FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Liz Cooper
ecooper@massbay.edu
WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass. (May 21, 2024) — MassBay Community College is pleased to announce Priscila Sousa, Massachusetts State Representative for the 6th Middlesex District, will deliver the keynote address at the College’s 62nd Commencement on Thursday, May 23, 2024, on the College’s Wellesley Hills campus, 50 Oakland Street.
“We are delighted to welcome Rep. Sousa as the keynote speaker for our Commencement ceremony,” said MassBay President David Podell. “Rep. Sousa has visited our campus and has taken a keen interest in our students and their future success. Her advocacy work for equity in public education, as well as her personal educational and professional journey, will surely inspire our graduates.”
![Priscila Sousa]( "Priscila Sousa")
MassBay Community College has announced Massachusetts State Representative Priscila Sousa as the College’s Commencement Speaker, July 2023 (Photo/Rep. Priscila Sousa).
Since assuming office in January 2023, Rep. Sousa has been a strong advocate for equity in education, entrepreneurship, criminal justice reform, and environmental justice. She currently sits on the Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy Committee.
In 2022, Rep. Sousa became the first woman of color elected as Chair of the Framingham School Committee. On the School Committee she led the renaming of Harmony Grove School, was a proponent of the first-in-the-state school climate change policy, and served as a strong advocate for both a new southside school as well as high-quality early education for all students.
Born in Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Rep. Sousa came to America with her parents when she was seven years old. She graduated from Framingham Public Schools after starting in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Simmons University.
In addition to her role in the Massachusetts House, Rep. Sousa currently serves on the boards of Framingham FORCE, Friends of Resiliency for Life, and Hoops & Homework. She is a member of the Framingham Democratic Committee, the Framingham Business Association, and the Framingham Elks Lodge #1264. She has also completed the Boston Marathon three times as a charity runner.
MassBay will award more than 600 Associate Degrees and Certificates at the conclusion of the spring 2024 semester. For more information about the 2024 Commencement Exercises at MassBay, please visit www.massbay.edu/commencement.
MassBay Community College is the most affordable higher education option in MetroWest Boston, offering a robust portfolio of courses and more than 70 associate degree and certificate programs with flexible day, evening, and weekend classes in Ashland, Framingham, Wellesley Hills, and online. MassBay students receive an unmatched educational value by earning stackable credits that transfer to bachelor’s degree programs, and workforce-ready skills necessary to advance careers in high-demand fields such as health and life sciences, automotive technology, engineering, business, cybersecurity, and the humanities. MassBay’s Associate Degree in Nursing (RN) and Practical Nursing (LPN) programs were both ranked as the #1 Nursing Program in Massachusetts in 2020, 2021, and 2023 by national nursing advocacy organizations RegisteredNursing.org, and PracticalNursing.org. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and remains firmly committed to its mission of meeting the needs of the diverse local communities it serves. We value the intrinsic worth of all individuals, collectively in pursuit of inclusiveness and prioritize our work towards achieving equity within our community and beyond.