Stony Brook has 50th commencement

Number of graduates:

3,635 bachelor’s degrees 1,352 master’s degrees, 473 doctoral degrees, 113 medical degrees, 161 certificates

Commencement speaker:

Dr. Samuel L. Stanley, marking his first commencement at Stony Brook, and the school’s 50th commencement. “Whether you leave here and go on to graduate studies, a new career, or perhaps haven’t been able to land that first job yet, I hope you will all be a part of the economic recovery that seems to be taking place.”

Class speaker:

Franlyn Salas, of Uniondale: “I can speak from experience that life is not always according to plan. When I walked onto this campus in 1999, it was not my plan to graduate 11 years later. But I can stand her today with extreme gratitude for the patience of my parents and without one ounce of regret for my experiences.” — DAVE MARCUS

Janice Wang, 22, of New Jersey

Bachelor’s in public health

“I want to get out, and get a job, but I’ll start with internships to get experience. I’d like to work in pharmaceuticals and global health. I like interacting with people.”

Olga Salazar, 22, of Queens

Bachelor’s in psychology and sociology

“It’s a little scary looking for a job with everything you hear about the economy, but I’m hopeful. I’d like to be a drug and alcohol counselor because my parents went saw some of their relatives deal with those problems.”

Michael Reich, 24, of Bethpage

Bachelor’s in philosophy and English

“I’m hoping to teach English as a second language in the city, and eventually I want to teach English at a college, but the job market looks terrible. My family members are saying, “Don’t do it . . . go to law school.”

Katherine Somefun, 21, of Rockland County

Bachelor’s in health science

“I’m trying to be a dentist. It pays a lot of money. I want to be rich. Baby boomers are getting old, and they’re going to need a lot of health care.”

Aleer Rahman, 22, of the Bronx

Master’s in physiology and biophysics

“I came here from Bangladesh when I was young, and I want to help not only my country but others. I want to be an ophthalmologist and run a clinic. Next year I’ll do a double master’s in public health and business administration at Stony Brook.”