Falcons Come Together to Celebrate Commencement and ‘Bentley Family’

Graduates, family and friends cheered, hugged and wiped away tears as the Bentley University Class of 2025 celebrated together one final time at the graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Friday and Saturday.

The tone of the ceremonies was different this year as the Bentley community continued to mourn the loss of Gaurav Jaisingh ’25, who tragically passed away the week before graduation. The heartbreak of this loss melded with the cheer and joy that was also present for 1,101 Bentley undergraduate students, 293 graduate students and the families and friends who had come to cheer them on.

The undergraduate student procession marched through Lower Campus to Peter Yetten Field, each student carrying a white rose in honor of Gaurav.

“Gaurav Jaisingh, an active and vibrant member of the class of 2025 — a Finance major; a tour guide and orientation leader; a friend; a classmate; a Falcon — joins us today only in spirit,” Bentley University President E. LaBrent Chrite said in his opening remarks. The Falcon family was out in full force with more than 7,500 in attendance.

“I have learned, through my time on this earth, that losing is part of living and a part of loving,” President Chrite continued. “It is a reminder, even for young people in this audience with their whole lives ahead of them, of the fragility of life and of the vital role that family and friendship — community — have in shaping each and every one of us. 

“Those who were able to know Gaurav and to count him as a friend are richer for it,” Chrite said.

Gaurav’s family was in attendance. His mother and father walked across the stage to receive his framed diploma. The touching moment drew an eruption of cheers, whistles and applause for the Jaisingh family.

Experience the sights and sounds of Bentley University’s 2025 Commencement ceremony. Video by Caleb Gowett.

Class President Hernandez-Godinez’s Heartfelt Story Shines

A notable highlight from the morning was 2025 Senior Class President Aldo Hernandez-Godinez’s address. A first-generation college student, Hernandez-Godinez told an expertly crafted story, setting the tone for the ceremony.

Addressing the loss of his friend and classmate, Hernandez-Godinez said, “His family is here today, and I want them to know that Gaurav will forever be part of our graduating class. I want them to know they raised an incredible son, one who made everyone around him better. We miss you, brother.”

Relaying his own story as a first-generation college student, Hernandez-Godinez said, “Today is significant because I come from a place where the path to higher education wasn’t clearly marked. To be here today is a barrier broken. 

“My journey took an unexpected turn during my senior year of high school when my father was deported,” Hernandez-Godinez continued. “Everything I thought was certain suddenly wasn’t. Our family dream — for me to be the first to earn a college degree — now seemed out of reach.”

Hernandez-Godinez’s tone turned reflective: “Life doesn’t always give us what we expect, but it always gives us a chance to define who we become in response. The true measure of our education isn’t found in the degrees we earn but in the resilience we develop when faced with the unexpected.

“When my father was deported, I learned that borders can separate families, but they cannot contain dreams,” he said. He brought his story full circle by sharing that his whole family was now watching the ceremony live online — including his father.

Jerry Jacobs Talks ‘Optionality’ — Hard Decisions and Hidden Opportunities

Jerry M. Jacobs Jr., CEO of Delaware North and alternate governor of the Boston Bruins, served as the undergraduate commencement speaker. Moments before his address, Jacobs was honored with an honorary doctorate in Commercial Science.

With his endearing sense of humor, Jacobs immediately connected with the crowd. “Most relevant to today,” Jacobs started, “I’m a dad to a Bentley graduate. So, I’ve been in the seat of many of the parents here today. Our family knows the value of a degree from Bentley.”

Jacobs drew a distinction between types of businesspeople. “Bentley hasn’t just made you a businessperson, they’ve made you a type of businessperson — one who understands the values and notion of purpose.”

The heart of Jacobs’ address focused on his company’s perseverance through the COVID-19 pandemic, which many in the Class of 2025 experienced as high schoolers. A global hospitality firm, Delaware North faced sharp disruption when things shut down in the immediate wake of the pandemic. “We were pretty much dead in the water,” Jacobs observed.

But the pandemic, he noted, also presented an opportunity for the business: “As we began to re-open, we decided to rebuild the company — smarter, faster and stronger, going from victim to opportunist.”

Tapping into the themes of the day — celebration, but also loss and reinvention — Jacobs acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead for graduates. “Whatever crisis you face will present you with hard decisions and hidden options,” he said. “Remember this: how crisis affects you is entirely up to you. You have the skills to pivot, to reinvent or to yield. It’s up to you.”

Jacobs wrapped his remarks with a note about humor: “You need a serious case of self-deprecating humor,” he told graduates. “You won’t be able to sustain your career — or thrive in it — if you’re not enjoying it. And a key to that is laughter. And being able to laugh at yourself is a powerful condition.”

It was a touching parting message for a graduating class that, in the face of recent tragedy, perhaps needed a reminder that it’s OK to hold joy, sadness and laughter all at the same time.

50th Annual Graduate Commencement Celebrates Nearly 300 Graduates 

On the evening before undergraduate commencement, Friday, May 16, Bentley honored PhD and graduate students in the 50th annual commencement ceremony for the McCallum Graduate School of Business. Graduate commencement was held at the Bentley Arena, drawing nearly 2,500 attendees.

MBA recipient David Bruckenthal ’25, who has a full-time position as an associate director, Program Finance at Regeneron, delivered the graduate reflection.  

“To the Bentley faculty, you have played an instrumental role in shaping our futures and we are forever grateful,” he said. “The lessons I’ve learned from each of you have impacted both my professional and personal lives and for that, I’m eternally grateful.”

To the graduate-student body, Bruckenthal then said, “We have each lived this experience to its fullest and have cherished every moment. We have built resilience and inner strength, especially when our personal and professional lives conflicted with schoolwork; and while today may feel like the destination, I promise it is but a small part of the highlight reel of each of our journeys.”

President Chrite drew attention to the multifaceted roles many of the soon-to-be Bentley graduates embodied — juggling family responsibilities and careers on top of their academic responsibilities — before discussing the unpredictability of the future.

“The world is increasingly complex; the challenges of our time are monumental; the technologies you are mastering are ubiquitous and powerful,” Chrite said. “There are not many certainties in the world, but of this I am sure: You are graduating from this institution with the necessary skills, abilities and worldview that will enable you to overcome the challenges you will face.”

Yvonne Hao Distinguishes Between ‘One-Way’ and ‘Two-Way’ Doors

Serving as the 2025 graduate commencement speaker was Yvonne Hao, former secretary of Economic Development of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Hao described her business career as long and meandering, with stops in leadership positions at Bain Capital, Honeywell and PillPack, an online pharmacy that was acquired by Amazon.

“I’ve had the fortune of working with many Falcons in my career,” Hao noted. “These Bentley alums have been some of the smartest, most hardworking, and best humans I’ve worked with, and I can honestly say I would not have had the successes I’ve had without the support of these Bentley colleagues. So, thank you, Bentley!”

With wonderful color, Hao relayed the story of her “accidental” transition into state government. “I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize — I thought it was spam, but then I answered, and the caller said, ‘This is Governor Maura Healey.’ I thought, ‘OK, this has to be a prank.’ But it turned out to really be Governor Healey. The next day we had lunch, and I ended up getting sworn in as secretary of Economic Development.” 

The secret to Hao’s success? She “didn’t plan any of it.” Instead, she cited good luck, “following people and opportunities,” and a lifelong hunger to never stop learning.

The heart of Hao’s address focused on what she labeled “one-way doors” and “two-way doors.” Two-way doors, Hao described, afford you the opportunity to go back — so if you make a mistake, you can return to where you started. “Most business decisions are two-way doors,” she said. One-way doors, on the other hand, mean there’s no going back. “These doors are almost always personal,” Hao continued, and, ultimately, they can lead to regret.

Hao cited her father’s death as a one-way door that she’d passed through. “I wish I’d spent more time with him,” she said. “I am trying to learn from one-way doors, and that’s why I made the difficult decision last month to step away from my role in state government. My mom is turning 80 and she was in the ER, and I have two teenage girls who want to spend more time with me before they go to college.

“Work will always be asking more from you: more emails, more meetings, more calls, more business trips. But time with people you love is a one-way door. So, I want you to take a moment right now, close your eyes, and stop and think about the people that you love. Promise me you will learn from my mistake and spend time with the people you love.”

Hao was honored with a doctorate of Commercial Science.

About the Graduates: Facts and Figures

The Class of 2025 includes 1,101 undergraduate students representing 33 states and territories and 53 countries. The degrees include 1,086 Bachelor of Science degrees and 15 Bachelor of Arts degrees. The class also includes 293 graduate students representing 30 countries. They include 186 Master of Science degrees, 103 Master of Business Administration degrees and three PhDs. Eight students earned both MBA and MS degrees this academic year.