Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- In the space where many graduates cheered on the Friars' basketball team over the past four years, family and friends saved their applause at the Dunkin' Donuts Center Sunday for the Providence College graduates themselves.

The mood was festive as graduates accepted their diplomas to claps, whistles and occasional yells, the center nearly filled to capacity.

Wanting to be sure to catch graduate Kevin Leonard's eye, the children in his family donned bright yellow T-shirts that bore the image of Leonard as a 4-year-old attending his own father's graduation from the New York Institute of Technology. "I saw them immediately," Leonard, a towering red head from long Island, N.Y., said.

Leonard hopes to put his bachelor of arts degree in English toward screenwriting, making the commencement address by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Martin J. Doblmeier particularly apropos.

Doblmeier, a '73 PC graduate, observed that many of the grads were teenagers when the Twin Towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001. But he forecast that coming of age at a time when the country is on a constant state of alert uniquely prepared them to meet the challenges of the world ahead. He urged them to listen to their gut and engulf themselves in a community they trust.

Indeed, the graduates were acutely aware of the challenges that loom.

Gabriella Ferriola, of Westerly, relished her diploma and the hard work it took to get to that point. She planned to substitute teach for the next month, and then, hopefully, land a permanent elementary school teaching post for the coming school year. "I hope I will get a job," the 22-year-old said, a flash of worry crossing her face.

But for Sunday, she planned to enjoy her achievement.

 Tags  Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence College

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