BY KELLY LEWIS AND JAKE ZABSKI
Every year the graduating class raises money for a cause to benefit Stonehill’s campus once the caps and gowns are thrown in the air.
This year, the Class of 2022 raise money for the center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice and will partner with the Class of 2017 to raise money to create a statue of a Skyhawk.
Kemuel Navarrete, Student Government Association (SGA) Class of 2022 President, encourages seniors to donate to the cause this year for several reasons.
Navarrete said that the statue will represent the legacy of the classes of 2017 and 2022, and donating to the new Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice will help sponsor a new hub on campus where faculty and students can research and study race, ethnicity and other categories of difference infused in structures of power. A donation will also help sponsor a new major and minor, general education courses, and help integrate race and ethnicity more fully into the Stonehill curriculum for future classes.
“When we come back in five, ten, or fifteen years, we will be able to look at these gifts as a part of us that was left on campus and will always remain here! (P.S. you also get a nice Skyhawk pin for graduation when you donate!),” Navarrete said.
Navarrete had the idea to donate a statue in the fall, and after learning that the Class of 2017 was also looking to donate a statue, he decided to collaborate with them to create a statue of a Skyhawk that will hopefully be placed outside the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex.
Senior Olivia Cerretani likes the idea that each graduating class presents a gift to the school through a donation.
“The social justice departments deserve all the support, and it reminds me of the class gift a year or two ago to counseling services. I wish we could have seen what the statue looks like,” Cerretani said.
Students looking to submit a donation can do so on the Stonehill website using this link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1641/m20/interior.aspx?sid=1641&gid=1&pgid=1970&cid=3720&appealcode=scgweb
Students can also honor a Stonehill faculty member, coach, advisor, or staff member with their gift
Rebecca Brackett and Michael Everett present President Denning and Vice President for Student Affairs, Pauline Dobrowski with the Class of 2019's senior gift: a check for the Wellness Initiative fund.
Photo courtesy of Stonehill College