, director of Student Life and Community Partnerships at Purchase.  

Gonzalez was chosen as one of four finalists to give the student commencement speech and was ultimately selected because “the selection panel connected with him on a human level and appreciated his sincere and humble nature,” said Alt.

“I’m very proud to have been selected,” said Gonzalez. “I whole heartedly embrace the learning experience and campus life at Purchase, and am forever in debt to and connected to my professors.”  

Gonzalez has applied to the Teach for America program, and may commit to teaching low-income students next year.

Honorary Degrees, Distinguished Alumni and Chancellor Award Students

At the Purchase College commencement, honorary degrees this year will be bestowed upon Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter and playwright, perhaps best known for the Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning TV series, The West Wing;  and his academy award winning film, Social Network, which reveals the story behind the founding of Facebook.  

Elizabeth J. McCormack, former president of Manhattanville College, will also be honored for her lifelong career in education and philanthropy. She has chaired the Asian Cultural Council since 1992, and currently serves on the boards of the Population Council, The Juilliard School, the Trust for Mutual Understanding and Hamilton College.  

She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She formerly directed the Rockefeller Philanthropy office and continues  as a Philanthropic Advisor to members of the Rockefeller family.  

Distinguished alumni recognized this year are John Ambroseo, who graduated with a BA in chemistry in 1983 and eventually became president of Coherent, a laser-based technology company; and Ivan Menchell, also a 1983 graduate with a BA in drama and Fulbright fellow, who has written plays and musical adaptations for the stage, including “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Bonnie and Clyde”.

Winning the coveted Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence this year are: German Firmin, Erin Sullivan and Andy Archer.