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On Monday, May 19, �鶹ӰԺ University held its 2025 commencement exercises, a day filled with inspiring personal stories rooted in humble beginnings. For the graduates, the day was a culmination of hard work and resilience. For University President Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D., it was his first commencement as the University’s leader.

Shared Stories of Resilience and Roots Inspire the Class of 2025

Commencement speaker Marta Costanzo Youth ’87 (left) with Saint Peter’s President Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D. (right)

What resonated deeply with the �鶹ӰԺ community was the strong connection shared between a number of the speakers at the ceremony and at the events leading up to this special day. The graduates heard from a range of voices, some seasoned leaders, others just beginning their journeys, but many with a shared origin story that began not in distant capitals, but in the Greenville section of Jersey City.

Among them was Marta Costanzo Youth ’87, a global diplomat and this year’s commencement speaker, who returned to her alma mater to deliver a deeply personal address. Youth, who was also awarded a degree of doctor of humane letters honoris causa, described her journey from a grocer’s daughter in Greenville to becoming a high-ranking U.S. Foreign Service Officer with more than three decades of global service.

“In 1987, I sat where you sit now,” Youth began. “At that time, just like each one of you, I could not have predicted where life would take me. What I did know is that �鶹ӰԺ gave me gifts, Jesuit values, faculty encouragement and the belief that I could make a difference in the world.”

Youth’s reflections were equal parts nostalgic and instructive. She shared that while she had dreamed of attending the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, she chose �鶹ӰԺ instead because it offered a full academic scholarship and allowed her to stay close to home. What once felt like a setback, she said, became a springboard.

“�鶹ӰԺ turned out to be the very best thing for me. The individual interest my professors took in me was extraordinary. This University shaped my worldview, grounded me in service and propelled me into a life of public diplomacy,” she said.

Bill Price ’91 (left) with fellow members of the Board of Trustees and University President Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D. (center)

Youth offered graduates four pieces of advice: Be tenacious, stay true to your values, trust your instincts and define your own happiness. Her message, woven with stories from international assignments and humanitarian missions, was rooted in the understanding that even those who start in modest circumstances, like the streets of Greenville, can shape global policy.

This theme was also struck in the week leading up to commencement by Bill Price ’91, a member of the �鶹ӰԺ University Board of Trustees, who addressed the Class of 2025 at the John J. Delaney ’50 Graduate Reception, an annual celebration that welcomes graduates into the �鶹ӰԺ alumni community. 

During the event, Price reflected on his upbringing in the Greenville section of Jersey City, where he was raised by hard working parents who hoped for a better future for their children. He spoke about how the connections he made at �鶹ӰԺ shaped him both personally and professionally.

“I share my �鶹ӰԺ story not because it’s unique—but because it’s familiar,” he told the graduates. “Many of us have stories like it. And now, you’re about to begin writing your own.”

His advice was simple but heartfelt: “Come back for games and reunions. Mentor a student. Support a scholarship. However you choose, stay involved. Help the next generation of Peacocks write their own �鶹ӰԺ stories.”

Undergraduate commencement speaker Isabelle Bautista ’25

This thread continued throughout the commencement ceremony in the words of Isabelle Bautista ’25, the undergraduate commencement speaker. A first-generation college student and proud daughter of immigrants, Bautista also grew up just blocks from campus in Greenville.

“I remember as a freshman watching commencement and thinking, ‘I want to be her,’” Bautista said, reflecting on a speaker she once admired. “Today, that dream has come full circle.”

Her speech honored not just her own achievements, but the community that helped shape her: her family, friends, professors and the staff members who believed in her even when she struggled to believe in herself. She described her experience as a student in the sciences, a leader in student government and a tutor in the STEM Center, where every failed experiment and every long night turned into lessons in resilience.

Bautista’s journey, like those of Youth and Price, illustrates a central theme of this year’s commencement: �鶹ӰԺ is a place where humble beginnings are honored and bold futures take shape. Together, they offered the Class of 2025 a compelling message: your origin does not define your limits, but serves as a foundation on who you become.

A Commencement Marked by Milestones and Meaningful Moment

Graduate commencement speaker Jenny Theroux ’25

The graduates also had the opportunity to hear words of inspiration from Jenny Theroux ’25, graduate of the industrial/organizational psychology program and this year’s graduate commencement speaker. Theroux, who returned to the classroom after more than two decades in the workforce, delivered a heartfelt speech about transformation and leadership rooted in service.

“This moment isn’t just about degrees and accomplishments; it’s about transformation,” she told her fellow graduates. “Reinvention doesn’t always happen in a single moment. Sometimes, it’s a quiet shift… That’s what makes this journey so meaningful: not just the changes we choose, but the courage it takes to choose them.”

The event also recognized Dakota Pitts ’25, valedictorian of the Class of 2025. Pitts, a native of Abingdon, Maryland, embodies the Jesuit ideals of academic excellence, leadership and service. A double major in biochemistry and mathematics, standout Division I athlete and dedicated campus volunteer, she has made a lasting impact at �鶹ӰԺ through her achievements in the classroom, on the field and in the community. 

President Benitez closed the ceremony by celebrating the graduates, recognizing the support of their families and inspiring them with the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Go forth and set the world on fire.”