On Thursday, May 15, 159 young men walked across the stage at Kleinhans Music Hall to receive their St. Joe's diploma - a testament to the hard work, dedication, grit and perseverance that they showed over the past four years. In doing so, they joined our highly distinguished community of alumni, and are now tasked with taking the lessons they learned at St. Joe's and continuing their development as young men of faith and character.
This year's graduating class was accepted into over 200 colleges and universities and earned academic and athletic scholarships collectively totaling over $37 million.
This year's Commencement speaker was Mr. Garnell Whitfield, Jr. '74. Mr. Whitfield had a distinguished career with the Buffalo Fire Department, including a 7-year term as Fire Commissioner. In May 2022, Mr. Whitfield's mother, Ruth, was one of the innocent victims of the racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops Market in East Buffalo. Since that time, Mr. Whitfield has been a prophetic voice and national advocate against white supremacy and other forms of extremism. He is currently running to be Mayor of Buffalo. Mr. Whitfield spoke with the graduates about the foundation that St. Joe's provided for him:
"What I know now is that SJCI provided that same sense of belonging that my parents and faith in God gave me… and I want you to know that it is going to do the same thing for you. In spite of the days ahead… whatever plans you have, whatever challenges you face, you have something that will forever sustain you - your faith, your family and the brotherhood that is SJCI. This is the foundation that you will build the rest of your life on… and it is one that is able to carry the load of all of your tomorrows."
The graduation ceremony also featured the presentation of two special awards:
1. The Lasallian Educator Award - which honors a faculty member who exemplifies the passion that St. John Baptist de La Salle had for education - was presented to Mr. Nick Hoerner, a member of the St. Joe's English department.
2. The De La Salle Community Award - which honors a member of our school community who goes above and beyond to serve SJCI - was presented to Mr. Steve Koniarczyk, the Director of Technology and interim Vice Principal of Students at St. Joe's.
Both men are deeply dedicated to the mission of St. Joe's and work tirelessly every day to build meaningful relationships with their students.