Worcester State University held its milestone 150th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16, honoring the achievements of 943 graduating seniors.
With more than 9,000 friends and loved ones in attendance, the ceremony at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester also served to conclude the university’s sesquicentennial celebrations. Fittingly, the day’s program included the names of Worcester State’s very first graduates, while students were given special 150th anniversary pins to fix to their traditional robes and take home as a keepsake after the festivities.
In opening remarks, Dr. Lisa Colombo ’87, D.N.P., M.H.A., R.N., chair of the Board of Trustees, made note of the anniversary, telling students they “will forever be a special part of the university’s history.”
“Your Worcester State education has been grounded in the university’s core values, ones that have defined the university’s legacy for generations: academic excellence, engaged citizenship, inclusion, integrity, and respect for others,” she said. “These are not just ideals. They are part of the fabric of who we are. These values will serve you well, both personally and professionally. Hold them close and stay true to them.”
Worcester State President Barry Maloney followed by congratulating the Class of 2026. He then acknowledged the gathered students faced unique challenges in their academic journeys, including navigating a pandemic during their formative years, on top of the typical challenges all students face, like balancing work, school, and family. “Still, you chose to persist,” he said.
“You know how to adapt. You know how to show up tired and still do your best work. You know how to care about people while carrying responsibility,” he continued. “That is leadership. That is character. That is service.”
After the president’s remarks, the bestselling author and neurodiversity scholar John Elder Robison delivered the commencement address. In an inspiring speech, Robison encouraged students to own and take pride in the characteristics that make them unique.
John Elder Robison delivers the commencement address.
“Each of us has our differences and strengths,” he said. “Those are not things to hide or be ashamed of. They are what make us special, and they are what can take you to the top.”
Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at age 40, Robison recounted to the crowd how he struggled to connect with people when he was younger. At the same time, he said he’d always loved music. Rather than wanting to perform, however, he shared how he was awed by the engineering side of sound, and so taught himself how to modify and even build guitars and amplifiers. This, he said, led him ultimately to work as a sound engineer for world renowned acts like Kiss, Iron Maiden, and Peter Frampton. In fact, he recalled working as an engineer at a number of their shows at the DCU Center back in the 1980s. “I’d never have guessed I’d be up here on stage myself one day, in front of all of you,” he said.
Robison’s understanding of what makes him unique, he noted, has also led to personal and professional successes well beyond the realm of sound engineering.
A prolific writer, Robison is the author of Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Intelligence, Look Me in the Eye, Be Different, and Raising Cubby, which are among the most widely read accounts of life with Asperger’s in the world. Today, he serves as the Neurodiversity Scholar in Residence at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and is one of the founders of the Neurodiversity Program at the school.
“Being different took me to the top of the music world in the 1970s, and gave me the confidence and skills to do everything since,” he said. “Being like everyone else would mean throwing away the one thing in my life that made me successful.”
Abby Saner ’26 delivers the student address.
Gardner-native Abby Saner ’26, a speech language and hearing sciences major who is about to start her career as a full time speech language pathologist assistant at Summit Academy, delivered the student address. Invoking her skills as a former campus tour guide, she invited her peers to pause and think about important places on campus.
These places included the student center (“where we met friends in between classes” and “where students bravely rode the mechanical bull during that one event”); the science and technology center (“where you don’t always walk in knowing the answers, but you learn how to ask better questions”); and the library (where there were “long nights, early mornings, group projects that somehow turned into solo projects, and moments where progress felt slow or even invisible”).
“If you stop and take a look back at our time at Worcester State, you’ll see more than just buildings,” she said. “You’ll see moments of connection, growth and resilience. We didn’t just earn our degrees at Worcester State. We learned how to move forward, even when we weren’t sure of what the next step would be.”
Concluding her speech, Saner, who as a student was a member of the Worcester State dance team and worked in the dorms as a resident assistant, encouraged her fellow classmates to continue to pause and reflect on where they are in their lives as they go forward.
“As we leave our campus, let’s take these lessons with us,” she said. “Wherever our lives take us next, we should continue to stop, and take a look around, and trust that we are ready for whatever comes next, even if what comes next is a little uncertain. Because if college taught us anything, it’s that we’ll figure it out as we go.”
The university also conferred honorary doctorates upon commencement speaker Robison, as well as leading Worcester attorney Michael P. Angelini.
Angelini is a partner in Prince Lobel’s Business Transactions Practice Group, a longtime community leader with decades of service on charitable, public, and corporate boards, and a two-time recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Community Service Award. He has served as president or chairman of several organizations, including the Worcester Economic Club, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Salvation Army Advisory Board, Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research, and the Massachusetts Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee.
“Mr. Angelini has demonstrated a rare level of community service throughout his life and career,” said Yadalisse Norford ’26, in reading the honorary doctorate citation. “Known as one of the most influential business leaders in Worcester, Angelini’s professional accomplishments are matched only by his advocacy for the public good, for he has time and again demonstrated his commitment to uplifting those around him.”
In further celebration of the university’s 150th anniversary, the day also included the screening of a special video honoring graduating students, alumni, and faculty who have made an impact both on campus and beyond. Narrated by esteemed actor Peter Coyote, the video served to celebrate both the Class of 2026, as well as Worcester State’s commitments to place and purpose.
