Honorary Degrees Presented to Human Rights Activist, Former Chief Nursing Officer, Impact Investment Leader, and Banking Executive.
As it begins to recognize its centennial year, Regis College celebrated its 96th commencement on Saturday, May 9 at the Leader Bank Pavilion, where it awarded 1,036 degrees from associate to doctoral levels.
With more than 600 nursing students graduating, the degree was once again the highest number awarded among the university’s programs amid the local, regional and national nursing shortage. To address the urgent need for health care professionals during a national and regional nursing shortage, Regis has graduated more than 3,700 nursing students in the past five years.
With her approaching retirement on June 30, Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN, reflected on her 15 years as president in her final remarks to the graduating class.
[As prepared for delivery] “I have had the privilege of witnessing you discover your voices and your purpose. Of working alongside dedicated faculty and staff who bring the Regis mission to life every day. I will always be grateful for the tenacity, compassion, and resilience of this incredible community. As we acknowledge your accomplishments today, whether it be an associate, bachelors, masters, or doctoral, know that it is an extraordinary achievement,” she said. “It is the result of hard work, the support of your family and friends, the caring and compassionate Regs community – a community to which you will be forever linked – and the enduring values of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. For 41 years, Regis’ values have guided me throughout my journey and have influenced how I live and work. I hope they have formed you too.”
President Hays was awarded an honorary degree for her compassionate and visionary leadership. This year’s commencement marks the conclusion of President Hays’ leadership of the university.
Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center delivered the commencement address and received an honorary degree.
“When President Hays asked me to speak today, I didn’t hesitate. With its Catholic roots and commitment to service, Regis holds a special place in my heart,” she said. “As you graduate, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the lessons you learned at this uniquely ambitious experiment of a college and what you’d like to carry forward for the rest of your lives. The lessons you learned, the importance of teamwork, and most of all, building partnerships and community will make a profound difference.”
Kennedy is an attorney and author who has devoted more than 40 years to the pursuit of equal justice and the promotion and protection of basic rights. She currently serves on the board of directors of the United States Institute of Peace, Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation Laureate and Leaders, as well as Kennedy Human Rights Center’s numerous international affiliates. She is on the advisory committee for the Association of American Indian Affairs, the Albert Schweitzer Institute, Sankofa, San Patrignano, and the Center for Victims of Torture, and the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. Kennedy served as chair of the Amnesty International USA Leadership Council for over a decade. Among her many accolades, she received the humanitarian award from the Congress of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.
Honorary degrees were also awarded to Kathleen Jose '87, '94, MSN, RN, former chair of the university’s board and chief nursing officer of Lahey Health; Tracy Palandjian, MBA, co-founder and CEO of Social Finance; and Gerald Algere, senior vice president and managing director of institutional banking at The Washington Trust Company.
The Class of 2026 President Sarai Velez ’26 and Graduate Student Speaker Lilla Torontáli '24, G’26 also imparted words of inspiration on the Class of 2026.
[As prepared for delivery] “We learned through our time at Regis that we will fail; that things will not always go our way. In fact, we may fail more than we succeed,” Velez ’26 said. “But we will succeed. We will work harder, we will try again, and we will persevere. Because our resilience got us here today. We will leave this pavilion stronger and wiser than the freshmen who arrived four years ago. These degrees are a testament to our determination, and together we go into the world ready to serve the dear neighbor.”
[As prepared for delivery] “Regis believed in us before we believed in ourselves. And now, it is our turn. Wherever you go after today, you carry that belief with you,” Torontáli '24, G’26 who flew in from Denmark to receive her degree said. “We leave with degrees, yes, but we also leave knowing what it feels like to be seen without distinction, supported without hesitation, and welcomed without condition. May we offer that same hospitality to others. May we choose to see potential before it is proven. May we believe in someone before they believe in themselves. Because that is the legacy of this institution: one that proves every day that greatness is never measured by size, but by heart.”
