On Saturday, May 21, Vaughn College celebrated the Class of 2022 at its 90th commencement ceremony. Queens Borough President and Vaughn Alumnus Donovan Richards ’11 delivered the commencement address to students. Richards’ compelling speech about achieving success and the value of a college degree noted, “Understand that even if the path your life takes is not the path you envisioned, there’s possibility and promise around every bend. I guarantee there will be plenty of opportunities to put that Vaughn degree to good use, especially here in Queens County.”
Richards, a lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, has been the Queens Borough President since 2020. He got his start in politics after a tragedy inspired him to get more involved in his community and join the fight to end gun violence. He worked in numerous positions within the city council where he connected with the community and developed a hands-on approach to helping constituents.
As Queens Borough President, Donovan is leading the efforts to revitalize our great borough and make it one which works for all of its residents and workers. Richards was awarded an honorary degree from the institution.
Wole Barnarde ’22, electrical engineering graduate served as this year’s student speaker and was the recipient of the Board of Trustees Award. His speech reminded peers of the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted the resilience of the Class of 2022, and celebrated their success as college graduates.
Vaughn President Dr. Sharon B. DeVivo closed the ceremony by thanking the graduates for their contributions to the institution and wishing them well in the next chapter of their journey.
VAUGHN COLLEGE: Founded in 1932, Vaughn College is a private, nonprofit four-year college that enrolls more than 1,400 students in master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degree programs in engineering, technology, and management and aviation on its main campus in New York City and online. The student-faculty ratio of 14 to 1 ensures a highly personalized learning environment. Eighty-eight percent of Vaughn College graduates are placed in professional positions, 75 percent in a related field, or choose to continue their education within one year of graduation. In recent years, outside of the pandemic, Vaughn’s outcomes for students typically average more than 95 percent and have been 99%, 98%, and 97% for the three years prior. Vaughn College serves many first-generation Americans and first-generation college students and is recognized by the US Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. In a study conducted by The Equality of Opportunity Project, and reported in The New York Times, Vaughn was ranked number one in upward mobility nationwide.
