Five Swampscott Students Among Marian Court College Graduates

Two hours before commencement Wednesday all five young women with Swampscott connections were excited.

All but one of them said they were anxious.

And all said their Marian Court College experiences had opened doors for them.

Better said, they found the confidence and opportunities, to open doors for themselves.

Shortly before 5 pm they gathered with fellow classmates in the school cafeteria. They donned caps and gowns and chatted with classmates and prepared to march outside for ceremonies and to receive their Associate of Science degrees.

For Marian fashion marketing student Hayley Gookin hands-on experience working in her field and exploring the New York City fashion sector has prepared her for the next step — a bachelor's degree at Salem State University.

The 2009 graduate of Swampscott High School is eager to move on to university training, she said.

Shayna Carpenter is moving on to Suffolk University in the fall and will pursue a law degree.

In the Swampscott High Class of 2010 graduate's studies at Marian she honed the organization, planning and studying skills that will allow her to continue her education.

For Genudys Gonzalez, a 2008 Swampscott High graduate, college at Marian was eye opening.

She found she had math skills she did not realize she had.

And by attending the Harvard Medical School Student Bio-Medical Conference she discovered other minority students on the path to medical degrees.

Now she has joined them on that path.

The two other graduates from Swampscott do not have plans to pursue four-year degrees, at least not immediately, but they will leave Marian with skills and confidence.

Emily Weinstein, SHS Class of 2000, studied medical office administration.

It is a field she works in but at Marian she has gained confidence and become more outgoing through the attention received from teachers.

Olga Shulman, who attended SHS in the early 2000s, found out through her Marian experience that people deserve a second chance to pursue their educations.

She said she did not apply herself back in high school and earlier on in college.

At Marian, in paralegal studies, she developed the discipline and organization skills to focus and succeed.

Later they joined their classmates under a grand white tent where the mayor of Salem, Kimberley Driscoll gave the commencement address.

Katherine Triantafillakos gave the student address.

And Marian President Dr. Ghazi Darkazalli conferred the students' degrees and certificates.