FAIRMONT – A new cast of Falcons will soon be leaving the nest in Fairmont.
Spring Commencement for Fairmont State University’s Class of 2026 will be Saturday in the Feaster Center, the school announced.
“Commencement is one of the best days of the year at Fairmont State University because it reminds us why we do this work,” President Mike Davis said.
“It is a day to celebrate our graduates and the people who supported them along the way,” the president continued. “Each graduate has a story of persistence, growth and accomplishment – and we are incredibly proud.”
Two of those past graduates who went on to achieve are delivering keynote remarks during the day.
Christina Lavorata, the school’s provost emeritus, graduated from Fairmont State in 1970 with a degree in elementary education.
She taught at schools in Fairmont and Marion County for 27 years before joining the education faculty at her college alma mater in 1998. She transitioned to administration six years later and retired as provost in 2018.
Lavorata will address graduates from the College of Business and Aviation, the College of Liberal Arts and the Regents Bachelor of Arts program in a 10 a.m. ceremony at the Feaster Center.
At 2 p.m. at the Feaster Center, Ronda Bilotta Colanero will deliver remarks to those going forth from the College of Nursing, the College of Science and Technology and the College of Education, Health and Human Performance.
Colanero is a 1972 education graduate and taught briefly in Marion County Schools before embarking on a 35-year career with the Department of Health and Human Resources in West Virginia, where she retired as a regional director overseeing 15 counties.
Seating will be limited for the ceremonies, which will also be livestreamed on the Fairmont State website, the school said.
