Commencement Weekend 2023
In academics, commencement is the ceremony in which degrees or diplomas are conferred on graduating students. Your college commencement ceremony recognizes the completion of your degree and the start of your professional life.
Commencement 2023 will take place on Monday, May 15th, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. (Please note, this is a date change from the original 2022-23 academic calendar).
Students completing their studies in August/December 2022 or May 2023 are invited to participate in the May ceremony. Students who are within 6 credits of completion can petition to participate. If you have any questions about your eligibility to graduate, please contact your faculty advisor for guidance.
Please email us at commencement@annamaria.edu or call the Student Life Office at 508-849-3388 with and questions regarding the ceremony.
We look forward to celebrating with you and your family!
More Information
Tickets & Commencement Weekend RSVP
- Tickets for guests are not required for Commencement on May 15th, and guests are unlimited.
- The Commencement Weekend RSVP form will be emailed to students attending graduation by April 1st. Please complete the RSVP once received to ensure that your name is on the graduation lineup list and to help ensure a smooth ceremony.
- Due to space capacity, , guest reservations will be required for Baccalaureate Mass and the Hooding Ceremony. The Commencement Weekend RSVP form will serve as your reservation for these events.
Commencement Weekend Events
We will celebrate the Baccalaureate Mass in Fuller Activities Center on Saturday, May 13th, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Baccalaureate Mass is a Catholic liturgy, celebrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist and graduating students. All members of the Anna Maria College community and their guests are invited to attend the Mass, regardless of faith.
The Hooding Ceremony will immediately follow Baccalaureate Mass. The hooding of the Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree Recipients by faculty recognizes your academic success. Your hood (the scarf-like part of your academic regalia) represents the degree that you have earned, and will be placed over your shoulders by a faculty member or department chair in your field of study.
A reception will be held in the Bishop Flanagan Campus Center for graduating students and guests, faculty, and staff immediately following the hooding ceremony.
Additional events on Saturday, May 13th will include:
Senior Champagne Brunch at 11:00 a.m. in the Bishop Flanagan Campus Center
Social Work Pinning at 1:00 p.m. in Zecco Performing Arts Center
Nursing Pinning at 3:00 p.m. in Zecco Performing Arts Center
All Saturday events will be held on campus. Guests are welcome to attend – please watch your AMCATS email for information about reservations.
Graduation 101
Please join us on Thursday, April 13th, 6:00 or 7:00 pm., Admissions Welcome Center, Foundress Hall for a graduation overview and Q&A. All students are welcome!
- Attend a 30-minute info session at 6:00 or 7:00 pm (your choice). Baccalaureate Mass, the Hooding Ceremony, and the Commencement Ceremony will be explained in detail.
- Enter our raffle for a diploma frame, receive a complimentary food truck ticket, and have all your graduation questions answered!
- Full-time undergraduate students – pick up your regalia (cap, gown, and hood) following the info session. (Please contact us at commencement@annamaria.edu if you need to make alternative arrangements.)
- If you are unable to attend the info session on April 13th, you may view the recording posted here after the event. Of course, you may always email commencement@annamaria.edu or call the Student Life Office at 508–849-3388.
Senior Week
Your Senior Class Council is busy planning Senior Week activities for the spring – more information coming soon! If you have questions or ideas, please email seniorclasscouncil@amcats.edu
Cap & Gown Information
Anna Maria College partners with Balfour/Build a Grad for commencement regalia (cap, gown and academic hood). Regalia are required if you are attending Baccalaureate Mass and/or Commencement.
Bachelor’s degree/Undergraduate: Full-time (Resident and Commuter)
Pick up your regalia on campus on Thursday, April 13th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Admissions Welcome Center, Foundress Hall.
Bachelor’s degree/Undergraduate: Online only/Part-time/Degree Completion – order by April 1st
Please have payment method ready when you order, as your credential fee includes diploma but not regalia. Your regalia will be mailed to you.
Master’s degree/Graduate/CAGS – order by April 1st
Please have payment method ready when you order, as your credential fee includes diploma but not regalia. Your regalia will be mailed to you. (Master’s degree regalia varies slightly from Bachelor’s degree regalia. Please reach out with any questions.)
Honorary Degree Recipients & Commencement Speaker
Peter Caparso, Honorary Degree Recipient and 2023 Commencement Speaker
A seasoned executive with over 35 years experience in working with large, mid-size and start-up companies, Peter Caparso has a proven track record of creating, growing and leading companies. Peter started his career in telecommunications and after nine very successful years of consistently being in the top tier of sales reps for New England Telephone/Nynex/Verizon, Peter decided to pursue new challenges. The next five years, Peter worked for various technology start-ups, learning new skill sets as well as the independence needed to succeed with little or no direction.
In 2003, Peter joined Bibit, A Dutch E-commerce payment company, as the US Country Manager and in short order, staffed two US offices while signing numerous Fortune 500 Companies. Bibit was acquired in 2004 by the Royal Bank of Scotland for $130M and today exists under the name of Worldpay and has a market capitalization of $42B. Upon the acquisition, Peter was offered the position of EVP Sales, Business Development and Customer Relationships for the US E-Commerce Division of RBS.
After four years of high growth, Peter left RBS to join a new payment start-up, Adyen. Adyen is a global omnichannel payment processing company that provides merchants multiple ways to accept on-line and in-person payments on a single platform. Peter participated in the original investment round and became employee #17 in the company as well as employee #1 in the US. For the next six years, under Peter’s leadership, Adyen US had the largest growth of any region as well as winning the business of numerous Fortune 500 companies including Amazon, Facebook and Uber. Peter oversaw all aspects of the US operations building out the team over two offices and during his tenure, Adyen won six industry best-of awards. Adyen had one of the most successful IPOs in European history and is traded on the Dutch stock exchange with a current market capitalization of $43B.
In 2015 Peter worked with Apax Partners, a London based private equity and venture capital firm to find suitable e-commerce companies that were seeking venture capital funding. During this role, Peter became friendly with Guillaume Poussaz who was the founder of an emerging payments company. Peter joined Guillaume’s entity, Checkout.com in January of 2017, again becoming the first US employee responsible for launching and staffing the US operations. Checkout is a full stack payments company that services medium and enterprise global retailers with their on-line selling needs. From 2019-Jan 2023, Peter served in the role of Executive Director – US as well as being a Board Advisor for Checkout. In addition, he held a position on the Supervisory board for Checkout’s French entity.
Checkout.com has experienced meteoric growth becoming one of Europe’s top Unicorns and has a current market cap of $11B.
Today, Peter is an active investor working with seed/angel and early stage entities. To date, Peter has invested in companies such as Toast, Brex, Leeds FC and Fluent Wines.
Originally from Worcester, Massachusetts. Peter now currently resides in Miami Beach, Florida with his wife Suzanne. Peter has three children who all reside in Massachusetts. Peter received his M.B.A., focused on Finance and Strategic Management, from Boston College and holds a B.A. in Economics from Villanova University. Peter currently serves on the Board of Regents for Boston College.
Peter is a Knight of Malta and a member of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George.
Sister Carol Proietti, Honorary Degree Recipient (Posthumously)
Reflection for Sister Carol Proietti
One of Sister Carol’s favorite poets, Maya Angelou has written
Love runs through our families (Love)reaches hearts and (Love) lives connecting distant members over miles and time through memories.
Throughout her life, Sister Carol was God-gifted with many families beyond the blood rooted, much-cherished initial one most of us receive. In many ways, those families are represented here today.
Sister Carol attended St. Leo’s elementary school in Leominster and graduated from St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg. Both were staffed by the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sr. Carol always claimed their positive influence on her religious development and the wonderful foundational education she received with them.
She attended Anna Maria College where she began a ‘’rest of her life’’ attachment to her alma mater and close friends. Here, Sr. Carol further increased her love for books, literature, and poetry. She sharpened her creative skills for reporting, editing, and composing, and earned a BA in English. She also found a new family in and with a group previously unknown to her called the Sisters of St. Anne.
Following graduation, she taught English at the Paxton Center School in Paxton, MA. During those years, the memory of the Sisters at the college, especially Sr. M. John of Carmel, urged her closer to commitment to God in religious life. In 1961, she followed her heart and joined the Sisters of St. Anne. Perhaps in a nod to part of her ethnic heritage, she received the religious name of Italian American Saint Frances Cabrini.
Following Profession of vows, Sister Carol taught English, Journalism, and Literature at the High School level in schools staffed by the Sisters of St. Anne throughout Massachusetts and earned an MA degree in English from Boston College.
In the late 60’s, she would return to Worcester’s Holy Name Central Catholic High School where she taught English, American Literature and Journalism to hundreds of juniors and seniors until 1980. Among her many responsibilities, she was faculty advisor for the student newspaper, the Napoleon. This publication won many awards including local newspaper and state competitions for excellence in Journalism. This much-loved teacher was inducted into the Holy Name High Hall of Fame. Shortly after leaving formal teaching at Holy Name, she became the 2nd recipient of the Msgr. George Denomme Award which honored her many contributions to education.
In the early 80’s, Sister Carol became a trailblazer when she became the first local Social Concerns Director for the SSA’s. She was a bridge builder and conciliator. She was a woman of peace and a strong advocate for Peace and Justice issues. Her office directed programs to benefit those in need, women, children, the marginalized and the poor.
To expand this growing program, Sister Carol participated in the Credo Program at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. She was a tutor, then counselor at a Family Development Center in Kakawis, in Tofino, British Columbia, Canada. There, once more, her heart found a new family, with a group of First Nation Nipmucs.
Returning to New England, she provided service as a Library Aide, also in the Public Relations and Alumni Offices here at Anna Maria College. She went back once again, at Holy Name Central Catholic High School, and became their first full-time Alumni office director.
In the late 90s, she was tapped to become St. Marie Province Secretary and Communications Coordinator as well as Social Concerns Coordinator. She was a visible figure at the State House especially on Good Friday for SSA protests around the Death Penalty and similar concerns. She joined colleagues across the country in working nationwide to improve the quality of people’s lives. Easily, if she remained alive today we would be able to picture Sr. Carol and her responses at this time to the increasing current injustices, political chaos in our country and throughout the world.
Throughout her seemingly endless roles, responsibilities, activities, and services to others, Sister Carol was first and foremost a faithful and prayerful vowed religious woman, daughter of Blessed Marie Anne Blondin.
As illness took her strength, she moved to Marie Esther Health Center and all too soon for us, went home to God. Her scripture choice for her prayer card from 1John 4:7 was Carol’s life story in action, a gift from her God…let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Press Release Form
We will be happy to provide graduation announcements to your local newspaper after commencement. If you have not already done so, please complete the form below.
Visitor Information
For hotels, restaurants and activities in the local area, please visit https://www.discovercentralma.org
International Guests
If you have International guests attending Commencement who require a letter of certification for their visa application please email the registrar@annamaria.edu. You will then receive a confirmation of your graduation to provide to your guests for their visa application.