Commencement speaker Dr. Joseph Palamara, DVM, DACVS-SA told graduates that they must challenge themselves to grow and thrive.
Cheered on by their loved ones, nearly 450 graduates received their diplomas at Mount Saint Mary College’s 62nd annual Commencement Ceremonies on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17.
The Mount awarded about 120 master’s degrees and about 330 bachelor’s degrees across the two ceremonies. The graduating students hailed from 11 states: Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
For the third year in a row, longtime Psychology Professor Paul Schwartz led the processions of graduates to their ceremonies. Schwartz is only the third person in 65 years of Mount history to bear the college’s ceremonial mace at Commencement, following in the footsteps of seminal Mount English professors James Finn Cotter and James McEnery.
Evan Merkhofer, Vice President for Academic Affairs, served as Master of Ceremonies. The events were presided over by Lou Bach, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the college.
The invocation for Friday’s Master’s ceremony was given by Michael L. Fox, Acting Dean of the Mount’s School of Business and associate professor of Business Law. At Saturday’s undergraduate ceremony, the invocation was given by Sr. Connie Koch ’71, OP, a Mount Trustee and Dominican Sister of Hope.
Rosemarie Horne, a 2020 alumna and Content Specialist with the college’s Marketing and Communications Department, kicked off both ceremonies by singing “God Bless America.”
Dr. Robert Gervasi, President of the Mount, wished the students well as they go forth in the professions they have chosen: “My wish for you is that this isn’t just one day,” said Gervasi, “but that every day, you ask for, and pray for, and commit to developing a Commencement state of mind…Imagine the joy you’re feeling today. I wish you that same joy, day after day.”
The students then heard from Commencement speaker Dr. Joseph Palamara, DVM, DACVS-SA, a board-certified small animal veterinary surgeon and 1998 Biology graduate of the Mount. Palamara was the first in his family to attend college.
Born and raised in Middletown, N.Y., Palamara obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree with High Honors from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts, West Indies in 2003. He completed a one-year rotating small animal internship at the prestigious Animal Medical Center in New York, N.Y.
He moved back to the Hudson Valley for the next few years, often working up to 80 hours per week and finding time to assist the Dutchess County SPCA’s Spay and Neuter Clinic. From 2009 to 2012, Palamara completed a three-year residency in small animal surgery at the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, N.Y. He spent the next six years as a Staff Surgeon at VCA Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center. In 2016, he fulfilled his dream and became one of 1,700 boarded diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Palamara relocated to the Capital Region in 2018, joining Upstate Veterinary Specialties, a 24-hour private multi-specialty veterinary referral practice. Within a few years, he became Chief of Service and co-owner.
When he isn’t performing orthopedic, soft tissue, and oncologic surgery, Palamara is spending time with his family. He married his wife, Sarah, in 2023. The couple has one child, Marleigh, with another child due in July. True to Palamara’s calling as a veterinarian, the family has three dogs: Ellie, a yellow lab; Olive, a greater Swiss mountain dog; Calvin, a French bulldog; and a horse named Snoop, a Haflinger.
At the ceremony, Palamara reminded the graduates that their definition of success will change as the years go on, helping them to grow personally and professionally.
“Success starts as a goal, but becomes a continuous journey,” he said. “The decisions you make will ultimately mold and define your successes. My journey has been a long road, and I am thankful it started here [at the Mount]…I urge you to focus on a journey that brings out your best self, that challenges and inspires you, that you love. I guarantee you it won’t be work, but rather, an adventure.”
He added, “Remember, you write your own story. You get to choose your own adventure. Don’t forget to use the gifts you have been given. Challenge yourself. Create a legacy you are proud of and one that leaves a positive footprint for your children and family. And remember your roots where part of your journey started.”
Palamara also praised his professors at the Mount for being excellent mentors. The lessons he learned as a student in the late ’90s have served him well throughout his life, he said.
“I will always be grateful to my professors for their kindness, dedication, and investment in me,” Palamara explained. “I will always keep them in mind as I make every effort to push it forward to honor them.”
On Friday, graduate Courtney Rogers, MSEd of Hopewell Junction, N.Y. told her cohorts that it’s okay to be a little apprehensive about the future, but to not let that stop them from being the best they can be.
“Don’t let fear hold you back,” she said. “You already know how to do hard things. You already are someone who inspires. And now, it’s time to take that knowledge, that heart, and that hustle, and go out and be the change. Take all the wonderful times and experiences that you had here at the Mount and become the person you want to be after graduation.”
On Saturday, Amanda Asare of Brentwood, N.Y., Senior Class President, congratulated the Class of 2025 for their dedication to academics and their future careers.
“To my fellow graduates, I’ve seen your hard work from all the late nights at the library and in everything you do,” she said. “I have seen your commitment to success, and your perseverance through tough times. And today, on this beautiful day, I want to say well done. You have earned this moment. Today is all about you. Be proud of yourself – your hard work paid off.”
She added, “Go and be a light that shines and brightens other people’s lives.”
Two awards were given to Mount Saint Mary College faculty during the ceremony. Samantha O’Connell, Class of 2026 and president of the Mount’s Student Government Association (SGA), presented the SGA’s Excellence in Teaching Award to Michael Fox, Acting Dean for the School of Business. The award recognizes a full-time professor that the students believe goes above and beyond in their role as a professor and in their commitment to student success.
In addition, Elizabeth Harper, associate professor of Biology, presented the Mount Saint Mary College Faculty Award for 2025 to James Phillips, professor of Theatre. Harper praised Phillips for fostering a learning environment where students “are encouraged to explore their potential in a safe and creative environment.”
Ranked a Top-Tier Regional University by U.S. News & World Report, Mount Saint Mary College offers strong career preparation in the health professions, education, business, psychology, social services, the liberal arts, and more.
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