The damp Vermont weather parted for a warm June day as CCV students, faculty, and staff from across the state gathered at Norwich University’s Shapiro Field House on Saturday to celebrate the Class of 2025. Thousands of Vermonters joined in the celebration as nearly 500 students earned their associate degrees.
Sara Byers, co-owner & president of Leonardo’s Pizza, was this year’s keynote speaker. She shared three guiding messages with the graduates: live true to yourself, love fully, and dream beyond big. “A set of messages that have formed my current north star,” Byers said. “Because each of us is living in a unique moment of history. A moment when the lessons of the past may no longer be sufficient and may instead require an amplification yet unseen…You, the Class of 2025, are the amplifiers of our world.”
In sharing these messages, she drew from personal stories of vulnerability, creativity, and unexpected achievements. “A few years ago, I was known as a CEO and board leader with a wonderful family and an incredibly full life..I couldn’t begin to imagine that I would ever become anything else,” she said. Since then, she became certified in Reiki, self-published her first book of poetry, and launched a podcast – pursuing even the most improbable dreams. “Don’t discard any of your dreams as unrealistic…There is no doubt in my mind that each of you is designed for a greatness that even you can’t imagine. Harness all your impossible dreams. This is where your mark is made.”
CCV President Joyce Judy officiated the event. She acknowledged the diversity found in the class of 2025, shared stories of successful alumni, and praised graduates for their resolve to reach their goals. “With everything else going on in your lives, you made time to set your goals, choose your programs, roll up your sleeves, and complete your course requirements. This afternoon, you will receive the college degrees that you have earned. Everyone in this field house is here for one reason: to celebrate your achievements.”
Several individuals were recognized during the ceremony for both academic accomplishments and community service. Scott Giles, president of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), was presented with the Community Service Award. CCV-Rutland student Amelia-Hope Porpeglia and CCV-Winooski student Harriet Wiringiye received the Student Leadership Award. CCV-Upper Valley student Tamara Hernandez and CCV-Winooski student Jeetan Khadka were awarded the 2025 Alumni Scholarships. Faculty members Sean Dobbin, Ananda Forest, and Eric Scott Frost received Teaching Excellence Awards.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott also addressed the Class of 2025. He let graduates know that it’s ok if they don’t know what they’re doing next, but to “embrace those unknowns. Look at all your opportunities. Take some calculated risks, and don’t let the fear of failure keep you from trying.” And despite the unknowns, no matter what they do to remember “the good you do is up to you…there’s no such thing as a small need, they’re all big, and we just need more people stepping up to take them on.”
Graduates Samantha Greene and Thomas Huster were the student speakers for the Class of 2025. Greene delivered a message centered on resilience and the courage to make hard choices. She shared personal life experience as a mom of a young boy who lost her late husband to terminal cancer, and all of the hard choices that came afterward. “These experiences taught me a crucial lesson: every day, we face choices. Some are easy, and some are hard—but among the hardest choices lie the ones that truly define us,” she said. “My message to you, the graduates, is this: stop underestimating your power over your own life…remember, the hard choices are the stepping stones to your future. Embrace them, learn from them, and let them pave your way to success.”
Huster spoke about his non-traditional path, putting off college until he was 51 years old and pursuing a job in IT where he was able to travel the world. His message highlighted the power of lifelong learning, resilience, and the value of diverse experiences—both in and out of the classroom. “To anyone out there who thinks it’s ‘too late’—please hear this: it’s never too late to believe in yourself again,” Huster said, encouraging graduates to embrace growth at any stage of life. “Let’s leave here proud—not just because we got the degree, but because of what it took to earn it. Let’s keep learning—in classrooms, in foreign lands, in conversations, in failures. Because education is everywhere.”
The Manchester Journal
Vermont Business Magazine
WCAX
The Manchester Journal
Times Argus and Rutland Herald
CCV President Joyce Judy
Keynote Speaker Sara Byers
Student Speaker Samantha Greene
Student Speaker Thomas Huster
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