Seventy-one Jamaicans were among the group of 2,357 students who graduated from Monroe College in New York this year.
Monroe College, known for its large cohort of international students, held its 89th annual commencement in midtown Manhattan on June 15. It was the first in-person graduation ceremony since 2019.
The over 2,000 graduates in Monroe College’s class of 2022 represented 75 countries.
In addition to students from the US and its territories, the next largest contingents were from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, St Lucia, India, China, Ghana, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Haiti, Nigeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Nepal, The Bahamas, Guyana, Ecuador, Albania, Mexico, and St Maarten.
The 71 students from Jamaica were the largest international cohort from a single country outside the US.
Jamaica’s Consulate Office in New York continues to provide opportunities for Jamaican students to study at Monroe College.
Jamaica’s Consul General to New York, Alsion Roach Wilson said there are currently 30 scholarships available for students to register at Monroe College.
Marc Jerome, president of Monroe College spoke proudly about the college’s diverse community in his remarks at commencement.
“Most colleges do not have a graduating class that reflects the world into which they are going. You absolutely represent the real world. Look around you. You are diverse. You represent different races, religions, and languages. You represent geographic locations from around NYC, around the country, and around the world,” he said to the class of 2022.
“In fact, today, students from 75 different countries are graduating. While the class is incredibly diverse, there is one thing that unites you. No matter what challenges life brings you, whether they be personal or professional, love or health-related, you will overcome them and succeed,” he added.
The college conferred 325 master’s degrees; 1,021 bachelor’s degrees; and 922 associate degrees this year, as well as awarded 89 professional certificates. The Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 were also invited to participate in this year’s ceremony.
