Celebrating Utica University’s Class of 2025 at 76th Commencement Ceremonies
"Be adaptable, be curious, be kind."
A sea of blue flooded the Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium May 9 as Utica University honored nearly 700 undergraduate and graduate students at the 76th Commencement exercises.
Roughly 400 undergraduates were honored at the Friday, May 9 ceremony, opening with the National Anthem.
Held just days before Mother’s Day, President Todd Pfannestiel took a moment to thank mothers and other family members in attendance for the remarkable job in raising the Utica graduates before them.
“It is your love and nurturing that helped to make this day a reality. I know our students appreciate the important role you played in their success,” he said. “And I can tell you that every member of our faculty and staff greatly values the confidence that you placed in us as we prepared your loved ones to realize their full potential as professionals, as leaders in their communities, and as life-long learners.”
Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani and founder of the Tent Partnership for Refugees addressed the graduating Class of 2025 as Keynote Speaker at Utica’s Undergraduate Commencement. Ulukaya grew up in a Kurdish dairy-farming family in Turkey raising sheep. Immigrating to the United States in 1994 with only a few dollars in his pocket to study English, he visited upstate New York and was reminded of the small farming villages in Eastern Turkey and immediately knew this region of New York was magical. One day he spotted an ad for a fully-equipped yogurt plant near South Edmeston, had a good feeling, and with a loan from the Small Business Administration purchased the factory in 2005. Where one company had left behind ruins, Ulukaya saw treasure, along with a community of people he could trust. He created a yogurt recipe that was inspired by his heritage and Chobani Greek Yogurt hit shelves in 2007. Over the next five years, Chobani grew into American’s number one yogurt brand.
“To the Class of 2025, here’s my advice for succeeding in the Age of Anxiety. Be adaptable, be curious, be kind. Double down on the things that make you most human - your curiosity, your imagination, your ethics, your storytelling, your sense of justice, your ability to love, to care, to connect,” Ulukaya told the crowd. “You don’t have to have everything figured out today. As a matter of fact, the worst thing you can do is have everything figured out. Until I found that old factory, I had no idea what I wanted to do, but here I am. Who knows when or where you will find your old factory. But when that day comes, when you decide what you want to do with your life, I want you to know that you have everything you need right inside of you to walk into that change, face it and your fear, go forward, and come out stronger on the other side.”
His philosophy of putting people and their communities first has built positive relationships between the company, the people, and brought an international spotlight not only on Chobani’s products, but on Ulukaya’s values-driven leadership style.
Honorary Degrees were presented to both Hamdi Ulukaya and Akira Armstrong ’05.
Akira Armstrong ’05, a dancer since childhood, made her national debut more than a decade ago in Beyonce’s 2007 “Get Me Bodied” music video. More work and opportunities led her to found Pretty BIG Movement, a small group of fellow professional dancers around NYC in 2008. Workshops and performances culminated in NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where the group advanced to the final rounds, putting Pretty BIG Movement, and full-figured women, on a national stage. Armstrong was tapped in August 2019 by rapper Lizzo to join her onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards, drawing millions of viewers to Armstrong’s talent and the movement she created. Dove beauty products partnered with Armstrong for a campaign focused on challenging beauty stereotypes and produced a web mini-documentary about Armstrong’s journey to self-acceptance. Her work has been widely featured and acclaimed by many organizations and news outlets, including the New York Times, National Public Radio, and ABC News. An HBO Max movie on Armstrong’s life and the Pretty BIG Movement has been optioned for future production.
Armstrong was presented with a Doctorate of Fine Arts and Ulukaya was awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters.
It was at the undergraduate ceremony that Utica honored Valedictorian Garrett R. Pratt, a Health Sciences and Psychology dual major from New Hartford, New York. Following graduation, Garrett plans on applying to mortuary science school to become a licensed funeral director. He is a graduate of New Hartford Senior High School. His mother and father, Tracy and Richard, and grandmothers Elaine Pratt and Mary Lou Berie join the Utica University community in celebrating this achievement.
This year’s Salutatorian is John “Jack” Hrustich III, a cybersecurity major and computer science minor from Owego, New York. Jack plans to pursue a cybersecurity career in the private sector before eventually pursuing an advanced degree in cybersecurity. His parents, John and Nikki, brother Noah, and grandparents Ila Blinn, Ann Hrustich, Glenn and Ghislaina Coulter, and Echo McCarley share in this wonderful achievement.
Associate Professor of Data Science Dr. Michael McCarthy was honored at the undergraduate ceremony as the 2025 recipient of the Dr. Virgil Crisafulli Teaching Award. The Virgil Crisafulli Distinguished Teaching Award is bestowed annually at Utica University. Instituted in 1974 through a gift from a friend of the college, the Crisafulli Award is considered Utica University’s finest tribute to a faculty member. The recipient is chosen through nominations made by faculty colleagues and through a rigorous review by past recipients of the honor along with this year’s valedictorians.
Earlier that morning on Friday, May 9, roughly 300 Pioneers earned certificates, masters and doctoral degrees at the Graduate Commencement Ceremony, also held in the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium, where President Pfannestiel asked the Graduate Class of 2025 to always remember “The Four H’s.”
“They are guideposts for throughout your career. Humanity - we all need to maintain a deep sense of humanity. Humility - as good as we are, we can always be better. Honesty - in a world turning away from inconvenient facts…in a world that follows the crowd, true leadership follows the world. And Hope - moving our world to a better place…hope provides the light by which we find our way forward. I am extremely proud of every one of you.”
The graduate keynote address was given by Dr. Tyler Kallasy ’15, PT, DPT, CSCS, PPSC. Tyler earned his Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences in 2015 and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2018 from Utica. Since then, he has dedicated his career to helping everyday athletes break free from the cycle of chronic pain and rebuild a life of strength, resilience, and movement freedom.
“If we can define that future clearly, then we can build the process to get there,” Dr. Kallasy told the Graduate Class of 2025. “When things get hard, and they always do, it’s that vision that helps us stick with it. You might not face physical pain, but at some point, you’ll face the pain of uncertainty, the discomfort of failing, the frustration of working really hard and still coming up short. So, no matter what’s next, find the feeling. The one that lights you up. The one that makes the hard work worth it. The one that reminds you why you started. Let that feeling guide you.”
Dr. Kallasy also traveled the country as an educator for the Pain-Free Performance Specialist Certification, where he teaches coaches and clinicians how to blend pain-free training with performance strategies. His mission is to empower others to train hard, move well, and stay resilient for life.
“From the moment you arrived at Utica, we encouraged you to create for yourselves a future that’s beyond your imagining. Whatever life may bring, you can rely upon the strong foundation you built during your time here, giving you the confidence to meet every challenge and, more importantly, to succeed at them. I know that you will do just that,” said President Pfannestiel to those walking across the stage and on to their future. “Continue to work hard, and let your future be a reflection of the knowledge, experience, and skills you gained here at Utica University.”
