A passionate intellect with a 4.0 GPA, Long Island Campus’ Class of 2024 valedictorian Melissa Guercio will graduate this May with a B.S. in Chemistry as well as minors in Biology, Mathematics and Physics.
“The professors and mission of St. Joseph’s have encouraged me to strive for success,” the 22-year-old said. “Throughout my college career, I put in 110% to all my coursework, have taken part in research experiences, tutored and volunteered. It is a great privilege to have my successes noticed as valedictorian — for the second time in my life.”
Melissa Guercio giving her valedictory address at the Long Island Toast to the Graduates.
Guercio’s dedication to intellectual rigor is made abundantly clear through her membership in the Delta Epsilon Sigma and Gamma Tau Delta honor societies, and being named to the dean’s list each semester.
“If I could thank one person for helping me get through these last four years, I would thank Dr. Andrea Stadler,” said Guercio, who was Sachem North High School’s Class of 2020 valedictorian. “As my adviser, professor and research adviser, she has gone above and beyond to help me prepare for my future.
“As per her suggestion, I applied to an internship at Brookhaven National Lab last summer,” the Holbrook resident said. “Getting accepted into this internship helped me truly discover a pathway for myself once I graduated.”
Guercio shared her valedictory address with her fellow classmates at the Long Island Campus Toast to the Graduates event Thursday, April 25, in the McGann Conference Center.
Dedicated to the Mission of St. Joseph’s
Guercio’s involvement on campus includes many service-related activities, such as being the Green Team secretary since fall 2022, a peer tutor for the past seven semesters, a volunteer at several high school science programs hosted by the University, and a Patchogue River Clean-Up team member.
Guercio with her sister Danielle.
She also represented SJNY in serving a prestigious internship at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and she completed research with St. Joseph’s and presented in the annual Student Research Symposium.
Her experiences in such programs at St. Joseph’s University inspired her own mission: to make strides toward helping the climate crisis.
“My sister Danielle went to St. Joseph’s and majored in Biology, introducing me to the world of science in higher education,” said Guercio, whose cousin also attended the University. “The positive experiences she had at St. Joe’s and her interest in her major led to me wanting to pursue something similar.
“When I started at St. Joe’s, my sister already graduated and was on her second year of a biology Ph.D. program at Stony Brook,” continued Guercio, who shared that her sister is her biggest inspiration in life. “She was the first person in my family to pursue a doctorate degree and will soon be graduating with her Ph.D. Despite the difficulty of a Ph.D. program, she never gave up. I plan to follow in her footsteps with getting a Ph.D., and hope I can be as successful as she has been.”
Life After St. Joseph’s
Guercio with SJNY President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., and Matthew Barbis ’94, member of the Board of Trustees.
A member of the honors program at St. Joseph’s, Guercio accepted a Ph.D. candidacy in Stony Brook University’s Department of Chemistry this fall, where she received a full scholarship and will serve as a research assistant and teacher assistant.
“After completing my Ph.D., I plan on entering the research field, ideally at Brookhaven National Laboratory,” she said. “Since interning their last summer, I was introduced to a variety of research projects involving renewable energy. I have always been interested in the environment and, after my internship, it was clear to me that I want to do research involving energy and the creation of better, safer batteries.”
Guercio’s most important message to her fellow graduates: pursue a career they are passionate about.
“Use the skills and knowledge you have gained at St. Joe’s to find a career in which you can enjoy and prosper,” she said. “We all now have the ability to choose our futures and continue down a path that allows us to make a difference in the world and spark any changes we may desire.”
