Kaitlyn Fuoco ’26 address to the Class of 2026
Kaitlyn Fuoco ’26 presented this address to the Class of 2026 during the Academic Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2o26.
Good afternoon, esteemed faculty, distinguished graduates, and beloved family. My name is Kaitlyn Fuoco, and I am honored to address all of you today as one of the valedictorians for the class of 2026. As graduation has been approaching, I have been in complete denial that I will soon have to leave Friartown. However, this time has also given me the ability to reflect on all that I will be taking with me into the next chapter: the cherished memories, the lifelong friends, and the knowledge that Providence College has given me. To that effect, I’d like to invite you all to take a trip down memory lane …
Imagine your very first day on campus — picking up your PC ID, walking across Slavin Lawn with your family, moving your entire life into Meagher, or Derm, or McVinney, or Joe’s, or Ray, or Guz all while either crying or doing everything in your power to pretend you were not nervous. In that moment, you were so focused on survival that you didn’t even realize you already had everything within you that you needed to be a friar.
Now, fast forward to sophomore year — sitting in early-morning Civ, still half-awake, but something starts to click. You raise your hand during seminar. You begin to form your own opinions, challenge ideas, and speak up in discussions. And somewhere between those readings and conversations, you realize just how much you’ve grown — from being that scared freshman, uncertain whether to speak up or not, to being someone who recognizes the value of your own voice, even if it’s in a simple Ruane seminar room.
Soon comes junior year where the classes get harder, the expectations rise higher, but so does your confidence in tackling the challenges of your respective major courses and liberal arts classes. You are no longer just completing assignments; you are engaging deeply, connecting ideas, and discovering your passions as you begin to shape who you want to be in this world. Maybe you studied abroad, navigating unfamiliar streets and immersing yourself in new cultures, learning how your voice fits into a global conversation. Or maybe you were like me — I fell so deeply in love with Friartown, I could not drag myself away for an entire semester. Instead, we spent junior year forming deeper bonds with our professors who valued our voices in labs, research, internships, student teaching, and conference-presentations. Either way, this was the year we started using our voices with purpose as PC offered us conversations and relationships with students and faculty alike who didn’t just hear us but truly valued what we had to say.
Before you blink, it’s already senior year and you begin experiencing your last meal in Ray, your last milkshake in McPhail’s, your last 10pm mass in St. Dom’s, your last club retreat, your last basketball game in the Amp, your last hockey game in Schneider, your last Black & White Ball in Peterson, and the list goes on and on. But beyond all the “lasts,” this is also the year of reflection. The year where you look at who you have become and recognize the strength, clarity, and confidence in yyour own voice. As we prepare to leave Friartown, we are not just stepping into graduate programs or careers – we are carrying that voice with us, ready to use it, ready to share it, and ready to make an impact far beyond campus.
Today, I encourage you to reflect on how our PC education has shaped who we are. Providence’s community of students, faculty, and staff celebrated our victories, picked us up after setbacks, and reminded us that “no one is alone in Friartown.” Providence always challenged us to seek “veritas” or truth whether it be during philosophy class, “With Mutual Respect” discussions, late-night conversations in St. Dom’s, or debates carried on in our very own dorms. Every single person at Providence has been impacted by our Dominican values and by the “Friars-Hold-Doors” kindness that emanates throughout campus.
Now, I ask you: Who have been the ones who helped you become this best version of yourself during your time at PC? Maybe it’s that professor who saw your potential? Maybe it’s your mentor who guided you in using your voice? Maybe it’s the Dominican friar who you always knew you could count on? Or maybe it’s the best friends you never knew you were missing out on? I know that you are all thinking of someone right now, yet that person has no idea just how much they’ve changed your life; they would never even guess they would be the one you are thinking of! Consequently, I challenge you: after this ceremony, use your voice to thank them for all that they’ve done!
For me, these people include, but are not limited to: my friends, my boyfriend, Friars’ Club, TACK Force, Campus Ministry, my Spanish teachers, my English professors, the Secondary Education Faculty, my students, but most of all – my family. My cousin, Ryan, helped inspire my love for reading and learning other people’s stories. My Aunt Timra, the nurse, always helped me calm down when Google convinced me I have rare conditions. My Aunt Kerri introduced me to my passion for teaching and always helped me with my homework growing up. My Grandma taught me about prayer and assured me that God will always take care of me as long as I ask. Every time I run to St. Dominic’s Chapel, I praise God for my family and my faith. I am grateful for the chapel in helping me feel close to my Grandpa, who taught me the importance of laughter, especially in difficult moments. It has also been an honor laughing through college with my big-little brother, Andrew. Thank you for always being there for me, and letting me be there for you in return. And finally, last but not least, I can’t even begin to put into words what my parents have done for me, but that’s not going to stop me from trying. Dad, thank you for supporting me in going to my dream college; you always let me know how proud of me you are and I love going through life with you being my biggest cheerleader. Mom, thank you for always being my best friend with a shoulder to cry on driving 4+ hours at a moment’s notice and for being my mentor pushing me to grow into the woman I am today. I will consider myself lucky if I become half the woman you are.
Each of us is a product of those we love and those who love us. As the saying goes, “You are a mosaic of every person you’ve ever loved.” A mosaic is made up of tiny pieces over time and lasts forever. Our mosaic is first filled by our family, then by the love we’ve received in Friartown. We will continue to complete our mosaic as we go into the “real world” beyond PC, and, even better, you will contribute to hundreds of others’ mosaics throughout your life — many of whom are sitting in this room.
For instance, my mosaic was filled in by the 68 10th and 11th graders I taught this year through student teaching. Despite all the challenges associated with being a senior in college who is simultaneously waking up at 6am 5 days a week to be a full-time teacher, I brought the positive, enthusiastic voice I discovered at PC to class every single day. I love each of my students as if they were my own, especially the challenging ones. I will never forget the one student who asked me, “Ms. Fuoco, are you going to be teaching here next year? Course selection forms are due tomorrow, and I really want you to be my teacher next year.” I started tearing up in the middle of class and said that was the nicest thing he had ever said to me. The girl sitting next to him said, “Umm, dude, that’s the nicest thing you’ve said. EVER.”
At Providence College, we all endured many challenges in the process of discovering who we are and who we want to be. I invite you to use these moments of gratitude and appreciation during commencement to reflect on how those struggles were worth it! Remind yourself that you did it! You made it! Tomorrow, you are not only graduating from Providence College, but you are celebrating growing into the best version of yourself — the person you were born to be! And, together, we will continue to use our voices to bring our PC spirit everywhere we go because once a friar, always a friar!
Thank you! And, as always, Go Friars!
