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News of Note - 116th Graduation Ceremony

by Pat Burns

June 1, 2021

 

 For Immediate Release

CONTACT NAME:  Pat Burns

CONTACT EMAIL:  pburns@mtmercy.org

CONTACT PHONE:  716-825-8796 ext 205

ARTICLE AUTHOR:  Pat Burns

 

Mount Mercy Holds Its 116th Graduation

 

                Mount Mercy Academy held its 116th graduation ceremony on May 26th at the Avanti Mansion.  Forty members of the class of 2021 received their diplomas from Michele Melligan, Mount Mercy’s Head of School.

                Salutatorian Claire Mullen (Orchard Park) welcomed and addressed the audience to open the ceremony. Madeline Lickfeld (Buffalo), the valedictorian, delivered the valedictory address.  She thanked the faculty, her parents, friends and classmates for an exceptional four years and said she will miss everything about Mount Mercy.  She also commented that it was a different year that changed the class.  She urged her classmates to confront change head on and to abandon safety and grow. She will cherish her memories and closed by telling her classmates that “Change is inevitable but growth is a choice.

                Denise Mahoney Dunford, class of 1971 was the graduation speaker.  She is an associate professor and director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at D’Youville College and also maintains an active clinical practice as a nurse practitioner at Buffalo General Hospital.  She congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments and for making it through a non-traditional year due to Covid.  She told the graduates that the Mount Mercy education that they had received prepared them well for the challenges that they will face

Graduate Megan Reilly (Buffalo) was presented with the Frances Warde Leadership Award and Anani Debose (Buffalo) was presented with the Catherine McAuley Service Award.       

                The graduating class of 2021 from Mount Mercy Academy earned almost ten million dollars in college scholarships and merit based grants.  

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 Mount Mercy Academy

A Catholic College Preparatory High School for Young Women

88 Red Jacket Parkway | Buffalo, New York 14220 | www.mtmercy.org | T (716) 825-8796 | F (716) 825-0976

 

 

"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

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