Graduation 2022: Students garnered a record $35 Million in scholarships

On June 8th 130 members of the Class of 2022 and their families joyously celebrated their graduation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, continuing this 113-year-old tradition.
Mistress of ceremonies Ms. Rosemary Eivers greeted everyone and introduced Hazel De Lara ’23 to sing the National Anthem with Ms. Perry’s American Sign Language – 4 class signing along. 
This year’s Commencement Speaker Ursula Burns ’76, the former CEO of Xerox, addressed the Class of 2022. Ms. Burns shared how quickly the last 46 years have moved for her and advised the graduates to slow down and savor each day. She reminisced about her time at CHS remarking, “the one thing I learned at Cathedral, the education that I received at this school was the foundation for my whole life.” She continued that “Cathedral provided a solid education, the best foundation, respect for others and ourselves, and how to be a woman among women.” And that “your role in the world as a woman starts today. It is so different [than my time] and so fundamentally different than the role of men. [Your] responsibility is higher, [your] needs and calls are higher, you will need to stand up in a differentiated way.” She asked the graduates not to be discouraged by the world we live in and reminded them that  “you have a responsibility to save the world. Improve the world. You have to be a good person before you are a successful person before you are a powerful person.”
 Valedictorian Jocelyne Villatoro and Salutatorian Zemira Meade spoke of their Cathedral experience and how despite a global pandemic, the class of 2022 rose to the occasion. They both offered inspirational messages to the graduating class. Jocelyne will study at New York University and Zemira will be attending Colgate University. The Class of 2022 was recognized with over 100 awards and honors, with acceptances to 213 colleges and 402 scholarships exceeding $35 million. 
Principal Maria Spagnuolo spoke of the Class of 2022’s tenacity and grit, perseverance and resolve, and courage and optimism. “Your resilience, strength, and compassion are all the beautiful qualities that make you, you, and got you here today.”
You can watch the graduation ceremony here: https://youtu.be/GyUuurFPpPI