Rachael E. Sparks of East Bridgewater wins Mahady Award & graduates from Saint Michael's College

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Saint Michael’s College Community Service Director Heidi St. Peter (left) presents Mahady Award to Rachael E. Sparks of East Bridgewater. Photo by Jeff Clarke.

COLCHESTER, VT (05/23/2011)(readMedia)-- Rachael Elizabeth Sparks, daughter of Robert and Cynthia Sparks of East Bridgewater, earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology, summa cum laude, from Saint Michael's College at ceremonies held May 16 on the campus of the liberal arts Catholic college located in the Burlington area of Vermont.

Ms. Sparks also earned the Frank G. Mahady Memorial Award given to "the graduating senior who best demonstrates the qualities of moral leadership and social justice which were important to Judge Mahady, and who demonstrates the potential for making a significant contribution to the causes of peace and social justice."

James Wall, a 1974 graduate of Saint Michael's, and now global managing director of human resources for Deloitte Touche Tomatsu, a multinational corporation with 2,000 partners and over 100,000 employees, was the featured speaker at the Saint Michael's College 104th commencement. "The value of a liberal-arts education at Saint Michael's College has never been more relevant than it is today – never," he declared. "My Saint Michael's experience taught me how to learn. Nothing is more important in today's world." Wall served on the college's board of trustees for 12 years, four of those as chairman.

Some 435 undergraduates received bachelor's degrees at the ceremony as well as 95 graduate students who earned master's degrees.

Mahady Award to Rachael Sparks

Rachael Sparks was a member of the leadership team of MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts), Saint Michael's community service organization, through which she coordinated the Best Buddies program. Best Buddies matches college students with people with cognitive and physical disabilities. "She truly understands the interconnectedness of service and education and advocacy," said Heidi St. Peter, director of the MOVE program, in presenting the award to Ms. Sparks on behalf of the Office of Edmundite Campus Ministry.

Ms. Sparks was a leader in Campus Ministry, serving on the LEAP secretariat, as a Eucharistic Minister and as a liturgical coordinator. She carried out a year-long internship at the Women's Rape Crisis Center, where she assisted in crisis intervention and support groups.

"In my view, Rachael is unmatched in her competence, responsibility, and intellectual giftedness. However, ultimately it is her deep commitment to social justice and the betterment of the human condition that fuels so many of her choices. She is a rare treasure," said Psychology Professor Molly Millwood. Ms. Sparks will be attending the University of Montana for a graduate program which includes serving in the Peace Corps.

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns. It is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nations Best 371 Colleges, and is included in the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Saint Michael's is one of only 280 colleges and universities nationwide, one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 100 international students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report rankings.