Middlesex Community College celebrated the achievements of 127 graduates of the class of 2025 with a Health Pinning Ceremony on Tuesday, May 20 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Melody Kremidas, a radiologic technology student, of Lowell, addressed her classmates as this year’s student speaker.
“Being the health pinning speaker is such an incredible honor,” Kremidas said. “What we do in the health field is not only changing our lives, but it’s also changing the lives of our patients. I thrive every single day to ensure my patients are loved, safe and cared for when they’re with me. Being this year’s speaker and representing everything we have all worked for over the last couple years is an honor and privilege.”
A first-generation college graduate, Kremidas feels inspired by her family, especially her grandmother. Interested in radiologic technology since the sixth grade, she credits her classmates at MCC for their support and motivation in helping her be successful. Calling the healthcare industry both rewarding and challenging, she looks forward to exploring other modalities of her field after graduating with a goal of one day working in forensic radiology.
“My overall experience with MCC has been life changing,” Kremidas said. “The help that the college and staff has offered their students is unmatched. There are so many resources the college has to guide and help us in almost everything we need. This program in particular holds their students to a higher standard and pushes us to be the best possible student and radiographer we can be.”
MCC’s President Phil Sisson, Provost Arlene Rodríguez, Dean of Health Karen Townsend, and faculty and staff from all areas of the college joined the graduates’ families, friends and supporters to honor their pinning. Carla Acucena, a 2001 alumna of the diagnostic medical sonography program, spoke during this year’s pinning.
“I started out with a lot of excitement, a little bit of uncertainty, and a huge sense of purpose,” Acucena said in her address. “I now have the privilege of leading the very team I once dreamed of joining. And I'm proud to say that I accomplished all of this with my associate degree – proof that your education here at MCC is a powerful foundation. It gave me the opportunity to build a career that has grown and evolved in ways I could have never imagined. MCC personally taught me that it is never too late to grow, to learn, and to find your purpose.”
An honored tradition, the pinning emphasizes the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the graduates entering the fields. Graduates received ribbons of different colors representing their programs, which include Nursing, Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Dental Laboratory Technology, Medical Assisting, Medical Laboratory Technology, Radiologic Technology, and Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
During the ceremony, graduates were called on stage individually to receive their pins from faculty of MCC’s health programs. Each program then recited a pledge to practice their new professions ethically, promote health for all, and advance their fields. A reception with family and friends followed the ceremony.
“The 2025 health graduates are inspiring and determined, well-prepared to enter their fields, and ready to serve their communities in much needed roles,” Townsend said. “Each year, it is an honor to celebrate their achievements and recognize our graduates as they receive their pins. Throughout their time with us, we have enjoyed witnessing their journeys as they develop their skills and crafts, and know they will continue on to be compassionate, dedicated and hard-working leaders.”