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Mount Mercy Holds Its 113th Graduation

Wed, May 30th 2018 09:20 am

                 Mount Mercy Academy held its 113th graduation ceremony on May 23rd.  Sixty-three members of the class of 2018 received their diplomas from Margaret Staszak, the Mount Mercy principal.  President Margaret M. Cronin and the Board of Trustees presided at the ceremony as well.

                Salutatorian Mary Bala (West Seneca) welcomed and addressed the audience to open the ceremony. Emily Lewandowski (East Aurora), the valedictorian, delivered the valedictory address.  She thanked the faculty, her parents, friends and classmates for an exceptional four years and told her classmates that "You are going to change the world and that all of them are capable of doing just that."

                Sister Peggy Gorman RSM, a 1960 graduate of Mount Mercy, was the commencement speaker.  She has been a teacher and a member of numerous boards and is currently the Vice Chairman of the Mount Mercy Academy Board of Trustees.  She commended the graduates for their accomplishments and for representing the Portrait of a Mercy Graduate so well.  She told the Class of 2018 that after the sacrifices their families had made that they should "pay love forward".  She also advised the class to take risks, enjoy life, be happy and realize that they have a limitless future.

                Graduates Abigail Swiger (Lackawanna) and Kathryn Marabella were presented with the Frances Warde Leadership Award and Julia Maria Acosta (Buffalo) was presented with the Catherine McAuley Service Award.        

                The graduating class of 2018 from Mount Mercy Academy earned over fourteen million six hundred dollars in college scholarships and merit based grants.  


Julia Acosta proudly goes to receive the Catherine McAuley Service Award


Valedictorian Emily Lewandowski delivers her address


Mount Mercy's Class of 2018


Mount Mercy's Class of 2018

"Mount Mercy has positively changed my life forever. Through the inviting community, I was able to grow as a woman, as a daughter, as a friend, and as a member of society. Throughout my time here I have gained an education in both academic areas and life in general through the school's ongoing efforts to educate students on gender inequality, racial injustice, and environmental crisis'. Furthermore, Mercy has given me the space to gain confidence that 4 years ago I never would have guessed I would have. Mount Mercy has helped me take that initial step toward becoming the strong woman of color I am today. At Mercy you are more than just a student, you are whoever you wish to be."

Melina Courtney

Class of 2022

"My future, success, and the ability to be an empowered woman in society come from Mount Mercy. My school is a strong foundation for my role in life. From attending Mount Mercy, I can say with confidence, that I will graduate with the mindset that I can accomplish anything. Mercy is my home and my sanctuary to be whoever I want. Mount Mercy has been bringing forth generations of strong intellectual women into the world, and I am more than honored to be one of them. Mercy teaches girls more than academics, but also about the world around us. As a mercy community, we give back to the world because it is our home. From my four years at Mercy, I have been educated on pushing for equality and peace and the understanding that there is no limit to what I can do. I have the confidence to go out in the world and make a difference because being a Mercy girl has given me that opportunity. "

Cassidy Reid

Class of 2022

"Mercy is more than just a school. Mercy is my second home and a shoulder to lean on. Mount Mercy has given me the confidence and resources to pursue my passions and make the world a more inclusive place, propelling me to take strides into male-dominated fields. Mercy blessed me with an environment to grow intellectually and in the community, giving me the foundation to make a tangible impact while making lifelong friendships."

Adrianna Awald

Class of 2022

College Acceptances

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