By Jesse Serwer
Rain was forecasted, but with the sun shining brightly, attendees gathered under a tent to listen as Msgr. Tom Hartman, who was also honored with an honorary doctorate, deliver what he said was an unscripted commencement address "from the heart" encouraging students to follow their dreams and keep their faith.
"This is a day for families," Hartman said. "It's a day for students, too, but the amount of work that families do to help these students graduate is always just incredible to me."
The day was extra special for the O'Hara family of East Rockaway: not only was 24-year-old Colleen the school's valedictorian, but her older sister, Kathleen, 26, received her master's degree in special education. Kathleen, who teaches preschool kids with cerebral palsy at the Children's Learning Center in Roosevelt said she drew inspiration from her younger sister, a nursing student who has already accepted a job at New York University Hospital's pediatric intensive care unit.
"She worked her butt off to get here," Kathleen said of her studious younger sibling. "I couldn't get her to go out on a weekend for anything."
Colleen's friend, Lynn Walker, even flew in all the way from England just for the occasion. "It's a big day," said the girls' mother, Jane O'Hara.
Joining the seniors and graduate students were Molloy's first class of MBAs - six students graduated from the 70 student program, which launched in 2004.
The MBA program is just one of the new academic programs in Molloy's future, said President Drew Bogner.
"We grew by 10 percent this year, and our number of graduates is growing every year," Bogner said. "This is also the first year we have students receiving a BSW degree - that's a bachelors of social work. Previously we had a bachelor of arts in social work, but BSW is the more common designation."
It was the second time Hartman delivered the address at a Molloy commencement but the first since the God Squad co-host and former TeleCare chairman was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Anything but hobbled by the disease, Hartman last year founded the Thomas Hartman Foundation for Parkinson's Research Inc., and has continued in his role as the chaplain for the Nassau County Police Department and the New York Jets. He also sits on the boards of Christa House, Island Harvest, The Center for Disabilities, and the Harry Chapin Foundation.
"They learned how to think here but what I hope they also took from going to school here is how to pray," Hartman said before Saturday's ceremony. "At some point in their lives some crisis will hit them, and it will be important to realize they are not alone."
Comments about this story? JSerwer@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
Photos by Scott Levy
