St. Joseph's College students graduate

St. Joseph's College

Stats: 776 graduates:

Commencement speaker: Peter Barnett, who went from being a religion professor to helping the poor as executive director of Wyandanch Homes and Property Development Corp. "By earning your bachelor's degree, you are in an elite group because just 16 percent of all the people in Suffolk have this degree . . . You have a social obligation to use your education, your talents, and your wisdom to create positive change . . . If you are open to helping others with your talents and abilities, you may go in a whole new direction in your life."

Undergraduate speaker: Cassandra Barcia, 23, of Ridge. "Let us not take for granted the easy access we have to knowledge; let us transform knowledge into wisdom . . . Now is the time to renew our commitment to live in the active voice . . . Let us become our degree. Let us remember to live with our values always."

Cori Cronin, 32, Mastic Beach

Bachelor's in organizational management