Marist College recognizes and celebrates the Class of 2022, whose accomplishments have lived up to the institution's mission reflecting years of dedication, hard work, and commitment. Here are some of the Baccalaureate Awards Ceremony recipients who have excelled in the classroom while being active members of the Marist community.


Shireen Scott (left) and Stella Capparelli (right)

Shireen Scott

Shireen’s college journey began in 1995 at Baruch College and is completing her Bachelor of Science in management studies in 2022 at Marist, with a minor in information technology management, graduating summa cum laude. Shireen was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society in 2021. Shireen has more than two decades of marketing and communications experience, and is currently a vice president on the corporate communications team at Synchrony Financial in Stamford, CT.

Stella Capparelli

Stella is a double major in psychology and criminal justice and will complete the paralegal certificate program as well. She is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma and Psi Chi. While at Marist, she worked as an RA for the honors program, served as a judge in the annual Celebrating Student Research in Psychology conference, worked as a research assistant, and as a student government officer. Her honors thesis, entitled Effective Treatment Court Processes: Perception regarding sanctions and incentives on participants’ success, was presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the National Collegiate Honors Council and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Stella plans to attend law school. 


Rotem Leiba (left) and Patrick Kutch (right)

Rotem Leiba

Rotem is a double major in criminal justice and psychology. He will graduate summa cum laude and is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma. Rotem completed his first year at our Florence, Italy campus. He also completed internships with Court Consultation Services and the Center for Victim Services and Support in Poughkeepsie. During his time at Marist, he took an active part in the Jewish community, serving on the Holocaust Remembrance Day Committee, and dedicated his honors thesis project to exploring the role that anti-Semitism, and its variants, play in our society and as a terrorist ideology. Rotem was the recipient of the Andrew Lutakome Kayiira Award in Criminal Justice for the class of 2022. He plans to attend law school.

Patrick Kutch

Patrick served as a campus ministry student board member from 2019-2022. Patrick volunteered for the Campus Ministry Weekly Community Service Program from 2018 to 2022 at St. Peter’s School and Warring Elementary School and he volunteered at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, coaching CYO cross country from 2019-2021. He was a member of the giving tree from 2019-2022 and oversaw the campus ministry clothing drive in 2021. Patrick also starred in the role of Santa Claus at the campus ministry Christmas meeting in 2019. Patrick was a member of the Marist cross county & track team competing all four years and was named captain in 2022. He also served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee from 2019-2022.


Harper Anne Finch

Harper Anne Finch

Harper Anne is a recipient of the Alumni Leadership Award, given to graduating students who exemplify the spirit of Marist. Since coming to Marist from Colorado, she has immersed herself in volunteer opportunities such as the Liberty Partnership Program, the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie, and Marist Children’s Theatre. In Marist’s Theatre Program, she rose from director of marketing to vice president and ultimately president, while simultaneously holding the role of vice president of the Marist Advertising Association. Harper Anne is enrolled in the 5-year integrated marketing communication program at Marist where she will earn a master’s degree. Upon graduation, she plans to merge her love for theatre with advertising and hopes to work for Broadway shows.

This is a series of featuring graduating seniors from the Class of 2022, who will celebrate commencement on Saturday, May 21.