NEWS BRIEF: Sr Mary Persico named Commencement Speaker

Madeline Adams, Editor in Chief • May 8, 2024

Sr. Mary Persico at the 2023 Commencement Ceremony

Sister Mary Persico, IMH, Ed. D., will address graduates at the 106th commencement ceremony on May 18.

A native of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, Persico earned her undergraduate degree in education and French from Marywood in 1969. As a junior at Marywood, she entered the IHM congregation and finished her undergraduate studies as an IHM candidate. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in French from Assumption College and her doctoral degree in educational leadership from Lehigh University.

Throughout her professional life, Persico has been a teacher, administrator and leader in educational, health care and congregational settings. She became president of Marywood University in 2016 and guided Marywood through the challenges faced by universities in the 21st century, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persico will officially retire from the presidency on June 30.

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For more information about Marywood’s 106th commencement ceremony, visit Marywood’s website.

All Commencement Weekend activities are free and open to the public. The ceremony will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, May 18, at 1 p.m.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

About the Contributors

Madeline Adams, Editor in Chief

Madeline Adams is a junior multimedia communications major and is the Editor in Chief for The Wood Word. She is a DJ for Marywood's own, VMFM 91.7, and serves as the Public Relations Director for Marywood’s Women's Ministry group . In her spare time, she co-hosts a podcast called Courageously Kind with her sister Elizabeth.

Julie Potter, Photography Editor

Julie Potter is a junior photography major, and in addition to being the photography editor of the Wood Word, she is also the president of the Shutterbugs Photography Club, the photography blogger for Where Creativity Works, and a member of both the Zeta Omicron Kappa Pi National Art Honor Society as well as the Society for Collegiate Journalists. Working towards getting her BFA in photography she plans to pursue wedding and portrait photography once graduated in spring 2025. Outside of academic life Julie enjoys hiking, generally being outdoors, and spending time with her friends.