SUNY Plattsburgh Confers Degrees on 1,000 Main, Queensbury Campus Graduates

SUNY Plattsburgh welcomed more than 1,000 students into its alumni association Saturday when they each crossed the dais during one of three ceremonies held at the field house representing the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, Health and Human Services, and the School of Business and Economics.

After a processional led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pipes and Drum, University President Alexander Enyedi began the proceedings by accepting the handcrafted mace from Dr. Mohamed Gaber, distinguished teaching professor of accounting, afforded the honor by being one of the university’s senior-most faculty members.

“It is my pleasure to welcome you to our 2025 spring commencement,” Enyedi told graduates, their families, friends, faculty and staff. After the Plattsburgh State Gospel Choir performed the National Anthem, Enyedi paid homage to the indigenous peoples on whose land SUNY Plattsburgh sits.

Honoring The Indigenous Peoples

“We must take time to acknowledge that our campus is situated on land that belongs to the Iroquois, Western Abenaki, Mohican and Mohawk peoples,” he said.

“We honor the original caretakers of this and surrounding land and offer respect to the Haudenosaunee, who are still here.

“This land and body of water, now known as Lake Champlain, was inhabited and nurtured by these peoples for thousands of years. We must do the same to nurture and protect this sacred land. This statement is a mere fraction of the steps needed to fight against systemic indigenous erasure,” he said.

“We are settlers on their land, and we strive to be accountable by remembering this history and cultivating respect in our relationships with our indigenous neighbors and the land.”

Enyedi recognized and asked to stand students graduating with honors as well as those actively serving in the military.

MSW Graduates Hooded

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Marcus Tye then presented master’s and bachelor’s candidates for degree conferral.

In addition to the master’s students whose degrees were conferred Saturday, SUNY Plattsburgh’s commencement season also included a milestone for the Queensbury branch campus, where the university conferred its first Master of Social Work degrees. Seventy-six students had been enrolled at the College of Saint Rose in its MSW program when it was shuttered this time last year.

In response, SUNY Plattsburgh created a new MSSW program, working alongside former Saint Rose faculty and state partners to ensure students could complete their degrees on time. A special hooding ceremony was held May 10 to mark their achievement.

“These were students who had their college close and were not sure what was next for them,” said Dr. Denise Simard, dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Services. “Our program was not yet approved (but) they trusted their faculty and us and today, they graduated. Pure joy.”

76-year-old Master’s Candidate

Included in the new MSW students was Marlene Countermine, a 76-year-old who began her college career in her 60s, first earning an associate’s degree from Hudson Valley Community College in May 2021 followed by her bachelor’s degree in social work from St. Rose. She crossed the stage at Queensbury and accepted congratulations from her son, SUNY Plattsburgh adjunct lecturer in English, Dr. Bradley Countermine.

Marlene told Spectrum News that she hopes to work in bereavement therapy.

As is custom, each of the three schools heard a representative from their graduating class. Speaking on behalf of the School of Arts and Sciences was Sushankita Rao; Jessica Mare addressed the School of Business and Economics; and Nikki Harrison represented Education, Health and Human Services.

Sushankita Rao

Rao, a biomedical sciences major from Pune, India, told her classmates, “As an international student, I am honored to represent not only my class but also the diverse global community that makes this institution so special.”

“I still remember my 18-year-old self, carrying two suitcases and traveling across the globe while pandemic protocols were still in effect,” she said.

“I arrived in Plattsburgh with a heart full of excitement and a fair amount of nervousness.”

A community advocate in Campus Housing and Community Living, Rao said it was through becoming a part of campus housing as a community advocate that she found her niche, meeting “the most amazing individuals who wanted to make a difference.

“So many memories have been etched on the walls of my dorm room as they gave me my best friend, without whom college would not have been the same,” Rao said. “I know each dorm room, every hallway, and the familiar corners of our dining halls echo with stories we will cherish for life.”

Rao told her classmates that commencement “is not just about earning our degrees — it’s about reflecting on the journey we embraced over the past four years and the people who shared it with us.

“While we celebrate today, it’s important to remember that graduation isn’t the end — it’s the beginning of a new phase,” she said. “With new opportunities come new and complex challenges that will test our patience. It is important to remember that in the end, everything will be alright. Roads never really end; they just lead to new paths.”

Jessica Mare

Mare, a Deer Park, N.Y., native and business administration and global supply chain management major, shared the traumatic story of the loss of her beloved aunt the first week of freshman year at a different school, which left her lost and shattered. She shared the story to impart the reality that “life will knock you around.”

“It’ll bring you to moments where you feel lost, where you lose someone dear to you, and when you wonder what your next step should be. In the end, you shouldn’t worry because you will always end up exactly where you’re supposed to be,” she said.

“Plattsburgh pulled me out of that lost feeling. Plattsburgh is about something else. It’s about the people. Not every school has the people who will truly support you, challenge you, make you feel like you belong. Plattsburgh gave me that; it gave me my people, my happiness, my hope, and pointed me in the right direction for the next chapter of my life. And I know I’m not alone in that. Many of us have found something here that changed us.”

As they leave SUNY Plattsburgh, Mare encouraged her classmates to not be afraid, to not hesitate.

“At the end of the day, the only thing truly standing between you and your dreams is the belief that you can’t achieve them. And we’ve already proven that we can.

“The world stands ready for us — our dreams, our ideas, our voices,” she said. “So embrace the failures, learn from every step, grow through every challenge and celebrate every victory. But above all, never forget where you started.”

Nikki Harrison

Harrison, a Fort Ann, N.Y., native majoring in childhood/special education, transferred to SUNY Plattsburgh to take advantage of the combined BS/MSEd program. As she introduced herself to her fellow EHHS classmates, she identified as a non-traditional student. As an older student, Harrison shared a quote she found particularly inspirational:

“The right doors won’t open for you until you are the version of yourself that’s supposed to walk through them.”

“You will do things in the time that is right for you,” she said. “When you think about wanting to reach that goal, understand that there is something more you need in order for that door to open. Maybe you need more life experience; maybe you need more practice. Maybe you need to have the time of your life living as a young adult, collecting the curiosities that life has to offer before you lock yourself into a career path for the next 30 years.

“Over and over again I have proved, in reflection, that I have opened doors in the time that was right for me.  Society tells us we need to do things on its timeline, but their timeline tries to make everyone fit into a box,” Harrison said. “Not all of us are meant to fit into a neatly packaged box wrapped with a bow. Some of us are meant to arrive in duct tape, frayed and late, but exactly where we need to be.”

Following the student speakers and the traditional turning of the tassels, led by Student Association President Kalema Gooding, Matthew Veitch ’94, president of the Plattsburgh Alumni Association, welcomed the new graduates to a global community of more than 74,000 alumni.

“Your connection to SUNY Plattsburgh doesn’t end today; it just takes a new form,” Veitch said.

As is tradition, each ceremony concluded with faculty, staff and students and guests exiting the gymnasium to cheers, celebration and the sounds of RCMP C-Division Pipes and Drums.

Commencement information, livestream archive, available at https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/commencement/index.html.

— Story, Photos by Associate Director of Communications Gerianne Downs