00;00;00;12 - 00;00;31;19
Speaker 1
Welcome to the Providence College podcast. My name is Joe Carr. Today we will relive Commencement Weekend 2025 through the words of speakers who inspired us at a series of ceremonies and events celebrating our graduates. Let us begin with Friday night's on campus commencement ceremony for those receiving degrees from graduate programs and the School of Continuing Education. The commencement speaker was Michael A Cox, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department, a 1997 PC graduate.

00;00;31;22 - 00;00;39;26
Speaker 1
Commissioner Cox also received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree at the ceremony. Here is his address to the graduates.

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Speaker 7
Thank you, Provost Maxwell, for that gracious introduction, I want to acknowledge Father Sicard, Bishop Evans and the president, Alumni Association, Brian McManus, for this wonderful honor. And, of course, I want to congratulate the class of 2025. Please give yourself a round of applause for.

00;01;07;09 - 00;01;33;29
Speaker 7
You know, today is not only a day to celebrate your academic achievement, it's a cumulation of your years of studying, work, hard work, determination, and unwavering support from your families and your support network. You're probably wondering, on this day, probably one of the biggest days of your life, why in the world do you have a police officer standing here for you?

00;01;34;02 - 00;01;59;21
Speaker 7
Well, don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong, that's for sure. This is a pretty special day for you. And I am so honored to be here to share it with you. I come before you, not as someone who's worn the badge, but a person whose journey through Providence College was essential to me. Finding my purpose. My story is a reminder that our chosen path can lead to some pretty unexpected places.

00;01;59;23 - 00;02;28;03
Speaker 7
Teaching us lessons of resiliency, humanity, and the power of connection. I arrived in Providence in 1984. I know a few of you are one foreign born then, but as a day student with with a dream to be a basketball player, I soon realized that a bustling social schedule and irregular studying would not secure me an academic style scholarship, nor an athletic one.

00;02;28;05 - 00;02;53;17
Speaker 7
I was, it was a transformative, time for me, and it reshaped my priorities that I had in the world. Life led me to, transfer to the School of Continuing Education, where I inspired by. I was inspired by some brilliant professors who challenged my perspectives and ignited my thirst for knowledge. I came here tonight, and I didn't even know that one of those professors is still here.

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Speaker 7
Joseph. Gemma, I just want to say hello to you, sir. Thank you for all that.

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Unknown
You've done for me.

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Speaker 7
Yet life had even more to teach me in 1989, prompted by a trusted neighborhood police officer dedicated to community policing, I took a leap of faith and joined the Boston Police Department. I never expected to build a connection with law enforcement that extended beyond the concerns of crime. In countless conversations that were not about fear or crime, but about life, humor and hope, I found a mentor who saw something that in myself that I didn't even know when he often repeated that I would make a great police officer, I was intrigued and wondered, what in the heck is he talking about?

00;03;48;22 - 00;04;28;15
Speaker 7
I discovered in, in his eyes, he had a vision for me for service. A calling to give back, to make a difference, to earn a living through rewarding work. Taking this step and joining the police department allowed me to serve in the city of Boston during its some of its darkest time as a community. In an era when the homicide rate was the worst in the city's record history, I embraced every opportunity to protect and support those who who depended on the courage and compassion in moments of crisis.

00;04;28;17 - 00;05;06;19
Speaker 7
However, not every chapter of my journey was written in hope. 30 years ago this year, while working undercover in the Anti-Gang Violence Unit, I was pursuing a suspect in a home homicide case. In a tragic twist of faith fate, I should say, I was accidentally identified as the very individual that I was chasing in that moment, I experienced brutality, betrayal that shook the very core of my understanding of justice.

00;05;06;21 - 00;05;43;00
Speaker 7
I was beaten severely abandoned by those who swore to uphold the law. And faced with an unspoken code of retribution simply because I share the same skin color as the actual perpetrator. No one could ever endure. No one should ever endure such violent injustice. That experience painfully underscored that even in the most noble professions, at times, everyone could fall short of the ideals that they promised.

00;05;43;02 - 00;06;24;08
Speaker 7
And yet, within the darkness, I found the space for clarity. I learned that maintaining our integrity and compassion is more vital than ever in the face of institutional shortcomings. The human connections I forged reminded me that even when confronted with injustice, the values of empathy, fairness, and accountability must can guide us. Once I began to find myself, I spent the remainder of my career expanding professional development of police personnel, building strong cultural ties and connections to the community we serve.

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Speaker 7
I rose through the ranks of the Boston Police Department until I became the Chief of Police of the Ann Arbor Police Department in 2019, before finally returning home and being appointed the 44th Commissioner of the Boston Police Department in the year 2022. Today, our offices closely are closely connected to the community they serve and vice versa. Public safety in the feeling of safety and connection to our city are stronger.

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Speaker 7
Does it work? Do these connections make a difference? There's always more work to do until there's zero crime. The numbers show that our listening, engaging in partnering with the community of Boston in ways we've never done before have coincided with a historical low statistics in crime not seen in over 65 years in the city of Boston. Now, I want to stop and assure you that this is not a paid advertisement for you to come join the Boston Police Department.

00;07;28;02 - 00;07;56;10
Speaker 7
Although we are hiring, and I and I know that you all have an excellent education, but let me continue. Despite the stress and heartbreak, that event that I alluded to earlier, I chose to remain in policing and with the Boston Police Department. In the wake of it all, I found myself grappling with deep questions. Why did this happen to me?

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Speaker 7
How did I end up here? I needed hope, I needed understanding to find both. I embarked on a journey not just to make sense of the event itself, but to understand the broader forces at play. I will be forever grateful that this journey led me back to Providence College, where I began my explanation of leadership, ethics, and structures that shaped our institutions and PC.

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Speaker 7
I found more than coursework. I found community. The studies and management opened my eyes, and the faculty provided the kind of guidance that I desperately needed. In that moment, I became focused on what leads people or organizations to success or failure. That curiosity carried me long beyond PC.

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Speaker 7
Along the way, something happens. I rediscovered the light sparked by an officer who mentored me long ago, the person who encouraged me to take the law enforcement path in the first place.

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Speaker 7
Through my studies and experiences, it's clear that leadership matters. Culture matters. Mentorship and empathy matter. The absence of positive influence creates an environment where the worst aspects of our nature can take hold, and bad outcomes are inevitable or eventually inevitable. We cannot afford to be passive in shaping our institutions. It's our responsibility. It's my responsibility to be a force of good, to demand integrity, and to lead with an unwavering conviction.

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Speaker 7
To you graduates, I say this your journey would be filled with triumphs and trials. The road ahead may not always mirror the good times you may have had here at PC or in your hometown, but will offer endless opportunities to learn and grow and shape your community. Like the chance encounter that I kindled along my path and met an officer look for and expected people to mentor you and look for opportunities and moments to mentor others.

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Speaker 7
Provide unexpected guidance to people that you can grow. You can help let every challenge you face illuminate not just the harsh truths of the world, but also the strength within you to overcome them. Actively seek to address problems you think can make a difference, and always help when you can. You'll become bosses, coworkers, and employees in a wide variety of places, which is degrees.

00;10;48;16 - 00;11;25;29
Speaker 7
Always tried to build up and get to know those around you. It's the first step to making things better. Carry forward these lessons learned at PC and throughout your life about resilience, connection, and the courage to stand by your principles. Embrace uncertainty as the opportunity for discovery and remember as you remark on your next chapter and service in genuine leadership are about building bridges and uplifting one another even in the most trying of times.

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Speaker 7
In closing, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to you, the class of 2025 that I'm a part of. So I'm going to clap for myself.

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Speaker 7
Today you stand on the threshold of endless possibilities. Let your journey be defined by both your achievements in the moments that challenge you to grow. Walk forward with the conviction that no matter what obstacles you face, your truth, purpose, and compassion will lead you to a brighter future. Thank you for allowing me to share my story. May you always find strength in every experience life brings you.

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Speaker 7
And thank you so much for allowing me to join you today. Congratulations class!

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Speaker 1
Saturday mornings academic award ceremony provided the opportunity to recognize several class members for outstanding academic achievement. Political science professor Kazem Zein Churchy, winner of the college's Joseph Arsinoe Faculty Teaching Award, gave the faculty address.

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Speaker 6
Good afternoon everyone. Students, family and faculty members. Let me start with the most important word today. Congratulations. You made it. I know that is often said with balloons and exclamation points, and hopefully comes with a little bit of money in an envelope. But I want to say it today with the full recognition of what it really means, especially here at a small liberal arts college where the journey is rarely just academic.

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Speaker 6
It's personal. It's challenging, and often it's filled with uncomfortable moments along the way. And that is what I want to talk to you about today, and what I hope stays with you after graduation. The value of not being comfortable.

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Speaker 6
See, that was a little bit uncomfortable. But think back to the first class you had on Providence College campus. Even if you had visited before and sat into a class, I suspect your first stay was filled with a sense of unease, a sense of anticipation. You had questions like, where should I sit? Is that the kid from orientation?

00;14;00;27 - 00;14;28;12
Speaker 6
How often should I raise my hand? What will be a tray after class? Is this the right classroom? Is this the right major for me? Over time, those initial questions, that early discomfort subsided and you became comfortable at PC. But for many of you, during the course of your journey, a new and more valuable form of being uncomfortable emerged.

00;14;28;14 - 00;15;10;06
Speaker 6
You learn to ask uncomfortable questions. You learned about the uncomfortable aspects of the human condition, and you experienced the discomfort of taking a critical stance. There's an old saying attributed to Jalaluddin Rumi, a Sufi Muslim mystic who says, if you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished? As a teacher, I interpret this code to mean that our job is to instill in our students the self-understanding that they can learn, even when the material is challenging.

00;15;10;09 - 00;15;45;15
Speaker 6
The conversations are comfortable and the situation is complex. We do not grow as human beings unless we figure out how to learn from and sit with situations, encounters, and dialogs which are at the core, uncomfortable. The values in a college education are multiple. You have writing skills, public speaking skills, reading skills. You have learned how to raise your hand in a Civ class even when you haven't done the reading at all, etc..

00;15;45;18 - 00;16;13;13
Speaker 6
In terms of social life, one of the skills that many have mentioned is the value of getting out of your comfort zone. That is valuable, but it's not exactly what I'm talking about here. One of the things I try to cultivate in my classroom and in my teaching, is that simply, there's immense value in being uncomfort table and sitting with that discomfort.

00;16;13;15 - 00;16;38;07
Speaker 6
At some point in your college career, you probably found yourself in the middle of a conversation in your dorm at a club meeting, maybe in a classroom, which led you to question your assumptions about the world. Maybe you had to read more as different questions, or reassess what you had previously known or thought you knew about the world.

00;16;38;09 - 00;17;11;21
Speaker 6
And let's be honest, sometimes students are not really the only ones that are uncomfortable. Teaching forces us faculty to to reckon with our blindspots, to admit when we are unsure. It demands that we model vulnerability, not authority, as a form of leadership in this current political moment. Even the simplest questions what happened? Who matters? What is true feels politically charged.

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Speaker 6
At a time where I, which will never and has never sat uncomfortably with its thoughts, will be deployed across social space. This is a time that you are graduating. Historians of the future will look back and want to know what you did to survive in this moment. Much of that answer will fall upon the values you stand for, the creative ideas you bring to the world and the communities that you build.

00;17;41;23 - 00;18;16;10
Speaker 6
While you achieve your goals. But part of the answer is still based on the ability that you have to sit with discomfort and to weep. This is why I think our faculty, as our role as faculty, has never been more vital not to avoid politics, but to contextualize it, to help you distinguish between disagreement and denial, between discomfort and harm, between noise and nuance.

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Speaker 6
We know that if we do not equip you to learn how to sit with discomfort while we are in the luxury of a safe classroom built on trust and reflection, that means we have left you defenseless out there in a world that you're entering that too often rewards rigidity over curiosity, similarity over diversity, and blind anger over empathy.

00;18;45;17 - 00;19;14;05
Speaker 6
My humble advice to you, in short, finally, is that please don't run away from being uncomfortable every day. Everywhere you find yourself, every encounter with others is an opportunity to learn. Even if you do so through discomfort. Congratulations again! We are so proud of you and we can't wait to see what you will accomplish next. Well done.

00;19;14;05 - 00;19;30;02
Speaker 1
Eight members of the class of 2025 finished with perfect 4.0 grade point average is tied for highest in academic rank one of those students, Samuel Sada, a theology and humanities double major from Providence, addressed the audience.

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Speaker 7
Welcome to Providence College's 2025 Academic awards ceremony. It is a tremendous honor to share this moment with each of you this morning, as we gather here to celebrate our hard work and our achievements over the past four years.

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Speaker 7
I would be remiss if I did not first take the time to say thank you. Thank you to the professors who so diligently taught us during our time at Providence College for sharing the fruits of your research and study with us. Thank you to the Dominican Friars for your witness of praising, blessing, and teaching. Thank you to the friends who accompanied us through times of adversity and who supported us along the way.

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Speaker 7
Thank you to all of you fellow students for enriching our classes together through your presence and participation. Thank you to our parents, whose love and whose sacrifices have made each of us, the men and women we are today. Thank you most of all to God for uniting us here at the College and the city so aptly. Name for your Providence.

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Speaker 7
Four years ago, our class of 2025 was the first to begin its college journey. After the lockdowns, which the year prior marked the height of the Covid 19 pandemic, as the country began to cautiously turn the page from this drastic chapter in its history, there was a desire and the hope that the next four years would bring healing, stability and growth.

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Speaker 7
Our class has indeed been in many ways, a class of new beginnings, and our time here at Providence College has certainly opened doors for each of us. Many of us, for example, have had the opportunity to participate, and one of the college's many study abroad programs through the generosity of the college. I myself was able to study abroad with the humanities program, an opportunity which, as a first generation graduate and the son of Puerto Rican parents who struggled with financial insecurity, I had quite frankly never dreamed of having.

00;22;08;16 - 00;22;39;15
Speaker 7
Each of us, moreover, has made friendships which we hope will last a lifetime. We have built a community within our majors, within the many student organizations on campus, and in support of our athletic programs. Yet, at the heart of all the many ways Providence College has formed us lies a common thread, namely, the opportunity to engage in the rigorous pursuit of veritas, or truth.

00;22;39;17 - 00;23;09;22
Speaker 7
As a Catholic and Dominican institution. The pursuit of truth is central to the mission and identity of our college. It is reflected in the rich interdisciplinarity of our curriculum and the outstanding scholarship of our faculty in the commitment of students of all backgrounds to learning and excellence, and in the witness of the Dominican friars who in their ministry daily accompany counsel and teach us all.

00;23;09;25 - 00;23;45;18
Speaker 7
It is likewise reflected in our countless opportunities for class discussions. In the concern, each of our faculty members shows his or her students, and in the many opportunities offered for undergraduate research under the mentorship of professors presented with such a wealth of opportunity. Many of us have availed ourselves of these as often as we could. Nevertheless, the pursuit of truth is not only an academic endeavor restricted to the hallowed hallways of Harkins or to Manderson.

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Speaker 7
Seek new corridors. Truth, rather, is set and attained in community, something which became ever more apparent in the wake of the pandemic. It is ultimately the friendships we have formed with our classmates, the mentorships that have arisen with our faculty, and the spiritual direction and accompaniments we have received from the friars that have enabled us to experience growth through our studies, preparing us for the future.

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Speaker 7
I will always be grateful. Class of 2025 to Providence College for teaching me this. The pursuit of truth is, moreover, fundamentally linked to a spirit of service. Reflecting on truth, especially the truth concerning the human person, cannot but spur us to a profound commitment to justice and charity in attuned us to the concerns and the aspirations of the poor, the marginalized, and the forgotten.

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Speaker 7
It calls us to look outside of ourselves with eyes of compassion and mercy towards the suffering. It reveals to us the needs of the vulnerable at all stages of life, which are all too often overlooked. Formation in the truth enables us to approach our neighbor in a new, more penetrating light, convicting us of the dignity of all right.

00;25;14;24 - 00;25;44;13
Speaker 7
Only in this way do we authentically learn to accompany, to listen to, and to serve those we meet along our journey. Here at Providence College, this connection is not lost with a broad array of opportunities available for students to engage in service, including the Faith works program for incoming freshmen. The Smith Global Fellowship, and collaboration with organizations such as My Brother's Keeper, to name only a few.

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Speaker 7
It is precisely this which enables us, as we return to the communities from which we sprang, or as we set off to join new communities to contribute to their flourishing, to our participation. At the heart of a Providence College, education is ultimately a commitment to living, charity and truth. As we prepare for commencement tomorrow, may our time here at Providence College inspire in all of us a desire to do just that.

00;26;17;10 - 00;26;51;12
Speaker 7
Finally, the pursuit of truth is not merely the pursuit of an abstract ideal. It is instead to pursue a person, or more precisely, to be pursued by a person. The pursuit of truth leads, in the end, to an encounter with him who is truth with the risen Christ. This is not only brought to the fore by the prominence of Saint Dominic Chapel on campus, or by the presence of chapels in many of our halls in dorms, or by our required theology courses.

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Speaker 7
It is brought to light in our studies, across all disciplines, in each of our communities, and in the witness offered by this college to the wider city of Providence. It is my deepest hope that Providence College has, above all, been a place of profound spiritual growth for each and every one of us, a place where we have been able to put faith in dialog with reason, and a place where we have encountered the love of God across the different areas of campus life.

00;27;24;06 - 00;27;54;08
Speaker 7
Fellow graduates, as we prepare to embark on our careers or to pursue graduate studies here or elsewhere. Let us carry with us the deepest lesson Providence College offers us, namely, to live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. Class of 2025. We have been told that we are forever friars. But this weekend is not the end, but only the beginning.

00;27;54;11 - 00;28;19;08
Speaker 7
That we will always be part of the fire family. This is much more than mere sentimentality. Through our pursuit of truth, together we have forged a community which will endure far beyond these four short years. Yet, how do we give testimony to this fact? How are the world looking at each one of us? Be able to identify us as friars.

00;28;19;11 - 00;28;50;03
Speaker 7
This is done through living these lessons in our daily lives, in our work, in our study, and in our families. As we have sung in our alma mater. Alicia, these with noble dawn, with noble deeds adorn. Setting off into a turbulent world. May we become persons committed to truth in every area of our lives, transforming ourselves, our relationships and our society.

00;28;50;05 - 00;29;07;13
Speaker 7
Then, class of 2025 will we show the world that we are indeed friars forever? Thank you and may God bless the class of 2025.

00;29;07;20 - 00;29;22;12
Speaker 1
Sunday's baccalaureate commencement drew thousands of graduates, family members and friends to the Amica mutual Pavilion in downtown Providence. Here is the commencement greeting presented by Providence College President Father Kenneth R Sicard.

00;29;22;12 - 00;29;55;11
Speaker 5
Congratulations to all of today's graduates on your achievements and to the remarkably accomplished individuals we will recognize with honorary degrees as we take this moment to celebrate the class of 2025. We should also thank those who've made today possible. I ask all of today's graduates to stand and recognize your families, your friends, and your professors who played a critical role in helping you achieve the goal you realize today.

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Speaker 5
Please stand and let's recognize them.

00;30;14;26 - 00;30;43;05
Speaker 5
As you might imagine, I spend a lot of time traveling to meet with alumni groups and donors, people who have been so generous and so loyal to Providence College. And when I talk about the college, I often begin with a quote I read from Pope Saint John Paul the Second, which I think perfectly captures your PC experience and certainly captures the theme of today's celebration.

00;30;43;07 - 00;31;11;17
Speaker 5
I love this saying, and I use it often. The late Pope wrote remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with enthusiasm and look forward to the future with confidence. So first, regarding the past, how lucky are you? As you look back on your four years here at PC, I know you recognize how much you have to be grateful for.

00;31;11;20 - 00;31;39;09
Speaker 5
I see it in your faces. I've heard it from so many of you. I seen it in groups of students who've been taking pictures in caps and gowns in front of Hawkins, on the side of Dominick House, or in front of the grotto, or holding bottles of champagne and toasting each other. And when I'm traveling and meeting with our alumni, they often share with me how much they love their years here at PC.

00;31;39;11 - 00;32;14;08
Speaker 5
It doesn't matter if they graduate five years ago or 50 years ago. Their eyes light up with excitement when they talk about their times and experiences and how years later, they're still close to their PC friends. You're about to join their ranks, and like them, you have formed friendships and memories at PC that will last a lifetime. We sometimes talk about the secret sauce that makes PC so special, and I'd suggest that there are three ingredients.

00;32;14;12 - 00;32;44;00
Speaker 5
First, of course, is your academic experience, which was made possible through the passion and commitment of our outstanding faculty, coupled with the years of hard work put in by you, your time and participation in the classroom, and your commitment to study taught you to think critically and to communicate exceptionally well. Your search for Veritas will help to define the way you live and work.

00;32;44;04 - 00;33;16;21
Speaker 5
Wherever life takes you. The second ingredient includes all the experiences you've had at PC that have led to your personal and spiritual growth. As I said in yesterday's homily, you are not the same person who arrived four years ago. We hope that in some way we have continued and built on the values you'll learn from your parents and families, and that we brought you closer to becoming the amazing people God created you to be.

00;33;16;24 - 00;33;58;18
Speaker 5
I pray that PCC's commitment to our Catholic identity, as well as the inspiration of the Dominican community and the faculty and staff who share this work, have brought you closer to God, the God who loves and treasures each of you. The third ingredient includes all the special bonds you formed with faculty, friends, roommates, and Dominicans. Those encounters over lunch and bray at late night masses in Saint Dominic Chapel, at study sessions in the library, or Ryan or now the main door center hanging out with your friends in your off campus apartments.

00;33;58;21 - 00;34;29;02
Speaker 5
Really enjoying yourselves at golf parties and beach parties and I understand last night very special. And in thousands of encounters that brought you together as friends and friars. And I wouldn't be surprised to learn someday that you met your future spouse here at PC. It happens all the time. And when I think of a student experience, just being in this building stirs up all kinds of emotions.

00;34;29;04 - 00;34;55;09
Speaker 5
In my mind's eye, I can picture hundreds of you and your fellow classmates among a crowd of 12,000 plus cheering on the friars right here in the Am 20 or so times a year. What fun we've had here. And so, going back to the words of Saint John, Paul thrills me to see you look on these past four years with gratitude.

00;34;55;11 - 00;35;29;16
Speaker 5
The late Pope also suggested that you live the president with enthusiasm. And I think this is something you perfected during your years at PC. And you did this by savoring and enjoying the moments and opportunities you had. You poured yourselves into your work, but you never passed up an opportunity to enthusiastically have fun and enjoy each other. I imagine that for many of you, the events of the past week and today's celebration are in some ways bittersweet.

00;35;29;18 - 00;35;58;10
Speaker 5
After all, you're leaving behind a college, a way of life, and a network of people that you've come to cherish. Nonetheless, in this present moment, you have so much about which to be enthusiastic, so much to celebrate. You've truly earned the degrees you'll receive in a few minutes, and they will serve you well as they have generations of Providence College graduates and your faculty.

00;35;58;12 - 00;36;34;08
Speaker 5
My colleagues in the administration by Dominican Brothers and I enthusiastically share your joy today because we've been blessed to share this journey with you. So savor at this present moment. PCs provided you with a superb education rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, and has prepared you for authentic success in life. And we hope we've helped instill values that will sustain you as you continue to pursue truth, grow in virtue, and serve God and neighbor.

00;36;34;10 - 00;37;07;16
Speaker 5
Exemplifying the Providence College mission in word and deed throughout your lives. And so, turning again to the words of Saint John Paul, I encourage you to look to the future with confidence. The lies that lie before you are filled with potential and promise. You leave us critical thinkers, accomplished communicators, and creative problem solvers. You will make your mark on the world because of what you've experienced at Providence College.

00;37;07;19 - 00;37;44;18
Speaker 5
You possess a rare combination of confidence and humility. This will set you on a path to success and all the ways we can define it, and the opportunity to live a truly good life. That's a great gift that we share and that we celebrate together as friars now and forever. So my hope and my prayer for you, members of the class of 2025, is that you find joy in all aspects of your lives that you continue to set your sights high, and that you achieve your fondest hopes in the future.

00;37;44;21 - 00;37;50;24
Speaker 5
God bless you and God bless Providence College. Thank you.

00;37;50;27 - 00;38;03;23
Speaker 1
Also speaking at Sunday's commencement ceremony was senior Class President Connor Flynn, a political science and history double major from Natick, Massachusetts. He shared these comments with his classmates.

00;38;03;23 - 00;38;25;17
Speaker 3
Hello. Friar town. What a day it is. I've thought about this day for a very long time. And I want to welcome all those who are here this morning. And I want to thank all of you who have helped all of us reach this day. Faculty, families, friends and all those who watched this morning from the skybox seats of heaven.

00;38;25;19 - 00;38;31;15
Speaker 3
Thank you. As I sat to write this speech, I wanted to start with a story. And yet I couldn't.

00;38;31;21 - 00;38;33;02
Speaker 5
Find just one.

00;38;33;03 - 00;38;37;14
Speaker 3
That made the most sense. There are so many stories that one could share about.

00;38;37;14 - 00;38;38;17
Speaker 5
Their time at Friar Town.

00;38;38;17 - 00;38;59;07
Speaker 3
And I could stand up here for a week, and I could still not say it all. And I know that is true for all of you as well. And so I think instead of a story, I will start with a sign. As you walk the grounds of Friar Town, you're met with signs along the roads. Throughout the years, the one that has always stood out.

00;38;59;07 - 00;38;59;22
Speaker 5
To me.

00;38;59;22 - 00;39;09;23
Speaker 3
Reads for those who seek more, for those who seek more. And I've tried to fully realize what those signs mean.

00;39;09;23 - 00;39;11;11
Speaker 5
And frankly, I've always sort of.

00;39;11;16 - 00;39;37;13
Speaker 3
Found myself struggling, like all things that are worthy, though, it took time. Through windy, snow swept days to bright and sunny dawns, those signs have remained for years. Yes, as a statement of who we are and as a challenge for all of us. Well, to seek more is to hear and to be heard. It's to see and to be seen.

00;39;37;13 - 00;40;03;13
Speaker 3
It's to love and to be loved. The things that make us who we are are sometimes the hardest things to find out in this world, but they are found every day, right here in this air, in this room and in our lives. See, the world we step out into is at times a place that leaves you sighing and shaking your head, if not screaming at the.

00;40;03;13 - 00;40;04;18
Speaker 5
Sky and well, that is.

00;40;04;18 - 00;40;07;23
Speaker 3
All true, especially now.

00;40;07;25 - 00;40;11;04
Speaker 5
Everything you need has already been done.

00;40;11;06 - 00;40;34;01
Speaker 3
So set sail, my friends, for there is so much more to do. Those who will one day help to save our society are sitting here now. This morning I recall the words of a famous poem, which means so much to me and sums up how I will always feel about PC. I am a part of all I have met.

00;40;34;03 - 00;41;06;08
Speaker 3
That which we are. We are one equal temper of heroic hearts, strong and will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield. It has been said that our society has made it hard to love. But here in this place, with you all across four years, it has been made so easy every single day. With wind in ourselves and history at our backs, we step into the future on eagle's wings.

00;41;06;11 - 00;41;26;08
Speaker 3
Strong in our faith, heroic in our hearts. Fearless in our love. And they do make it hard to leave this crazy and beautiful place. Standing here now I know it is hard to leave. Only for those who make it up. I pray that the values of faith, hope and love.

00;41;26;08 - 00;41;27;02
Speaker 5
Light all.

00;41;27;02 - 00;41;52;01
Speaker 3
Of your days, and that even when it seems they do not, even when you find yourself down, but far from out. I hope that you recall the days when you two walked the grounds of Friar Town. I hope that you have the strength to always find that spirit of Friar Town inside of you. I have loved these days with all of my heart.

00;41;52;02 - 00;41;59;23
Speaker 3
Thank you for this honor. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your town. Thank you.

00;41;59;28 - 00;42;17;03
Speaker 1
Sunday's commencement ceremony concluded with a heartfelt, spellbinding commencement address by judge Frank Caprio, a retired Providence Municipal Court judge who earned a Providence College degree in 1958 and an honorary doctorate in 2008.

00;42;17;14 - 00;42;43;16
Speaker 3
Thank you for your kind words and wonderful introduction. It's an honor to be here today with you, your family, and your friends and the entire Providence College community. I was a judge right here in Providence for 38 years. 38 years.

00;42;43;19 - 00;43;19;25
Speaker 3
And after graduation season, my court was inundated with people with parking tickets for parking at the graduation. So I routinely dismissed those tickets as a graduation gift. Actually, I see some familiar faces out there. With the faculty to. Unfortunately, I'm now retired, so I'll try to be as brief as I can. So you won't get a parking ticket this morning.

00;43;19;28 - 00;43;45;29
Speaker 3
The most powerful influence on the way I would make my decisions as a judge. It's the place myself, in the shoes of the person who stood before me, to try to understand their voice and allow them to explain any factors that they may be experiencing today. I look out at the graduates and I'm doing the same thing except this one.

00;43;46;05 - 00;44;06;14
Speaker 3
Big difference. I actually was in your shoes 67 years ago.

00;44;06;16 - 00;44;31;14
Speaker 3
It wasn't in the Civic Center. It was at the Providence College campus. But it was wonderful. And that was one of the proudest moments for my entire family and what a family it was. If you indulge me for a moment. I'd like to tell you a little bit about them, because it was their influence that made me, the judge that many of you have seen on television.

00;44;31;16 - 00;44;44;17
Speaker 3
My parents were immigrants from Italy. My.

00;44;44;19 - 00;45;22;23
Speaker 3
My father was one of ten. My mother was one of eight. None of which went beyond the eighth grade. And I had about 51st cousins. And we all lived in rural Italy. That section of Providence, which is known as Federal Hill, and from the entire group, I was the first person to graduate college, and it was Providence College that gave me that opportunity.

00;45;22;25 - 00;45;50;29
Speaker 3
To actually eventually change the lives of every single person in the Caprio family. So I ask how any of you in the same shoes I was in, or any of you all first generation college graduates, please join me in a special round of applause for those people and their families.

00;45;51;02 - 00;45;54;07
Speaker 3
I'm.

00;45;54;10 - 00;46;25;10
Speaker 3
Well. When you were looking in the mirror this morning and straightening your cap, I hope you saw the reflection of your forbearers and fully appreciate the sacrifices they made to make it possible for you to be here today, to fulfill the dreams of their entire generation that their children and grandchildren lives would be substantially better than their own.

00;46;25;12 - 00;47;15;23
Speaker 3
And your hard work has made their dreams come true. As I was adjusting my cap in the mirror this morning, I'm really not wearing a cap. I saw the reflection of my father, my brother and myself when I was 12 years old, putting on an old woolen hat at 4 a.m. in the morning. You see, my father was a milkman, and my brother and I would help my father deliver milk in the early mornings before school started carrying the heavy glass bottles filled with milk up the stairs of the tenement houses on Federal Hill, and bringing the empty bottles back down.

00;47;15;26 - 00;47;50;16
Speaker 3
I can hear his voice very clearly right now talking to me, his 12 year old son, with his wisdom earned by his writings, experiences, and his beautiful, broken English accent. And this is what he would say to me. If you don't want to do this the rest of your life, then study hard and go to college. From that day.

00;47;50;18 - 00;48;22;20
Speaker 3
From that day I had the drive to go to college and Providence College gave me the chance to a better life and more importantly, to fulfill my father's dream. As a judge, I had a difficult task well, of passing judgment on matters that appeared before me. Often this required me to either to leave or just believe the person who was standing before me.

00;48;22;22 - 00;49;02;21
Speaker 3
Now my crop was most different than most courts. As you saw in the video, it generally placed the individual in front of me to argue their own case. In the 35 years that I was a judge, I heard every excuse, every one. I even heard some creative excuses from some of you. And your professors? Many asked how many I how I tolerated these excuses, especially who was a person who clearly violated the law.

00;49;02;24 - 00;49;24;29
Speaker 3
However, I really found myself tolerating the people who came before me. I almost rather appreciated them every time. How can that happen in a court of law? Well, the judge's role was most often that of an authoritarian. It's actually quite simple.

00;49;24;29 - 00;49;38;15
Speaker 3
You see, although I wore a robe like most judges do around the world, I wasn't a traditional judge because under my robe, I didn't wear a badge.

00;49;38;17 - 00;49;50;07
Speaker 3
I wore a hot.

00;49;50;10 - 00;50;25;06
Speaker 3
I approached each case with an open mind and treated everyone equally with kindness, compassion, and most of all, common sense. This is not a judicial philosophy that I learned in law school. This is a moral philosophy that was taught to me by my parents at home and right here at Providence College.

00;50;25;08 - 00;50;50;21
Speaker 3
And when people around the world see me take the bench on social media, they see a man wearing a robe with a gavel in his hand. But what they don't see is my mother's spirit whispering in one ear, and my father's spirit whispering in my other, here to make sure that I act with the tolerance and forgiveness that they instilled in me throughout my life.

00;50;50;23 - 00;51;28;24
Speaker 3
As you were walking to your seats today, I hope you remember the excitement today. You received your acceptance letter from Providence College. The pride in your family's eyes, the uncertainty yet exhilarating challenge that right ahead. And I am confident that as you proceed in life, you will always, always keep your parents or those who provided you with the strong moral compass on your shoulders and poise with listening to them as they whisper in your ears.

00;51;28;26 - 00;52;03;16
Speaker 3
Your careers will be full of success, excitement, and making this world a better place for all. That's the easy part, and it's what is expected of you. However, you will also not be spared problems. Obviously, there will be setbacks, disappointments, and the rare failures in how you handle them is the real challenge. Is your reaction to those moments that will define your career?

00;52;03;19 - 00;52;26;20
Speaker 3
I'm no stranger to setbacks. Trust me, I'm no stranger at all to setbacks. So my advice during those difficult times is just don't ever give up. Don't ever give up.

00;52;26;23 - 00;52;54;28
Speaker 3
Have faith in yourself and reach deep within you. To find the strength to persevere. Each of you, by your very presence here today, has already shown that you have what it takes to persevere. It's thrilling to me that Providence College has given each each of the graduates a specially inscribed with my first book called compassion in the court.

00;52;55;01 - 00;53;21;13
Speaker 3
You all have a vision ahead. Make sure you read it. Did you read it? A few years ago, in my 80s, I embarked on a new career as an author. As I began to write the book in the chronicles, the stories of my life, and especially how my childhood without many material possessions fulfilled with love, compassion, hard work and a focus.

00;53;21;13 - 00;53;59;11
Speaker 3
Education, faith, and family values can be the springboard to make any dream possible. It can even create a judge who can, from a courtroom right down the street, become a global force of compassion and justice and a mass, a social mass. Media of over 25 million followers. By me, merely.

00;53;59;14 - 00;54;30;09
Speaker 3
And I am asked the question so often. More often than you would believe. How do you get 25 million followers? And it's very simple. By merely treating people with kindness, compassion and understanding. Fortunately, that message of compassion and kindness has resonated around the world. I'm in my 80s.

00;54;30;11 - 00;54;41;09
Speaker 3
And. I just have a picture of myself and I'm battling pancreatic cancer.

00;54;41;12 - 00;55;09;22
Speaker 3
It has taken much of my strength, but I can't take my faith. I can't take my heart and I can't say pray, message. So before I finish my remarks, I have one thing to ask of you. I am confident that all of you will climb the ladder of success, but that is not enough for you to climb the ladder of success.

00;55;09;24 - 00;55;54;00
Speaker 3
When you reach the top and are fulfilled with all the spoils that you have earned on your hard fought way up that ladder. Personally, professionally, financially and socially. You must remember the most important obligation of success. And this is what I ask of you. You must leave the water down for others to follow.

00;55;54;02 - 00;56;18;24
Speaker 3
And it's your duty to reach down. To help and pull others up in every aspect of life. And it's not always financial help. Sometimes it's that simple. It's as simple as placing your hand on someone's shoulder and telling them that you have confidence in them, that they can do it. That you love and respect them. Moments like that.

00;56;18;26 - 00;56;45;20
Speaker 3
Moments like that can make all the difference and help someone get to the next rung on the ladder. It's that simple. I ask you to please. I ask you to please wear a hat under your robe. Always treat people with kindness, compassion, understanding, and you will have looked up to the honor that your diploma requires that you receive today.

00;56;46;14 - 00;57;15;27
Speaker 3
And as you leave here today. Reach deep within you. To what? To the soul of what has moved America. Reach for the dreams and values of all those who came before you. Those who gave so much and took so little. Think of the homeless, the poor, the downtrodden. Think of the sick, the helpless, the hungry and the less fortunate.

00;57;15;29 - 00;57;43;12
Speaker 3
Remember the elderly. Your parents, your grandparents. Remember the underprivileged and persecuted. And when the book is closed. And we are judged on whether or not we met this challenge, we will be judged not by how much we earn, but how much we care. We will be judged not by how much we have taken, but by how much we have given.

00;57;43;14 - 00;58;09;02
Speaker 3
We will be judged not by the dreams we had made come true for ourselves, but by the dreams we had made come true for others. And lastly, we will be judged by the hope, the hope that we inspire in the hopeless. And the difference that we make in the lives that we touch. This is the true definition of success.

00;58;09;04 - 00;59;21;10
Speaker 3
And I ask you to carry it on. And it's really not that complicated. That's all it takes, is what my parents taught me. And what we see here at Providence College every day. To listen. To treat people with dignity, compassion, fairness and understanding. Congratulations. Wish you good luck. Much success. I hope you enjoy the book and God bless you.

00;59;21;10 - 00;59;32;19
Speaker 1
Thank you for listening to the Providence College Podcast today. A celebration of the class of 2025 for our producer, Chris Judge. I'm Joe Carr. Until next time.