Touro faculty and administration, including Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish and Graduate and Professional Divisions Provost Dr. Patricia Salkin, warmly greeted graduates from the schools of Jewish Studies, Health Sciences, Technology, Social Work, Education and Business as their families and friends joined in the celebration.

First Ph.D. in Jewish Studies

Highlights included the granting of Touro’s first doctoral degree in Jewish Studies, with a hooding by President Kadish, and the graduation of nearly 800 educators, making the Graduate School of Education one of the largest in the region. Ninety-three students completed their studies with honors as members of the national honor society for educators, Kappa Delta Phi.

“Graduates, today, we honor and celebrate the culmination of your hard work, and your commitment to fulfilling your dreams. I am confident that you will continue to transform your aspirations into reality,” said President Kadish in his remarks. “Congratulations class of 2023. Now more than ever, the world is counting on you.”

Student speakers from the graduate schools comprising the Division of Graduate Studies - Jewish Studies, Health Sciences, Technology, Social Work, Business, and Education each shared personal reflections:

Rivka Schiller, Ph.D., Jewish Studies, earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and her M.A. at Touro. A top student, her dissertation, “Jews in Chmielnik, 1556-1946: The Rise and Fall of a Polish Jewish Community,” stemmed in part from her own familial history.

“What binds us together today is that we’ve been given the space to pursue something that is not merely about earning money or becoming successful; it’s about something far less tangible: doing good in the world...”

Loveleen Kaur, Master of Social Work, Graduate School of Social Work, was born and raised in India and moved to the United States during high school with her family.

“Your journey as social workers has only just begun,” she reminded classmates. “As we learned in our internship experiences, every interaction we come across has the potential to change someone’s life. Social work is a profession dedicated to creating positive change in the world and we are all now part of that noble tradition.”

Antonia Torres-Gearity, M.S. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Graduate School of Education, came to the U.S. from Mexico at 16 without knowing English. Her first job was housecleaning because of the language barrier. She has been in the field of special and bilingual education for 19 years and recently won the Bilingual Teacher of the Year Award from the New York State Association for Bilingual Education.

“Taking the experience that Touro has provided us, let us become those that create the same experiences for our students. Let’s be that high school teacher that inspired us, that believed we could do it. Let’s be that teacher that made a difference in our lives.”