Exemplary SUNY New Paltz scholars recognized at 2025 Honors Program graduation ceremony

The SUNY New Paltz Honors Program held its annual graduation ceremony and reception on May 18 in recognition of the high-caliber talent and work ethic of the newest program alumni. 

The Honors Program is focused on helping students gain skills and experiences that help them thrive beyond the classroom. They excel in extra-curriculars, internships and more, while pursuing interdisciplinary scholarship and creative activity that can make an impact beyond campus, such as their required senior theses.  

[Click here to view the full list of 2025 Honors Program graduates.]   

“Honors Program students have high GPAs, but they are smart in ways that go way beyond GPA,” said Pat Sullivan, Honors Program director and professor of digital media & journalism. “Honors students are everywhere and engage with all kinds of activities. They have the capacity to work, play and build communities.”  

Throughout their years at SUNY New Paltz, Honors Program graduates learn something more valuable than deep knowledge in their disciplines of choice: the power of connection with their peers. That connection leads to projects combining their academic interests to create thought-provoking scholarship, which leads to long-lasting friendships. 

“As Honors students, coordination, communication and collaboration are important ingredients,” said SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler. “Together, you built things you couldn’t imagine doing on your own. You challenged others to bring out the best in one another.” 

Alumna Miriam Ward ’15 (History; Digital Media Production), an award-winning broadcast journalist for NBC News and MSNBC News, returned to campus to share insights on how the Honors Program prepared her to face a changing world in a keynote address at this year’s ceremony. 

“You pulled those all-nighters, made the Honors Center an extension of your living space and put in the work. You cultivated the relationships and friendships that last a lifetime,” Ward said. “The world needs you, your ideas, your dreams and your talent, because while our world keeps on turning, what will not change is your core values and beliefs.”  

Click here to learn more about the Honors Program at SUNY New Paltz.