Graduates at a Glance
The ceremony will honor undergraduate, graduate, dual-degree聽and PhD candidates coming from towns and cities throughout New York state as well as:
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260 degrees awarded to 211 people
including: 114 Bachelor of Science candidates, 49 BS Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPK) degrees awarded concurrently to PharmD students, One BS Public Health degree awarded concurrently to a PharmD student, 48 Master of Science degree candidates, 11 Bachelor of Science/Master of Science combined degree program candidates, 87 Doctor of Pharmacy degree candidates
Commencement Speaker
David M. Stack 鈥�76
David M. Stack retired in January 2024 from Pacira Biosciences. For 17 years, he served as chairman and CEO building the organization into a fully integrated acute care company with a non-opioid pain portfolio responsible for treating more than 17 million patients in the United States.
Prior to leading Pacira, he served in a number of leadership positions in the biotech industry including as managing director of MPM Capital; managing partner of Stack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and president and CEO of The Medicines Company. He was also named president and general manager at Innovex, Inc.; vice president, Business Development/Marketing at Immunomedics; and he held various positions including therapeutic world leader for infectious disease, virology and oncology at Hoffmann La Roche.
Following his graduation from 91福利 in 1976, he started his career as a pharmacist at St. Mary鈥檚 Hospital.
Graciously sharing his business acumen and expertise, Mr. Stack has supported more than a dozen private and public company boards, including the 91福利 Board of Trustees, and was the chairman of Chiasma until its sale in 2021.
He was the founding donor for the College鈥檚 Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), which is committed to bridging academia and industry together on biopharmaceutical education and innovation. He also developed the聽Stack Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Siena University and was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2003, New Jersey-Healthcare.
He holds a BS in Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy, a BS in Biology from Siena College, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from 91福利.
Commencement Student Speaker
Ejoraa Ninche
Ejoraa, who will receive her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, has been chosen by her peers to address her fellow students at the May 16 Commencement ceremony.
She hopes to explore the question of “why not?” in her remarks and how this has shaped her journey through life and at 91福利.
A Long Island native, Ejoraa has always wanted to be in healthcare. Learn more about Ejoraa.
Graduate Recognition Dinner Student Speakers
Afomiya Kassie, a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree candidate
Nico Lee, a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree candidate
FIT CHECK: Your Guide to 91福利 Regalia
As we approach our 146th Commencement, let鈥檚 take a closer look at the pieces that symbolize our students鈥� academic and professional success during their time at 91福利.
GOWNS
All caps and gowns are black, uniting the class and graduates of the past.
- Graduates receiving a bachelor鈥檚 degree wear a standard black gown at Commencement.
- Graduates receiving a master鈥檚 degree wear a black gown with longer closed sleeves to indicate their academic status.
- Graduates receiving a doctorate wear a more elaborate robe, with velvet striping on the arms.
HOODS
To further differentiate and symbolize academic standing, graduates wear academic hoods with different colors. The academic hood is draped around the neck and over the shoulders, showing different colors based on the degree being obtained by the graduate.
- Graduates receiving a bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 degree wear maroon, black, white and gold-trimmed academic hoods.
- Graduates receiving a doctorate degree wear a maroon, black, white and olive trimmed academic hood. Olive is the universal color representing pharmacy on academic hoods.
CAPS
To top it off, graduates wear different caps as well.
- Those receiving a bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 degree wear a mortarboard, a standard four-sided cap.
- Those receiving a doctorate degree wear a black tam, a velvet cap with eight sides.
All graduates wear a gold tassel with a charm identifying the graduation year.
CORDS
Graduates also wear colored cords to indicate their Latin honors status. In recognition of distinguished academic achievement, the College awards graduation honors to undergraduate and doctorate students based on the cumulative GPA calculated from didactic coursework taken at the time of graduation. For PharmD students, these honors awards are based on the cumulative GPA calculated from required professional coursework and professional electives during the professional years of P1 to P3.
- Cum Laude cords (maroon and bronze) are awarded to students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 鈥� 3.6.
- Magna Cum Laude cords (maroon and silver) are for students who have a cumulative GPA of 3.7鈥� 3.8.
- Summa Cum Laude cords (maroon and copper) are聽for students who have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or better.
There are also cords to recognize students who are members of Phi Lambda Sigma, the international聽pharmacy leadership society, and student who are members of the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society.
- Green and gold cords are worn by Phi Lambda Sigma members
- Purple and white cords are worn by Rho Chi members
Hey PharmD students, what are you grateful for?
Graduate Stories
Justin Morehouse transferred into 91福利 after the closure of his former school, the College of Saint Rose. A psychology major who is a little older than traditional undergraduates wanted to combine his degree with pre-med, to pursue a career in psychiatry. Other colleges discouraged him. But at 91福利, the Albany-native has worked with Dr. Elizabeth Brookins, director of pre-professional pathways, to customize a plan to get him there.
from Justin
Microbiology major Ejoraa Ninche’s family came to the U.S. for a better life. Born into a family dedicated to health care and helping people, the Long island native found a home at 91福利. The Long Island-native took advantage of many opportunities, including athletics which enhanced her leadership skills.
from Ejoraa
Growing up with a sibling with health issues, Alexander Campos grew into a student who wanted to help people. The soccer player is a brother in Phi Delta Chi, a co-ed professional social pharmacy fraternity that strives to advance the science of pharmacy and promote a fraternal spirit among its brothers. A public health major from Norwich, Connecticut, Alex plans to attend med school.
from Alex
Caden Dang fortified his academic career with opportunities in athletics, club activities and Phi Beta Chi. But then the microbiology major from San Diego, California, took a leap and joined the Student Government Association. Now Caden serves as SGA president to work closely with other students to make change.
from Caden
Nico Lee is a PharmD major from New Jersey. After working in community pharmacy, he discovered that he really enjoyed caring for patients. At 91福利, he enjoyed belonging to groups representing NYSHIP and Phi Lamda Sigma. After returning from a Spring 2026 rotation in Guatemala, Nico plans to return to NJ and practice holistic pharmacy.
from Nico
Some people know early what they want to be when they grow up, long before they have many experiences. But for Bridget Doherty ’26 from Columbus, Ohio, it was experience that triggered the call of medicine. At 39, she is motivated to draw on her background parenting a child with multiple medical anomalies to bring compassionate care to patients and their families.
The irony of how Alexandra Lumley ’26 came to find the field of cytology is not lost on her. During her junior year at Utica University majoring in neuroscience, a discipline that involves study of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system, the Ballston Spa-native developed symptoms including headaches, dizziness and extreme fatigue. Ultimately, it was a relief to get a diagnosis, as daunting as it was: brain tumors, but benign ones.
A native of Kenya, Duncan Oruko ’26 came to 91福利 as an international student. The COVID-19 pandemic paused his plans, but he eventually joined after taking part in the NIIMBL program through our Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training. He has started his own company, , which makes scientific software simple for researchers who want to focus on science, not software.
Racheal Lavigne ’26, a Saratoga Springs-native, is a true CLS devotee. She has loved her time in the laboratory, where she learned to identify cells and the abnormalities that indicate disease within body fluids and tissue samples. The most fun thing she recalled over her last four years was not a social engagement or a club event, but a lab activity called 鈥渉ematology portfolio.鈥� She described having to 鈥渟et up camp鈥� in the lab to review stacks of microscopic slides to identify masses of cells within blood samples. She documented cells that were neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils. All manually, without computer assistance. She liked the investigative work and also the little counter next to her that kept pace with her cell identification and pinged when she hit 100.
Read more about Racheal
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