LYNN — When Margaret Munroe started attending North Shore Community College at the age of 16 as a dual-enrollment student, she was worried that she wouldn’t fit in with the other, older students.
“To my surprise the age gap felt invisible. I made more friendships here than I had at any other school I attended, which was a lot,” Munroe said in her commencement speech at NSCC Friday. “I moved around often as a child, so about six or seven schools before I landed here at North Shore.”
Munroe, along with nearly 700 other students, graduated Friday.
The graduation was split into three ceremonies, each having a different student speaker and keynote speaker.
For the first ceremony, Maryann De Thomas De Labarthe, who received a respiratory care associate in science degree, was the student speaker.
She had previously graduated from the University of Massachusetts, where she double-majored in comparative literature and French, according to northshore.edu. De Thomas De Labarthe then spent a decade in France and China, where she gained experience in international relations and marketing, before moving back to Massachusetts in 2015.
“Through a project working with the homeless in Cambridge, she decided to blend her interest in people, culture, and languages by pursuing a career in healthcare and chose NSCC’s respiratory care program as the focus of her career path,” northshore.edu said.
The first ceremony’s keynote speaker was Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, the CEO of Lynn Community Health Center. He was recently appointed the state’s undersecretary of human services.
Munroe was the student speaker for the second ceremony, and graduated with her business-administration transfer associate of arts degree. During her time at NSCC, she was the vice president of the Student Government Association and was involved in many clubs and initiatives, northshore.edu said.
“My time at North Shore encouraged me to continue my education and it built my confidence academically, personally and professionally,” Munroe said during her speech.
The second ceremony’s keynote speaker was Frances Martinez, the president and founder of the North Shore Latino Business Association.
The third student speaker was Amanda Dias, who graduated with a liberal-arts transfer associate of arts degree through the psychology pathway program.
Dias is “a proud member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and looks forward to continuing her education with the goal of becoming a guidance counselor,” northshore.edu said.
Salem State University President John Keenan was the third keynote speaker.
In his opening remarks, North Shore Community College President William Heineman said he hopes that the experiences the graduates had while at NSCC will “launch” them into “very bright futures.”
“I know I speak for our trustees, faculty, and staff when I say how honored we are to have been part of your transformational journey,” Heineman said. “Today is your day to shine and enjoy the fruits of your labors, with your family and your friends. Enjoy your moment in the spotlight. It’s well deserved.”
