Message from Dr. Belinda S. Miles – Giving Beyond Self
December 15, 2017
This week we congratulated our December graduates with a completion ceremony that gave family and friends an opportunity to share the joy of achieving this milestone. The expressions of confidence and pride were abundant. Special thanks to the faculty and staff who could take part in the event. The College Community Relations team created this highlight video to share with those who could not be there: Completion Ceremony.
Sergio Serratto, our alumni speaker at the completion ceremony, inspired us with his personal story of perseverance. Mr. Serratto, an immigrant who became a personal assistant to David Rockefeller after a two-year stint on Wall Street, relayed his response to a rough transfer to studies at New York University Stern School of Business where his commute time to and from school was overwhelming. Determined to succeed and confident about the future, he lived out of his car Sunday through Thursday on the campus of NYU so that his time could be devoted to successful completion of his program there, spending weekends at home where he concealed his true living conditions from his family. It is a remarkable story of grit and determination that reminds us about the ways that various parts of our lives are invisible to others. It may seem unimaginable how even the most composed and successful among us could have the most extraordinary struggles and challenges. We cannot see or know everything that is happening in each other’s lives. Therefore, it is important for us to reach out and connect with those around us and show them that we see them and support them. Similarly, when we feel overwhelmed, isolated, or otherwise in distress, we can reach out for assistance and support.
Dr. Belinda S. Miles
President