LIU Post 2016 commencement held in Brookville
Graduates celebrate their graduation during Long Island University Post campus' Commencement on Friday, May 6, 2016. Credit: Johnny Milano
LIU Post hosted its 57th commencement on the university’s Brookville campus Friday.
Number of graduates
1,115 bachelor’s, 129 combined bachelor’s/master’s, 1,059 master’s and 64 doctoral degrees.
Commencement speaker
David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue airlines, spoke about the importance of altruism and having a good attitude. He also encouraged graduates to chase careers they’re passionate about. “Your work is going to fill so much of your life. You want to do something you believe is great work,” he said. “If you have two job offers and one pays more and the other is something you really want to do — please, please — take the job you really want to do.”
Student speaker
Class of 2016 valedictorian Daniel Kirsanov graduated Friday with both a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in business administration after completing the university’s accelerated five-year program. He will work at the Manhattan accounting firm Ernst & Young. In his speech, he congratulated fellow graduates and gave them some advice.
“Some of us have probably heard the suggestion that we shouldn’t set our expectations too high in an effort to avoid the disappointment of failure. I, for one, strongly disagree with that. I say, set your goals as high as you can and don’t get discouraged because you will have another chance,” he said.
Student reactions
Mijail Mariano, 25, economics
“I want to continue my education and one day become a professor,” said Mariano, of Westbury, who served in the Army and completed a tour of duty in Afganistan before attending LIU Post. “The professors here really influenced and inspired me to pursue that.”
Shamim Amin Lalani, 43, family nurse practitioner
“This is an exceptional accomplishment that I could only dream about,” said Lalani, as she cried hugging her husband and 11-year-old son. Lalani emigrated from India and now lives in Woodbury.
Djumaye Dumay, 23, health care administration
“I want to help the world in anyway I can,” said Dumay, of Elmont. “I knew I did not want to go into the clinical side of healthcare, though.”
Amaury Narvaez, 22, fine arts/film
“I’m not ready to grow up yet!” said Narvaez, of Ronkonkoma, who plans to be a comedy film writer and director.
Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.
