Lacona’s Carley Stoker graduates From Eastern Connecticut State University

WILLIMANTIC, CT – More than 850 Eastern Connecticut State University students graduated in the 2022-23 academic year, which culminated with two commencement ceremonies at the conclusion of the spring 2023 semester. The University’s undergraduate ceremony occurred May 16 at the XL Center in Hartford, CT, and the graduate-level ceremony occurred May 13 on Eastern’s campus.

Carley Stoker of Lacona graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education.

The graduates went through the University’s School or Arts and Sciences, School of Education and Professional Studies, and Graduate Division. The graduates hail from nearly all of Connecticut’s 169 towns, 18 other states/territories and 31 foreign countries. Almost 30 percent are the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree, and approximately 33 percent are students of color.

The undergraduate commencement speaker was Thomas Gibson ’96, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The graduate commencement speaker was Jeffrey Brown ’79, chief executive officer of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

In her remarks to graduates, Eastern President Elsa Nunez pointed to study after study that show higher earning potential and career satisfaction for those who are college educated. Furthermore, “You are more likely to vote, more likely to serve in government, more likely to volunteer,” she said. “Yes, because of your Eastern liberal arts education, you are more likely to engage in acts of civic responsibility.”

In her charge to graduates, she said, “If you remember nothing else I say, remember this: Use your Eastern education to do good; embrace the differences you find in others; create opportunity; stand against hate; and lift each other higher. These are truly American values!”

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut’s public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,100 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut’s 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 32 states and eight countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded ‘Green Campus’ status by the Princeton Review 13 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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