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Commencement marks new beginning for YSU
By BOB JACKSON
YOUNGSTOWN
Commencement signified more than just a beginning for the latest graduating class from Youngstown State University.
Scott R. Schulick, president of the university’s board of trustees, said it also marked a new beginning for the university itself, under the new leadership of president Dr. Cynthia E. Anderson, who took over the reins July 1 after the retirement of former president Dr. David Sweet.
Schulick said Anderson is the first woman, first YSU graduate and first Youngstown-area native to head the university. She is YSU’s seventh president and has chosen “student success and academic excellence” as the theme of her presidency, Schulick said.
“This is a special day for all of us,” Anderson said as she stepped to the podium during commencement exercises Saturday in YSU’s Beeghly Center. She pointed out that before becoming president, she spent 15 years as vice president for student affairs at YSU. In that capacity, she got to welcome the graduating class when they were incoming freshmen. And now as president, she was able to congratulate them on their graduation.
“We change lives,” Anderson said of the university. “We change communities, we open doors, and in come cases, we make dreams come true.”
Among the graduates was 23-year-old Michael Kachelries of Austintown, who received a bachelor’s degree in political science. Commencement wasn’t the only ceremony he was a part of on Saturday.
Kachelries said he’s active in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and that as soon as commencement ended, he was headed across campus to an ROTC ceremony during which he would be commissioned as a second lieutenant.
“I’m really excited to get through these ceremonies and start my new career,” he said.
Kachelries said he’ll return to YSU in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in business administration but ultimately wants to enroll in law school and enter a career working in the military’s Judge Advocate General Corps. He said the education he received at YSU will give him a solid foundation for future endeavors.
Christina Santiago, 30, of Youngs-town, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Like Kachelries, she intends to go on to law school.
“It’s a passion of mine,” Santiago said, standing in a hallway before the ceremony with her 7-year-old son, Julian. “I’ve had too many of my friends die at a young age. I’ve seen so much injustice. I just want to try to make things better.”
In the meantime, Santiago said she’s looking for a job as a paralegal with a local law firm.
The student speaker was Tiffany Talarico of Austintown, who received a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, with a minor in advertising and public relations. She encouraged her fellow graduates to thank the people who made their success possible, pursue a career in something they love doing, and always maintain a positive attitude.
C. Reid Schmutz, president of the YSU Foundation since 1989, was the keynote speaker and received an honorary doctorate of laws degree. He worked 25 years with the Standard Slag Co. of Youngstown, retiring as vice president of operations.
Schmutz said his career at Standard Slag taught him the value of teamwork, the need for “free and open communication from top to bottom,” and the importance of listening to others and respecting their ideas. He encouraged the graduates to apply those same principles in their post- college efforts.