Over 2,100 students marked a major milestone on Sunday, May 18, as St. John’s University held its 155th Undergraduate Commencement on the Great Lawn of its Queens campus. Joined by over 10,000 guests—including faculty, family and friends—the Class of 2025 was celebrated in a ceremony honoring graduates from the Queens and Manhattan campuses, as well as online degree programs.
During the ceremony, James McCann, chairman and founder of 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc., served as distinguished speaker and was conferred an honorary degree. A native of Ozone Park, McCann purchased his first retail flower shop in the New York metropolitan area in 1976 and went on to build one of the most recognizable brands in e-commerce.
In his remarks to graduates, McCann challenged them to lead with vision and purpose. “What you believe about yourself becomes your reality,” he said. “If you cannot imagine yourself changing the world and doing something good for your community, you will not. My challenge to you is to envision your best self and imagine it becoming your self-fulfilling prophecy.”
The university also presented honorary degrees to distinguished alumni Lewis Rice, Jr. ’74SVC, Senior Vice President of Global Security and Trademark Protection, The Estēe Lauder Companies, Inc.; Kathleen F. Meehan ’75Ed, ’79GEd, retired Senior Deputy Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator, Department of Athletics, at St. John’s; and Msgr. James J. Kelly, Esq. ’80L, Pastor Emeritus, St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church. Sr. Margaret Mary O’Doherty O.P., Dominican Sister of Sparkill, Dominican Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary, also received an honorary degree.
University President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., urged graduates to carry forward the institution’s Vincentian values. “The real test of gratitude is not what you feel today, but what you do for the rest of your lives,” he said. “Your giving to others of your time, talents, and treasures…is the essence of the Catholic and Vincentian tradition.”
Student speaker Steiner Williams, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in management from The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, addressed the graduates, imparting to them a message that they should carry St. John’s motto through their lives. “We arrived as individuals unsure of the future; we leave as a force, a generation ready to lead,” Steiner said. “We leave not as scholars alone, but as citizens of the world ready to lead with purpose.”
In a breakdown of the undergraduate graduating class, 56% identify as women, 382 students studied abroad, 40 students were veterans, 16 graduates were ROTC, and 74 were international students. Additionally, 41 countries were represented in the class of 2025, and 19 states were represented in the graduating class. The oldest undergraduate member was 57 years old, and the youngest undergraduate member was 19. Additionally, 46 students graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
The Class of 2025 joins a global alumni network of more than 200,000 St. John’s graduates.
