Student & Faculty Member Honor Class of 2019

Luke Reynolds and Cameron Elizabeth Molinare ’19 set to be faculty and student speakers at this year’s Baccalaureate and Undergraduate Commencement.

Baccalaureate Ceremony

What is it? The baccalaureate ceremony affords each graduate a time to reflect on their accomplishments and their future. Graduates attend the ceremony wearing academic robes and hoods and are seated with family members and friends. Baccalaureate will be held on Friday, May 24, 2019 at 1 p.m. at Hempstead Stadium.

Luke Reynolds, assistant professor of EnglishLuke Reynolds, Speaker

Luke Reynolds, assistant professor of English and popular children’s book author, was a public school English teacher at the middle and secondary levels for many years before coming to Endicott College to join the faculty in the education department. Reynolds says, “When I began teaching almost 20 years ago, I would always ask my high school students, 'What makes your heart beat fast?' and I would try to counsel them to discern that pursuit in their lives and then follow it. Teaching at Endicott makes my heart beat fast and I feel so deeply grateful to be here.”

Reynolds’ passion is to link literature and life, to join theory and practice, and to connect contemplation to action. He received his Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Northern Arizona University, and earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Education from Boston College. Among his books for children, adolescents, and teachers are: A Call to Creativity: Writing, Reading, and Inspiring Students in an Age of Standardization; Surviving Middle School; Fantastic Failures: True Stories of People Who Changed the World by Falling Down First; If My Love Were a Fire Truck: A Daddy’s Love Song; The Gumazing Gum Girl series; Bedtime Blastoff; and The Looney Experiment. Reynolds and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of three young boys: Tyler, Benjamin, and Joshua. A core principle by which Reynolds aims to live his life is from Philo: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is engaged in a battle.”

Reynolds shares, “I am completely humbled and honored to have the chance to speak to the graduating seniors at baccalaureate this year. I feel like it is a privilege to hear the ideas of my students—to see their passions, their hopes, and their dreams. I also am grateful for the chance to walk side by side with them as they make their way through challenges and struggles.”

He shares his appreciation for Endicott, “For me, Endicott has been a community where I feel at home—a place that I have been journeying toward for the past 20 years, and I feel so grateful and excited to have found my way here. The colleagues with whom I teach, and the students I serve, continually inspire and motivate me to connect as authentically and hopefully as possible."

In addition to speaking at Baccalaureate, Reynolds will be given Endicott’s Excellence in Teaching Award at Commencement.

Commencement Ceremony

Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. The event will be held outdoors at Hempstead Stadium. Visit our Commencement page for more details on the event.

Cameron Molinare '19Cameron Elizabeth Molinare ’19, Speaker

Captain of the field hockey team, Student Government Association School of Education Senator/Parliamentarian/Co-Chair Student Life Committee, member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, member of the Education Club, member of Kappa Delta Pi (Education Honors Society)—the list goes on for Molinare’s involvements.

During these past four years at Endicott, Molinare has gained countless experiences within elementary school classrooms that prepared her to become an educator and fostered her growth as a leader. Molinare shares, “From the very first moment I stepped foot onto Endicott’s remarkable campus I knew I had found my new home for the next four years.”

When we asked her what her thoughts were about being this year’s student Commencement speaker, this is what she told us, “To be completely honest, I am shocked, excited, and truly humbled by my fellow classmates’ selection of me for student Commencement speaker. This is an honor that I have always aspired to receive, but never fully thought I would be provided the opportunity. Albeit being tasked with speaking in front of the entire Class of 2019 can be slightly overwhelming as I must attempt to sum up four amazing years into a quick three-minute speech, I am very much looking forward to celebrating all of the accomplishments of my fellow graduates on Commencement day.”

For more information visit endicott.edu.