34 Waterford Residents Graduate From UConn

Hundreds of graduate students were presented with diplomas at the university’s graduate commencement Saturday afternoon at .

The graduates, most of whom came from the university’s business school or teaching program, spanned a range of ages, interests, degrees and career goals. While many of the students enrolled in their post-graduate programs right after getting their bachelor's degrees, many, including Edilia Mora, postponed their advanced degrees.

“It’s just wonderful,” said Mora, who got her master's degree in business administration. “I actually stopped when I had my baby, so this was a goal for me.”

At the ceremony, UConn President Susan Herbst presented two influential scholars with honorary doctorate degrees from UConn. Herbst honored Thomas Pogge, a philosopher and international human rights advocate. Herbst said UConn emphasizes the importance of studying human rights, and soon will be the only public research university to have a human rights major.

The second person to receive an honorary doctorate Saturday was Robert Gallo, a virologist who discovered that HIV was the cause of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Gallo was the keynote speaker for the ceremony.

Gallo, whom Herbst introduced as someone who “tirelessly devoted [his] life and career to fighting AIDS,” said in his speech that every scholar — not just those in the sciences — has the opportunity to improve the world and rid it of epidemic diseases like AIDS. His research, he said, spans all academic interests and research.

“Science does not flourish in unfairness,” Gallo said, adding that the “heaviness of life” would not be bearable without the “beauty and imagination” provided by those devoted to the arts and humanities.

Gallo, a Connecticut native, emphasized the importance of being adaptable and cooperative and told the graduates not to be afraid of failing.

“Anyone productive ... has failed many times,” Gallo said.

Students graduating with a doctorate of pharmacy had a separate ceremony Saturday, as did undergraduates from UConn’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the School of Engineering and the School of Fine Arts.

Undergraduates in UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduate Sunday, along with graduates of the Neag School of Education and the School of Business. A full schedule of UConn’s graduation ceremonies can be found online.

Here is the full list of all the people from Waterford who graduated from the university this weekend:

Ariana Tousae Abreu, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Nicholas Joseph Alfera, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Jonathan Casey Bidwell, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Bryan Patrick Bowyer, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Gus Campos, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Christopher John Dipollina, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Davin Antonio English, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Mantha Fotiadis, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Katharine E. Gomes, Bachelor of General Studies, Waterford

Emily Margaret Haire, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Christian Francis Hendry, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Tiffany Marie Jamon, Bachelor of General Studies, Waterford

Kevin Scott Johnson, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Danielle Marie LaFleur, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Allegra Lynn Levine, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Robert Thomas Mayo, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Patrick Thomas Neilan, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Krista Marie Pupillo, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Miguel Angel Ramirez Jr., Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Joshua Kristopher Ritchie, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Veronica Rose Rollinson, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Alexandra Walker Schoenberger, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Jennifer Lee Ward, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Ashley Beth West, Bachelor of Arts, Waterford

Paul C. Yeomans, Bachelor of General Studies, Waterford

Leonie Yunyi Zhang, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Waterford

Li Mei Zhang, Bachelor of Science, Waterford

Igor Anisimov, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Quaker Hill

Stephany Faye Briggs, Bachelor of Arts, Quaker Hill

Abigail Anne Dunbar, Bachelor of Arts, Quaker Hill

Michael Stephen McGarry, Bachelor of Arts, Quaker Hill

Joseph Anthony Podurgiel, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Quaker Hill

Ryan Michael Todd, Bachelor of Arts, Quaker Hill

Katie Melinda Wild, Bachelor of Arts, Quaker Hill