BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott College, the first college in the U.S. to require internships of its students, held its 79th annual commencement exercises this past week.

At a May 23 ceremony for Endicott’s Van Loan School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Hempstead Stadium on the Endicott campus in Beverly, Massachusetts, the commencement speaker was Latoyia Edwards, news anchor at NBC-10 Boston, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at the ceremony.

Two Kennebunk students, Caitlin Bush and Patrick Rimmer were awarded degrees during the commencement.

Bush received a Masters degree inBusiness Administration and Rimmer also received a Masters degree in Business Administration.

Edwards advised the class of 2019 to follow their passions, take ownership of writing their own story, and find ways to help others. “I challenge you, on your continued climb, to reach back and give someone else a boost along the way,” Edwards told the graduates.

A total of 1,135 students graduated from Endicott’s Van Loan School of Graduate & Professional Studies and its traditional undergraduate college. Ten students received a Doctor of Educational Leadership or Doctor of Philosophy; 349 received a Master of Arts, Master of Education, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, or Master of Fine Arts degree; 760 students received a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; and 16 received an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree.

Endicott College offers doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degree programs at its campus on the scenic coast of Beverly, Mass., with additional sites in Boston, online, and at U.S. and international locations. Endicott remains true to its founding principle of integrating professional and liberal arts education with internship opportunities across disciplines.

For more, visit endicott.edu.