“Do not let this be the highlight of your season.” That message was constant in SUNY Sullivan alum Bert McDowell Jr.'s address to the college's Class of 2021. It's what the 2008 graduate and starting shooting guard heard from SUNY Sullivan Athletic Director and Dean of Student Development Services Chris DePew, his then coach, after every game during their undefeated 2007 national championship basketball season.

While it was used in the realm of sports, the concept itself, as McDowell explained, is much broader and can be applied to life.

“You're going to come across the stage ... receive your degree … shake hands … and I want you all to be proud,” McDowell said. “You are all blessed. However, I do not want you to be satisfied.”

McDowell, known during his time in school as BJ, said that when he graduated there were goals he wanted to reach and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of reaching them.

He told the Class of 2021 to write their goals in a book or in a note on their phone, review them weekly and stay on task.

“There are people that have supported me,” he said, “[and] I must make them proud. There are people that have supported you ... they poured their money into you, their time and more importantly, their love. Make them proud.”

Following his graduation from SUNY Sullivan, McDowell continued his education at Pace University and then Quinnipiac University's School of Law. He now has his own law practice, Bert McDowell Injury Law LLC, in Connecticut.

“You do not stop. You must keep going,” McDowell continued. “You must apply pressure with every move you make. You are going to graduate from my school. I say my school because I'm a General, I love it and I wear it proud. I want all of you to be very, very proud. However, do not let this be the highlight of your life.”

Two ceremonies were held to celebrate the 246 SUNY Sullivan graduates on Saturday at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which allowed for social distancing.

In addition to college administration, trustees, faculty, the graduates and their families, several guests were on hand, including NYS Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, Sullivan County Legislature Vice Chair Michael Brooks, Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills CEO Jonathan Schiller and Rev. Canon Diana S. Scheide.

Michelle Miralle and Omar Gai, served as class speakers at the morning and afternoon ceremonies respectively. Both students were recipients of the Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence and the Faculty Award for General Excellence.

In her address to her peers, Miralle told the story of how in April 2018, when she was 22 weeks pregnant with her fourth child, she was admitted to Westchester Medical Center and placed on strict bed rest.

“During the three months I spent there I was taken care of by a group of amazing nurses,” she said. “Witnessing their care and support for me during some of the hardest times of my life has lit the desire for me to want to become a nurse. There was no time to waste. After the birth of my child I decided to enroll in classes at SUNY Sullivan.”

Miralle noted that she wasn't sure what to expect. After the first few lectures she thought ‘this is a piece of cake.' But then, she failed her first nursing exam.

“My dreams came crashing down. I wasn't as ready as I thought I was,” explained Miralle. “I met with my instructor Mrs. [Laura] Northrup, who told me I wasn't the first or the last nursing student to fail an exam, and this wasn't the end but only the beginning of my journey. With the support of the faculty, I was able to pass the exams that followed and I earned a spot on the Dean's list.”

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, and the whole way students everywhere were accustomed to learning suddenly changed.

“The transition was hard,” she said. “No one tells you that online schooling requires a lot of discipline, and if you've never done it before, it can be pretty discouraging, uncomfortable and challenging.”

Miralle explained that eventually online learning was no longer frightening and intimidating, and Zoom became easier to maneuver. Even though their last years were spent physically away from their peers, only seeing many of them in virtual classrooms, Miralle said they persevered.

“Now we stand here at the finish line,” she said. “The moment we have all waited for is finally here. So the 2021 graduating class, I leave you with this. I encourage you all to live in this moment. Think about all your hard work and be proud. People can take many things away from you, but they can never take your education."