2025 Ceremony Featured Manhattan Deputy Borough President Keisha Sutton-James as Keynote Speaker
New York, N.Y. (June 30, 2025) – On Tuesday, June 17, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College President Larry Johnson presided over the College’s 12th annual Commencement ceremony, which took place across the street from the College on the Bryant Park Lawn and was also livestreamed via YouTube. The College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY), awarded degrees to approximately 174 graduates from nine associate-degree programs — including Accounting, Business Administration, Health Information Technology, Human Services, Information Technology, Liberal Arts, Science, Secondary Education: Social Studies and Urban Studies — as well as the Cybersecurity certificate program.
“Guttman’s 2025 Commencement represents far more than a ceremony—it is a powerful testament to the resilience, determination, and brilliance of our graduates. This twelfth Commencement marks not only the completion of academic milestones, but the triumph over personal, societal, and global adversity,” said President Johnson. “Many of our students have persevered through economic hardship, family responsibilities, and uncertain times to reach this moment. Their achievement is not just academic—it is transformational. Whether they are transferring to four-year institutions or entering the workforce, I am confident they will make a profound and lasting impact on New York City and beyond. Commencement is more than a culmination—it is a celebration of potential realized and futures reimagined.”
30 students graduated with honors, which indicated they had a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher at the end of the Fall 2024 semester. 38 graduates were members of the Beta Phi Gamma chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. The chapter, which consistently receives five-star status, recently won the Chapter Progress Award in the New York Region at the annual Phi Theta Kappa Catalyst convention.
During the ceremony, student representatives reflected the experiences of the Class of 2025, including outgoing Student Government Association (SGA) President Sabrina Qiu, who acknowledged the challenges the graduates overcame to reach this moment.
“We come from proud communities. We are immigrants, children from working-class families and first-generation college graduates. We’ve been balancing classes, internships, scholarships and research with family obligations and sometimes both main hustles and side hustles. That is no small feat,” said Qiu.
As keynote speaker, Manhattan Deputy Borough President Keisha Sutton-James echoed the sentiment, stating, “Whatever path took you here, whatever struggle you endured, you all share one thing in common: You persevered.” She went on to praise community colleges for supporting non-traditional paths, thereby setting students up for real-world success.
“Life these days is most often not linear,” said Sutton-James. “You’ll likely need to pivot. Your journey may be circuitous. It may zig. It may zag. It may have starts and stops. So being a Guttman [Community] College graduate is the best preparation for today’s economy and today’s world.”
Class Speaker Beatrix “Trixie” Johnson discussed the difficulties she faced when arriving to Guttman and how the College brought her out of her shell to accomplish things she never would have imagined, such as serving on SGA.
CUNY Trustee Henry T. Berger encouraged graduates to go forth and change the world for future generations. Through a video message, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez congratulated graduates and provided inspiration as they take their next steps.
Molly Vollman Makris, professor of urban studies, served as the ceremony’s grand marshal. Candidates for degrees were presented by Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Paul Reifenheiser, and degrees were conferred by Dr. Johnson. Dr. Marcus Allen, professor of political science, was faculty speaker. Director of Advising and Transfer Support Victoria Romero was the ceremony’s emcee.
Michael Zanichelli was the Class of 2025 valedictorian, and Qiu was honored as salutatorian.
Wholly Brass performed the prelude and recessional, and saxophonist Ashley Keiko performed the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
View photos from the 2025 Commencement ceremony.
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Stella and Charles Guttman Community College was CUNY’s first new community college in more than forty years. Reimagining what community college could be, Guttman opened its doors in Manhattan in August 2012 to create a research-based, innovative model focused on moving students efficiently toward graduation. Offering associate degree programs in a nurturing environment, the College provides holistic support and advising to ensure timely degree completion, and most graduates transfer to senior colleges. Guttman is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution and minority-serving institution with 90% of the student population identifying as Latine, Black/African American or Asian. Niche.com named Guttman the best community college in America in 2020 and the top community college in New York State in 2021.
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