Quinnipiac Graduate Candidates Hopeful About the Future

By embracing chaos, you can forge new roads to success.

Marna P. Borgstrom, president and CEO of Yale-New Haven Hospital, gave graduating students this advice during her keynote address at  2011 Graduate Commencement for Sunday.

"We are living in chaotic times, and as future leaders, it is incumbent upon you to dive into that chaos with intent," Borgstrom said. "Three years ago who even thought about what it means to be 'too big to fail?' Who could have imagined that U.S. automakers would be bailed out by our government? How many people had even heard of Bernie Madoff? They are now part of our reality."

Overcast skies released a downpour of rain as budding graduates and guests filed into the TD Bank Sports Center on the York Hill Campus. The university awarded degrees to more than 600 graduates from its schools of business, communications, education and health sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as an honorary degree to Borgstrom.

Borgstrom oversees Yale-New Haven Hospital, including the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, the Yale-New Haven Hospital Psychiatric Hospital and the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. She also serves on several boards, including VHA Inc. of Dallas, Texas, the Association of American Medical Colleges of Washington, D.C., and the Connecticut Hospital Association.

"The world craves definition. In fact, it demands it of us," Borgstrom said. "So it is the responsibility of a leader -- regardless of your field -- to define, to command and to direct the flow of chaos to the best of your ability."

Pointing to the changes reshaping her field of health care, Borgstrom advised graduates to face head-on the unstable times ahead. "The worlds of business, law and health provide a constant echo of chaos. Cycles of upheaval and uncertainty define the prisms of our reality," she said.

New graduates seemed ready to take on the work world.

"It's pretty competitive out there. I've been on a number of job interviews already, and I'm waiting to hear back," said Jodi Bonfiglio, of Boston, Mass., who earned a master's degree in medical laboratory sciences.

"I feel confident in the background Quinnipiac has given us," Bonfiglio said.

Josh Anderson, of Durham, who graduated with a master's degree in teaching, felt equally well prepared.

"Quinnipiac has a very good program for teaching, so I'm cautiously optimistic," he said.

Valerie Papanikolaw, of Roxbury, N.J., earned a doctor of physical therapy degree. Before seeking a permanent position, she will complete two 10-week, clinical internships.

"I feel quite prepared," Pananikolaw said. "I almost don't ever have a doubt in my mind about finding work. There's definitely a big need [for health care workers] now."

John Keaveney, of Chicago, Ill., has already seen his brand new MBA pay off. Keaveney works for Corn Products International, a food ingredients company. "I've been with the company, but I just got a nice promotion," he said.

Borgstrom additionally encouraged graduates to cultivate self-confidence and humor, and to pursue passion in their professional and personal lives. She also advised them to learn from the inevitable mistakes they will make along the way.

"Most successful people I know will tell you that their so-called successes were far less valuable to their development as professionals and people than their failures," she said. "That certainly is true in my case."

• View a recording of the live Web broadcast of the ceremony (requires Windows Media Player)
• View the keynote address by Marna P. Borgstrom (Adobe PDF)

The following Hamden residents received graduate degrees Sunday:

Mohammed Sabah M. Aldobie, Master of Science in Interactive Communications; Aiman A. Alazzabi, Master of Health Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences; Stacey L. Albertson, Master of Arts in Teaching; Carolyn F. Allen, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Hanouf A. Almuhaini, Master of Health Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences.

Also Carly A. Arena, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Erin B. Bailey, Sixth-Year Diploma in Educational Leadership; Matthew B. Band, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Cindy Barlan, Master of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology; Nina Caledonia London Bender, Master of Arts in Teaching; Ashley E. Brabham, Master of Science in Public Relations; Christina Cheng, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant.

Also Alyssa M. Cichon, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Adam D. Cowell, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Carly M. Crawford, Master of Science in Nursing; Lucas S. Devoe, Master of Arts in Teaching; Jennifer L. DeWallace, Sixth-Year Diploma in Educational Leadership; Cindy Vollaro Dunaj, Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management; Kimberly M. Evans, Master of Business Administration; Karyn Lushinks Fryer, Master of Science in Organizational Leadership.

Also Caitlin Ann Gonzalez, Master of Business Administration; Stephanie I. Gonzalez, Master of Science in Organizational Leadership; Shiva P. Gundavaram, Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management; Geoffrey S. Johnson, Master of Business Administration; Elizabeth M. Kessler, Doctor of Physical Therapy; Nicole C. Koziol, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Nanxi Li, Master of Business Administration.

Also Katherine Marie Lohnes, Master of Health Science/Pathologists' Assistant; Fatmah J. Malebari, Master of Health Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences; John D. Meriam, Master of Business Administration; William Francis Murphy, Master of Science in Information Technology; Ryan Narciso, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant.

Also Connie Ng, Master of Business Administration; Brendan S. O'Connor, Master of Arts in Teaching; Tara S. Pemberton, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Kevin T. Quigley, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Harshada Rane, Master of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology; Rebecca L. Reeve, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant.

Also Molly E. Riemenschneider, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant; Javier J. Rodriguez, Sixth-Year Diploma in Educational Leadership; Joshua A. Scolnic, Master of Business Administration; Bonnie C. Shea, Master of Business Administration; Manju Sigdel-Regmi, Master of Science in Nursing.

Also Dana C. Sinerate, Master of Science in Interactive Communications; Willow Ann Sirch, Master of Science in Interactive Communications; Stephen Smith, Master of Science in Organizational Leadership; Daniel J. Soderberg, Master of Health Science/Pathologists' Assistant; Kevin Struckhoff, Master of Health Science/Pathologists' Assistant; Anne J. Tedstone, Master of Science in Information Technology; Nicholas C. Tuozzo, Master of Business Administration; Dennis N. Vinias, Master of Health Science/Physician Assistant and Annalisa J. Zinn, Master of Business Administration.

Naugatuck Graduates:
Dannah Liz Ortiz, Master of Arts in Teaching and Jamie R. Stamm, Master of Health Science/Pathologists' Assistant.