BANGOR , Maine — A little history was made during the 117th Husson University commencement ceremonies held Sunday at the Cross Insurance Center.
For the first time since the school was founded in 1898, there were a trio of valedictorians rather than the traditional one because all three earned 4.0 grade point averages.
Sharing the top honors for the Class of 2016 were: Stephen A. Coston of Bar Harbor, who earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration; Sarah M. Smith of Calais, who earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology; and Mikala Elizabeth Varela of Westbrook, who earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Science in business administration.
Danielle M. Violette of Caribou was named salutatorian. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a Master of Science in business administration while maintaining a grade point average of 3.977.
Also receiving honors during Sunday’s ceremony was Brooke Locke, who was a third-year occupational therapy student and a member of the Epsilon Tau Epsilon sorority at Husson when she was killed by her boyfriend in November 2013.
A posthumous bachelor’s degree was accepted on her behalf by her brother, William Locke. Her mother, Priscilla Locke, also was on hand for what would have been Brooke Locke’s graduation day.
In his keynote address to this year’s graduating class, U.S. Sen. Angus King offered graduates some tips for success after college.
“Take more risks, take more chances. You can achieve more than you think you can,” he said. “There’s always that little man that sits on your shoulder and says, ‘You can’t do that.’ Don’t listen.”
King also said to always be honest, “even if it hurts. Your image, your good name, is something like sculpting in concrete. When you start, it’s very soft and watery and manipulable, and then it hardens and your good name is like that.”
Some of King’s tips were of the common-sense variety: every interview is over in 15 seconds, so make the best impression possible; always keep a $20 bill on hand because someday, maybe more than one day, it will be a lifesaver; develop a strong handshake; and beware what you post on the Internet because it will become a “digital tattoo” that can be seen by one’s mother, grandmother and your future employer.
King also was among three leaders who received honorary degrees for the efforts on behalf of the state and the nation.
Others who received honorary degrees were Texas entrepreneur Fred Newman, grandson of William Newman, for whom Husson University’s Newman Gymnasium is named and a member of Husson’s Board of Visitors since 2014, and William Read, an associate professor in Husson’s College of Business and the university’s longest serving professor. Read also has been the editor-in-chief of the Business Law Review Journal since 1968.
During Sunday’s commencement, Husson awarded 775 degrees to students who completed their programs at the College of Business, College of Health and Education, New England School of Communications, School of Pharmacy and the School of Science and Humanities.