Graduating Student-Athletes Take a Time Out for a Special Commencement Celebration Amid Post-Season Competition

With games and competitions keeping them busy throughout Commencement weekend, student-athletes at St. John Fisher University had the opportunity to enjoy all the pomp and circumstance of this important rite of passage during a special Athletics Commencement, held on Wednesday, May 6.

Representing men’s tennis, women’s lacrosse, men’s lacrosse, baseball, softball, and men’s and women’s track and field, these graduates not only excelled in the classroom, but also in their sport. 

At the ceremony, Dr. Gerard J. Rooney, president of the University, addressed the graduates before conferring their degrees.

“As student-athletes, your Fisher journey here has been one of significant dedication and growth, extending far beyond the excitement of victory on the field or court. You balanced the demands of competition and coursework with a level of discipline that speaks to who you are and who you will continue to be - leaders who rise to every challenge with purpose and integrity,” he said. 

Dylan Becker, marketing major and the co-president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, delivered remarks on behalf of his class. Referencing “Field of Dreams,” he reflected on the drive it takes to be a student-athlete and how their experiences as student-athletes at Fisher have prepared them for life after college. 

“The adversity that we will face is going to remind us of one thing though, and that is we have done this before over and over again on and off the field, in and out of the classroom,” he said. 

“We are leaving a school that has allowed us to realize the people that we were meant to be. Being the St. John Fisher Cardinals, we weren’t just the team to beat: we set the standard for what going above and beyond really means. So after today, I hope that each one of you remembers that our whole lives, and in our own fields of dreams, we’ve been going the distance. Now, let’s see just how far we can go.”