For sport management major Katerina Pinto ’26 and her twin sister, Juliana, college started with distance and two very different paths. But somewhere along the way, both roads led them back to the same place: Endicott.
“I transferred here my sophomore year, and then she came here. We’ve been together ever since,” said Katerina. “It’s surreal. It’s still kicking in.”
“My first year at school wasn’t the best, so coming here was a new start. I’m really happy with the decisions I’ve made, the growth I’ve made, the people I’ve met, and the experiences I’ve had. It’s been really fun,” she added.
Juliana, a digital media journalism major, joined her sister at the Nest junior year.
“I felt so involved in all my classes, everybody that I’ve met. It’s been a very welcoming space. I wish I got to spend more time here, but I’ve enjoyed the time that I had,” said Julianna.
“I’m excited to celebrate with friends, family, and have a good day today,” she added.
With bright blue skies overhead and Hempstead Stadium filled with celebration, the Class of 2026 gathered on May 16, 2026, for Endicott College’s 86th Commencement. Surrounded by family, friends, faculty, staff, and classmates, graduates reflected on the winding journeys, challenges, and moments of growth that shaped their time at the Nest.
Starting off the ceremony was Eilis O’Connell-Sussman D’26, this year’s graduate student speaker.
O’Connell-Sussman reflected on the resilience, sacrifice, and support systems that carried graduates through their academic journeys, reminding the Class of 2026 that while exhaustion fades, the growth and achievements they earned will last forever.
“We have endured the revisions and the setbacks. We have felt the weight of the work. But as we sit here today, the exhaustion is beginning to lift, forming a version of ourselves that is more capable, more resilient, and more ready to serve the world than the person who started this journey,” she said.
Undergraduate speaker Sophia Lonnroth ’26, a psychology major with a minor in criminal justice, used the number of days to reflect on how far the graduates had come. She marked key milestones in their journey at the Nest, including 1,358 days since first-year move-in.
“Embrace each new day with the confidence that you are capable, and remember that ‘one more is one less.’ Take all you have learned as a Gull, and spread your wings as if it is your last chance to, wherever you choose to fly,” said Lonnroth.
In his Commencement address, Dr. Bryan Cain, President of Endicott College, used the metaphor of doors to share advice for the Class of 2026. Some doors, he said, will open with ease, while others may stay shut, and at times, graduates may realize the path in front of them was never theirs to walk.
“Sometimes, when the door doesn’t open, you must build a new one. Sometimes, when there is no door, you find a window. And sometimes—if we’re being honest—you break the window,” he said. “Life is not a straight hallway lined with perfectly labeled doors.”
Cain reminded graduates that uncertainty is part of the journey. They will need to pivot, adapt, and sometimes rewrite their plans entirely. And when faced with a door they’re hesitant to open, he encouraged them to take the risk because life offers only one chance to step through it.
At Endicott, holding doors open for others is part of the community’s culture, and graduates were reminded to carry that mindset with them long after leaving the Nest. Whether for colleagues, friends, or strangers, the Class of 2026 was called to create opportunities for others and support people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
“In a world that can feel divided and uncertain, the simple act of kindness of holding a door, figuratively or literally, is making space for someone else. And that is leadership,” he said.
Recognizing achievement at the Nest
A dual major in expressive arts therapy and performing arts, Kayrena Meyers ’26, received this year’s Founders Medallion for achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA. Throughout her time at Endicott, she has dedicated herself to integrating music, theater, dance, and visual arts as tools for connection, wellness, and personal transformation.
The President’s Award was presented to two Gulls this year, interior architecture major Simeon Owens ’26 and nursing major Emily Carey ’26. Owens was recognized for his creativity, leadership, and vibrant presence across campus, while Carey was honored for her compassionate leadership and dedication to service both at Endicott and beyond.
Embracing change and telling your own story
Continuing the ceremony’s themes of resilience and embracing the unknown, this year’s Commencement speaker, Soledad O’Brien, an award-winning journalist and producer, encouraged the Class of 2026 to meet change with confidence as they prepared for life beyond Endicott.
O’Brien, who also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during Commencement, acknowledged just how much the media landscape has shifted over the years, going from satellite trucks to heavy cameras to reporting from iPhones.
“News was not dead, it was changing dramatically daily,” she said. “I had to learn that change was not a threat, it was just a new set of rules, and if I could understand those rules, I could use them to build the career that I wanted.”
From holding a fish on live television and even standing on the Bay Bridge in 60-mile-per-hour winds, O’Brien shared stories from her early days in local news, reflecting on the mistakes and moments of growth that ultimately shaped her decades-long career.
“The goal is to find out what you love, then do it well, and then want to learn to do it better every single day,” she added. “It’s not a straight path, it’s a windy, messy, frustrating, frequently humiliating, occasionally extraordinary path.”
The daughter of a Black Cuban mother and a white Australian father, O’Brien reflected on her parents’ interracial marriage and the adversity they faced while living in Baltimore, during a time when those relationships were still illegal in parts of the country.
“She [her mother] said, ‘Lovey, we knew America was better than that.’ There was no opting out in that answer, no despair, no waiting for someone else to fix it, just a clear-eyed, unshakable belief that this country was capable of being better than it was showing itself to be in this moment,” said O’Brien.
Some challenges may feel overwhelming, and while some people choose to step back, O’Brien reminded graduates that meaningful change has always come from those willing to face uncertainty head-on rather than wait for permission to act.
“They were young people who stepped out into a messy world and decided to make things better than when they found it, people who didn’t hide from change, but who faced it head-on, thoughtfully, intelligently, and with compassion for others around them,” she said. “I feel great comfort in knowing that what’s next could be in your hands, so now go and grab it.”