Honorary Degrees Bestowed Upon National League for Nursing (NLN) President and Founder of Mustard Seed Communities
Regis College awarded 958 degrees on Sat. May 10 at the Leader Bank Pavilion including honorary degrees for National League for Nursing (NLN) President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN —who delivered the commencement address —and Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon, founder of Mustard Seed Communities. The 95th commencement ceremony awarded degrees from doctoral to associate levels.
Nursing degrees again represented the highest number awarded with 580 students graduating amid the national and regional nursing shortage. In just four years, Regis has graduated more than 3,100 nurses.
In her remarks to the graduating class, college President Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN, acknowledged the current environment in which graduates will enter. “You leave Regis and enter a divided world fraught with lack of reconciliation, broken relationships, enmity, and environmental skepticism. Now more than ever, our fractured world needs your warmth and love.”
President Hays then focused her remarks on reminding the Class of 2025 of the importance of the values of the Sisters of St. Joseph that have formed the students throughout their time at Regis: gracious hospitality, love and service of the Dear Neighbor without distinction, peaceful resolution of conflict, and care for all God’s creation. “You live and breathe the Regis values every day. They are foundational to the fabric of your Regis education.”
NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, delivered the commencement address and received an honorary degree. “You are packing your bags to step into greatness—and that’s what I want to encourage you to do,” Dr. Malone implored the graduates. “If you haven’t found your North Star yet, don’t be discouraged—it’s there, waiting for you to discover it. Leave behind the ‘could not,’ colleagues. Don’t pack it. Don’t let it anywhere near your luggage.”
Dr. Malone became CEO of NLN in 2007. Prior to this she served as deputy assistant secretary for health under President Bill Clinton, was elected to two terms as president of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and served as the first African American general secretary of the United Kingdom (UK) Royal College of Nursing. A member of both the UK and US delegation to the World Health Assembly, she served as vice chair of the Brussels-based European Federation of Nurses Association.
An honorary degree was also awarded to Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon, founder of Mustard Seed Communities (MSC), a Catholic ministry providing a safe home and care to children and adults with disabilities, children affected by HIV, mothers in crisis, and marginalized communities in five countries throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and Africa. MSC has helped more than 15,000 individuals and moved generations of volunteers to selfless service, including Regis College students who volunteer at MSC during Spring Break.
The Class of 2025 President and Graduate Student Speaker also imparted words of inspiration on the Class of 2025.
“Regis has reminded us that family loves without distinction, but our distinct identities make the world better,” said Class of 2025 President Malakai Dehuelbes who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering. “I challenge you to see your regalia and your degree both as a celebration of where you come from and a promise to carry that legacy forward. While no words will ever feel big enough, I hope the ones I shared can at least begin to describe the impact the Regis community has had (on me).”
Misty D. Start, who earned a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership, spoke on behalf of all graduate students. She currently serves as Executive Director of Career Services and Strategy at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, where she leads a cross-functional team serving undergraduate, specialty master’s, and MBA students.
“Each of us arrived at Regis with our own motivations and aspirations and along the way we encountered challenges that tested not just our intellect, but our spirit,” said Start. “And yet we find ourselves here, not only as graduates, but as individuals who have grown in ways we never expected. The true measure of our success will not be in our titles or accolades, but in how we use what we have gained to uplift others.”