Anna Maria graduates advised to reach full potential.

• Author: Gonsalves, Susan
• Position: Local

Byline: Susan Gonsalves

WORCESTER -- Sister Yvette E. Bellerose, chairwoman of Anna Maria College's Board of Trustees, recalls being approached by a former student several years after he graduated from the Paxton campus.

The young man told her that she had advised him not to "coast'' through his college years, and that he was more capable than even he realized.

"I've used your advice to help others live up to their potential,'' he told her.

Sister Bellerose gave AMC's 65th commencement address Saturday, as a total of 239 undergraduates and 188 graduate students received their degrees at a ceremony held at Hanover Theatre.

The anecdote illustrated one of three points that the speaker emphasized: "Good advice goes a long way.''

She encouraged students to take to heart the words of others, saying that one day they'll be able to reflect upon them and realize that advice contributed to their overall development. Sister Bellerose also urged graduates to remember that relationships matter, and to strive to make the world a better place.

"It's quite impossible to get lost in a crowd or walk alone (at Anna Maria College),'' Sister Bellerose said, referring to the Roman Catholic college's small class sizes and close-knit community atmosphere that's ideal for relationship building.

She also spoke about a CNN program that honors individuals that make "dreams come alive,'' for others, and she encouraged students to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ in their daily lives, with an eye toward helping those around them.

Sister Bellerose joined the AMC faculty as an adjunct professor in 1978, and became a full-time faculty member in 2000, teaching religious studies and theology. In 2002, she became the founder and director of its master's in pastoral ministry program, as well as the bachelor's in Catholic and pastoral studies programs. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne in 1961.

College President Jack P. Calareso announced that the college would be bestowing a special award annually named in her honor to recognize a student who embodies the values and mission of the Catholic faith. The first recipient, Nicole Harvell of Shrewsbury, gave the student address, also talking about the closeness the students share with each other, faculty, staff and others in the AMC community. Ms. Harvell also fondly remembered classmate Brittany Knowlton, who passed away in a car accident in 2011, as the "girl with a smile and flower in her hair.''

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