Salve Regina University celebrated its 75th Commencement today, awarding 508 bachelor’s degrees to the Class of 2025. The milestone event took place on the university’s oceanside campus, with President Dr. Kelli J. Armstrong presiding. A separate ceremony on May 15 recognized 235 graduate students, including recipients of master’s, doctoral, and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees.
Keynote speaker Cody Keenan, former chief speechwriter for President Barack Obama, delivered a heartfelt and inspiring address, urging graduates to pursue purpose with compassion and conviction. “Find your people and dream up cool stuff with them,” he said. “Make people’s lives better, not worse… and never, ever stop moving forward.”
Keenan, who collaborated with Obama for 14 years, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Additional honorary degrees were awarded to Tiziana C. Dearing, host of WBUR’s Morning Edition, and Kasim J. Yarn, director of Rhode Island’s Office of Veterans Services.
President Armstrong praised the class for embodying Salve’s core values of kindness, service, and community. “Salve is about caring more for the collective good… and the Class of 2025 is the embodiment of that collective good,” she said.
Sen. Jack Reed, Gov. Dan McKee, and Newport Mayor Charles M. Holder also offered congratulatory remarks.
Class valedictorian Jenna Martin reflected on the symbolism of the university’s iconic Ochre Court, noting, “The greatest journeys do not begin with staggering motion, but with a moment of stillness.”
(Photo credits: Jessica Pohl and Salve Regina University)
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