By Gerianne Downs
More than 1,000 SUNY Plattsburgh master’s and bachelor’s degree students are eligible to cross the stage at the university’s spring 2026 commencement being held Saturday, May 16 at the field house with President Alexander Enyedi presiding and conferring degrees.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Marcus Tye will present students earning their masters and bachelors’ degrees who are graduating from the schools of arts and sciences, business and economics, and education, health and human services at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m., respectively.
And as is custom, student speakers representing each of the three schools will address their classmates before being welcomed into the Alumni Association as new SUNY Plattsburgh graduates. This year’s student speakers are Amanuel Adefris, finance and economics major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Eden McFarren, a social work major from South Glens Falls, N.Y.; and Olivia Powers, computer security major from Ticonderoga, N.Y.
Amanuel Gezahegan Adefris
Adefris said he chose SUNY Plattsburgh because he had family members and friends who attended before him, “and they had amazing things to say about it,” he said.
“My priority was to have a good education and also opportunities outside of school that will help me develop my skills. SUNY Plattsburgh perfectly fit that description,” Adefris said. “In four years, Plattsburgh has felt like home and provided me with immense opportunities to grow.”
Calling his four years at SUNY Plattsburgh the most transformational of his life, he said SUNY Plattsburgh also gave him many “lifelong friendships and had unforgettable experiences.”
A student in the School of Business and Economics, Adefris gave a shout-out to two of its luminaries — Distinguished Service Professor of Accounting Mohamed Gaber and Distinguished Service Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship Emeritus Nancy Church, who “had special impact on me in developing my career and providing extracurricular experiences that have truly been pivotal to where I’m going,” he said.
“Their efforts to provide opportunities for students outside of the classroom is one of the reasons my time in this university has been great.” Adefris will be joining IBM as a financial analyst after graduation where he said he hopes “to use the skills I’ve gained in SUNY Plattsburgh on the big stage.”
Eden McFarren
McFarren’s path to SUNY Plattsburgh was not what she had originally expected to take, she said.
“I had initially planned to attend Syracuse University, but after my mother became ill, I made the decision to stay closer to home. At the time, it felt like a disappointment, but looking back, it became one of the most meaningful re-directions of my life,” McFarren said.
That wasn’t the only career path that diverged from McFarren’s original concept. The social work major started out as a mortuary science major at Hudson Valley Community College “before realizing that while I was drawn to people in pain, I was far more passionate about helping the living than with working with the loss after the fact.”
McFarren said that SUNY Plattsburgh “has become far more than simply the school I chose; it became the place that helped me discover who I am, what I value, and what I am capable of.”
“It gave me not only an education but also confidence, resilience and a stronger belief in my ability to create meaningful change,” she said.
‘Full-circle Moment’
McFarren experienced what she called a “full-circle moment” after having connected with Maureen Rotondi, who had served as an adjunct at Hudson Valley and was an associate professor in social work at the now-shuttered College of Saint Rose in Albany. Rotondi is now associate professor in social work at SUNY Plattsburgh, teaching out of its Queensbury campus.
“(Rotondi) helped me understand the depth and breadth of social work as a profession,” McFarren said. “Her mentorship opened my eyes to the field, and when the College of Saint Rose closed, seeing her and much of that incredible department continue their work at SUNY Plattsburgh felt like a remarkable full-circle moment.”
Two other faculty members who joined SUNY Plattsburgh after Saint Rose’s closure in 2024 at the Queensbury site and who made a difference in McFarren’s life are Dr. Donna Van Alst, associate professor of social work, “who encouraged my passion for policy and research,” McFarren said, and social work assistant professor, Dr. Joseph Twumasi-Ankrah, “whose research methods course challenged me deeply while also inspiring a genuine love for research.”
She said the future is an open door, whether she remains in the South Glens Falls area or elsewhere.
“I now carry something invaluable within me: The confidence that I can make a difference through compassion, advocacy and dedication to helping others,” she said. “Wherever life takes me next, SUNY Plattsburgh has prepared me to meet it with purpose.”
Olivia Powers
Legacy played a role in Powers attending SUNY Plattsburgh: Her parents met as students here. But that wasn’t the only reason the computer security major traveled north from Ticonderoga.
“I was really intrigued by the program here as well as the campus atmosphere,” she said. “It looked like a really good place to make new friends. It was also close to home, so I knew if I needed something, my family could always come see me.”
Powers said that SUNY Plattsburgh lived up to her expectations in so many ways.
“Not only was I able to complete my degree in three years thanks to the classes offered, my program requirements, etc., (but) I have also met so many people,” she said. “When I first came to Plattsburgh, it was like a fresh start. I didn’t have many friends at home. So I was really excited to meet all these new people — and I did meet a lot.
“It’s so nice to walk around campus and see people you know and smile at each other,” Powers said. “My time at Plattsburgh has meant too much to me. I learned what it was like to be an adult and be independent, and I was able to finally fulfill my figure skating dreams since there was no rink where I’m from.”
She credited Cristian Balan, lecturer, Center for Cybersecurity, for helping her in her academic career.
“He saw my potential and pushed me to attend the Center for Cybersecurity on campus and appointed me our chapter president for Women in Cybersecurity,” Powers said. “This semester, I have been one of the interns at the CCT, which has been an amazing learning opportunity.”
As a result, she was recommended for a job as a security analyst for Vertek Corporation in Colchester, Vt.
“I’ll be starting my career shortly after graduation,” Powers said. Her eyes are still on that figure skating dream as well.
“I want to pass my pre-preliminary skating test and, much farther down the line, become a coach,” she said.
Honorary Doctorate
The order of exercises for the 9 a.m. arts and sciences ceremony will also include the conferring of an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the State University of New York to Larry Unrein ’79, head of private equity and hedge funds, J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
While Spring Commencement is a ticketed event, all three ceremonies will be livestreamed.
