Saturday, May 10, 2025, 10 a.m.
Commencement will be held outside rain or shine under a large tent. We recommend that you dress comfortably for the weather and wear shoes suitable for walking on grass.
Saint Joseph’s College is proud to be a tobacco-free campus.
Note: Pets are not allowed at commencement: only leashed service animals. Please do not leave dogs in your car.
Commencement Events Schedule and Details
Commencement events will be streamed live over the Internet for friends and family members of the graduating class who cannot attend. See links below for each event.
Baccalaureate Mass
Friday, May 9, 10:45 a.m. - LIVESTREAM LINK
Please join us for the opening of the Commencement celebrations with Baccalaureate Mass on Friday, May 9. Mass will take place outside under the tent behind the Alfond Center. Students and faculty will robe and march in procession for Mass. There will be no assigned seating for family and friends. Tickets are not required. If you have requested special needs parking for Saturday, please bring that parking pass with you to park as needed on Friday.
Nursing Pinning Ceremony
Friday, May 9, 1:30 p.m. -LIVESTREAM LINK
The Nursing Pinning Ceremony will also take place on Friday, May 9. The ceremony will take place outside under the tent behind the Alfond Center. There will be no assigned seating for family and friends. Tickets are not required. If you have requested special needs parking for Saturday, please bring that parking pass with you to park as needed on Friday.
Commencement Exercises
Saturday, May 10, 10:00 a.m. - LIVESTREAM LINK
Online Commencement Program Page
PDF Version of Commencement Program
Commencement will take place outside under the tent behind the Alfond Center. Students and faculty will robe and march in procession. If you have requested special needs parking, please bring that parking pass with you to park.
In the Event of Rain
Moving out - Saturday, May 10
Campus Safety recommends families of students who live on campus plan to start moving after 2 p.m. once campus traffic has reduced. Please be considerate of the traffic flow following the ceremony when parking and moving out of the resident halls. Graduating students will need to be out of the resident halls by 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.
Caps and Gowns
On-campus students must order their caps and gowns by March 2, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m. EST through https://buildagrad.com/sjc. Students can pick them up at the “Senior Send-Off Fair” - April 15 + 16 in Baggot Street. Students must have their student ID to get their cap and gown. If students are unable to attend the fair, they must pick up their regalia from Shanna Webster, Academic Center for Excellence Office (located on 3rd floor of Alfond Hall Office #327).
Online graduates should apply for graduation through the Registrar’s Office and should order their caps and gowns by March 2, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m. EST through https://buildagrad.com/sjc. Caps and gowns for online students will be shipped directly to them.
Accessibility
If you need to make arrangements for accessible parking and seating for guests with limited mobility, please make sure that your graduate completes the “Commencement Seating Form” which has an option to request accessible seating and parking. If you have any questions, you can email them to commencementsjc@sjcme.edu, no later than April 26th regarding accessible parking and seating for guests with limited mobility. Please note: Special seating is limited to the individual with the mobility issue and one family member. You will need to show your special passes.
Diplomas
Each graduate will be handed a Saint Joseph's College diploma cover during the ceremony. It will contain a blank diploma with a congratulatory message instructing the graduate that their diploma will be mailed to them once they have been cleared by the Office of the Registrar and Student Accounts.
Parking
The road that the College is located on, Whites Bridge Road, can get backed up on the morning of Commencement. You could experience some delays. Be sure to give yourself enough time. We suggest that you arrive on campus as early as you can. We recommend that you arrive before 9 a.m.
Parking will be available on campus. Due to the considerable need for parking, we ask that you and your guests carpool to campus on Saturday. This will help to improve our parking and traffic situation. You will enter the campus from Whites Bridge Road. As you proceed there will be staff to show you the way. Please do not stop your car to ask questions at the entrance, as this will bring the traffic flow to a halt.
Memorabilia
Class Rings and Graduation Announcements
Graduation from college is one of the most important achievements students will experience in their lives — a milestone to share. Saint Joseph’s College and Balfour have partnered together to offer custom class rings and personalized graduation announcements. To order now, visit balfour.com or call 1-866-225-3687.
Join the tradition and order your Saint Joseph’s class ring! Show your school spirit and carry a piece of Saint Joseph’s with you wherever you go. Order by March 13th for guaranteed graduation delivery!
Campus Store
Buy your graduate - or yourself - some SJC swag. We've got hoodies, t-shirts, pennants, alumni merchandise, SJC mom and dad shirts and more. We're taking online orders for graduation that can be picked up either the day before graduation or graduation morning.
Honor Your Family
Walking across the stage at Commencement is a powerful moment for a graduate and family. Would you like to honor your family with a gift that supports students?
Commencement Photos
Photos will be taken throughout the day, including during the ceremony. Students will be notified when pictures are available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Valedictorian, Online Student Speaker, and Student Speakers
Kyleana Carbone
Valedictorian, Class of 2025
Kyleana has maintained a 4.0 GPA at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine while actively participating in campus life. She has held various roles, including Student Engagement Manager, Peer Tutor, and Community Service Leader. As the founder and president of the Community Club, she also serves as Social Media Chair for the Disability Awareness Club and is involved in several other organizations. Additionally, she is President of the Campus Activities Board in the Student Government Association and a member of Delta Epsilon Sigma. In her free time, Kyleana volunteers at the Saco River Wildlife Center and the Believe in Books Literacy Foundation. After graduation, she plans to become a teacher and continue her community service.
Michelle Cerroni
Online Speaker, Class of 2010 & 2025
Michelle Cerroni graduated from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has experience in various healthcare settings, including medical-surgical and long-term care, and has spent the last seven years as a Clinical Manager at an outpatient neurology clinic, where she developed a passion for leadership. Currently enrolled in an online Leadership MBA/MSN dual-degree program, Michelle appreciates the growth it offers. A lifelong Mainer, she lives in Wells with her husband, Kevin, and stepdaughter, Arianna, and enjoys thrifting, cuddling her chinchilla, and gardening in her free time.
Sister Patricia Pora, RSM ‘09, Hon. ‘25
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine Honorary Degree Recipient
Sister Patricia Pora is currently a volunteer for the Hispanic Ministry for the R. C. Diocese of Portland, more specifically in the Portland area, having begun the office in 2005 and “retired” in 2020. She is a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, having entered the community in 1967.
She is bicultural, having been raised by her American parents since infancy in Chile. She was invited to Maine at the age of 16 to finish high school while living with a host family in Windham. In 1967 she finished high school and entered the community of Mercy.
In 1973, she graduated from the Mercy Hospital School of X-Ray Technology and worked as an x-ray technologist until 1978 when she became a full-time student at USM and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1980. From there she taught primary and migrant education at the Beatrice Rafferty School at the Pleasant Point Reservation in Maine until 1990. From 1990 she ministered as a Pastoral Agent in the District of Pacaipampa in the Diocese of Chulucanas in Peru until the end of 2001. She served on the parish team in the areas of pastoral outreach, health education, and justice.
On her return to Maine at the end of 2001, she worked per diem in patient registration at Mercy Hospital in Portland until December of 2004 and also attended classes on Clinical Pastoral Education (Level 1) at MMC. While at Mercy Hospital, she became aware of the growing Hispanic community in Maine, studied the census data, and presented the information to the Diocese, which then recognized the need for an office of Hispanic Ministry to attend to the faith of this growing, largely Catholic community. In her spare time, she attended courses at Saint Joseph’s College and is a 2009 alumna, having earned her Master of Arts diploma in Pastoral Ministry.
Having lived her childhood in Chile until she moved to Maine, Sr. Patricia is bilingual in Spanish and English and has benefitted from a rich cross-cultural experience. Since returning from Peru, she has accompanied a medical team almost yearly to Peru and Guatemala, as well as accompanied justice delegations to Panama, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Schedule
Social Media
Share your achievements with other Saint Joseph’s students, families, and alumni during Commencement by using the hashtag #SJCMEgrad on Facebook and Instagram.
Celebrate with us!
Instagram: @saintjosephscollege
Facebook: @SaintJosephsCollegeOfMaine
Getting Here
Academic Regalia
Academic hoods worn at today’s Commencement are trimmed with velvet of various colors to represent degrees earned in the following fields of study:
White • Arts, Letters, Humanities
Light Brown • Business Administration, Management
Crimson • Communications, Journalism
Midnight Blue • Criminal Justice
Light Blue • Education
Dark Brown • Fine Arts
Purple • Law
Lemon Yellow • Library Science
Green • Medicine
Pink • Musical Arts
Apricot • Nursing
Dark Blue • Philosophy
Sage Green • Physical Science
Dark Blue • Political Science
Peacock Blue • Public Service
Golden Yellow • Science
Citron • Social Work
Scarlet • Theology
The hoods are lined with the official color or colors of the institution that conferred the degree. Saint Joseph’s College graduates wear white and blue.