Manor College Graduation. Thursday, May 13th 2010

We are honored this evening to welcome as our 2010 commencement speaker Captain Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper. 

A St. Paul, Minnesota native, Captain Stefanyshyn-Piper graduated from Derham Hall High School in 1980 before attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a Navy ROTC scholarship. AT MIT, she earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1984 and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1985. She was commissioned an Ensign in the Engineering Duty Officer Community in 1985. 

After numerous assignments, Captain Piper completed Engineering Duty Officer Basic Course in 1988. She qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer on board the USS Grapple and is also a qualified and experienced diving and salvage officer. 

Captain Piper was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996, when she reported to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. During her NASA career, she flew two space shuttle missions and completed five space walks -- totaling 33 hours, 42 minutes -- making her 25th on the all-time list of space walkers by duration. She was the 8th woman to walk in space out of a total of 180 people who have ever done it. 

Captain Piper retired from NASA in July, 2009 to return to her Navy duties. In August, 2009 she reported to the Naval Sea Systems Command as Naval Systems Engineering Chief Technology Officer. 

Captain Piper’s personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medals (2), Navy Achievement Medals (2) and NASA Space Flight Medals (2). 

Captain Piper and Manor College have a common heritage, as her father immigrated from Ukraine, while her mother came from Germany. An active member of the Ukrainian community in St, Paul/Minneapolis, she completed Ukrainian studies at St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church Saturday School. She was a member of PLAST Ukrainian Scouting Organization, the Zahrava Folk Dance Ensemble, the singing group Troyandy and she participated in many other youth sponsored events.   

Captain Piper is married to Glenn Piper, LCDR USN (ret), retired Engineering Duty Officer and Navy diver. They have one son, Michael. 

 

Delivering the commencement oration at tonight’s ceremony is Northeast Philadelphia resident Olga Pashkevich. 

A 2008 graduate of George Washington High School, Olga has built an impressive resume during her two years at Manor. Olga began taking classes at Manor while still a senior as a participant in the Dual Enrollment program and she was a Wawriw full-tuition scholarship recipient for each of her two years at Manor. 

Olga has been on the Dean’s List every semester and graduates with a 4.07 GPA and two degrees from two distinct fields of study. She has earned an A.S. in Biology and an A.A. in Psychology. She is also the recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke undergraduate transfer scholarship, the second awarded to a Manor student in four years. The scholarship will cover all expenses at the school of her choice for two to three years, depending on her program of study. She will also qualify to apply for the graduate scholarship, which, considering her plans, is something she will want to apply for. 

Those plans include attending Drexel University – although as of this writing she was still waiting to hear from University of Pennsylvania – to major in Biology and then going to medical school to study internal medicine. Eventually, she would like to be a medical oncologist. 

At Manor, Olga was the president of the International Club for two years, and a member of Student Senate and the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. She was also a student orientation leader, the student representative on the Curriculum Committee and a finalist for the Mother Josaphat Medal at Founders Day. 

Although Olga is sad to be leaving Manor, she knows she is ready for what awaits her. 

“I truly love Manor; it’s done so much for me,” she explained. “I couldn’t have come to college without the scholarship. I’ve made so many friends here and developed as a person and a leader. 

“But Manor prepared me for the next two years of school; I know what to expect,” she continued. “You get so much support here – from the faculty to the administration, everybody has your back. You can’t get that experience at any other school.”