First Steps Toward Greatness: Bethlehem Commencement Ceremony

This spring’s graduating Class of 2025 tops the charts at 708 students, the largest since spring 2019. The May 22 ceremony was held in the Arthur L. Scott Spartan Center on NCC’s Bethlehem campus, featuring a class of diverse graduates ranging in age from 17 to 69 and hailing from different countries including Egypt and Colombia. Twenty-five students graduated with a 4.0 GPA. 

After a powerful performance of the National Anthem from theatre major, Angelina Marie, President of NCC, David A. Ruth, Ph.D., gave the definition of what it means to be NCC strong, saying, “There is demand for NCC graduates because employers and four-year institutions know that when an NCC grad walks through their doors, they’re getting someone with grit, determination, and the skills to succeed.” 

“All of you have incredible stories. All of you have overcome some sort of challenge to get to this commencement stage. All of you deserve recognition for your hard work and dedication to pursuing your education and your goals,” Dr. Ruth said to the graduates. 

Theatre graduate and student commencement speaker, Max Wetherhold, highlighted the importance of connection and encouraged graduates to take initiative and become an active participant in their communities. “Community matters so profoundly because it provides a sense of belonging – a feeling that we are not alone in our experiences. Perhaps, most importantly, it amplifies our impact. Together, we could achieve so much more than we could individually."  

Professor of Engineering and Physics, Bill Doney, has been a member of the Northampton faculty since 1999. During his tenure, he learned, “Numbers are important.” He told the audience that the meaning of numbers goes well beyond math and changes as life evolves, and that when they were young, the important numbers were birthdays, grades, and how many Pokémon cards they had.  

“Now, May 22, 2025. The last few months over the semester, many of you have important numbers like due dates, test scores, GPA, and how many semesters until you graduate. After today, those numbers begin to change. Test scores become performance reviews, and your GPA is now your credit score. Let’s not forget about my hero: zero. In many cultures, it represents balance, a clean slate, and a point of transition. So, let’s begin the future and move forward from zero to one. One represents the beginning of things. You are the one, the starting point. How will you impact our world? Take that first step and find out,” Doney said to the graduates. 

David Robertson was the commencement speaker for the ceremony. As the founder of JOSHWAY, he is reshaping the nonprofit landscape by integrating emerging technologies and empowering the next generation to dream boldly and act courageously. In his address, he said, “You're not a blank canvas; you’re a masterpiece in progress. Your job is not to accumulate titles or impress people. Your job is to chip away the fear, the doubt, the pressure, until your purpose emerges. So, I ask, ‘how will you choose to play this thing called life?’ The world is sitting on the edge of its seat just waiting for you to rise and take your place. The world doesn’t need another copy of someone else. It needs you, the real you.”  

Robertson’s address was followed by the presentation of the President’s Commencement Scholarship, awarded to Zach Palomba-Frechette, given in honor of the ceremony’s commencement speaker. Additionally, Adam Sbardelli was honored with the Trustee Award. Sbardelli was recognized by fellow students and faculty members for possessing outstanding leadership qualities. 

Applause filled the Spartan Center as graduates crossed the stage and accepted their diplomas, cheered on by their proud loved ones. 

NCC enjoys a long-standing tradition of involvement and participation by its alumni in every aspect of college life. William R. Rowe III, class of 2013 alum and global head of electronics communications compliance at Cantor Fitzgerald, welcomed graduates into the Alumni Association as they shifted their tassels from right to left. One of the oldest continuously active community college alumni associations in the country, the association boasts 60,000 members and will celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. 

Congratulations to the Class of 2025! Check out all of the photos here.