PARSIPPANY — On Sunday, May 14, 2017, the two Parsippany residents graduated from Emerson College in Boston.
Caroline Giercyk of Lake Hiawatha received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing for Film and TV and Ryan Barnhart of Parsippany received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing, Literature & Publishing. Both graduates are a 2013 graduate of Parsippany High School.
During the College’s 137th commencement ceremony, approximately 975 bachelor’s degrees were conferred during the undergraduate exercises and nearly 270 master’s degrees were conferred during the graduate exercises.
Bestselling novelist and TV writer Dennis Lehane received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and delievered the undergraduate commencement address. Associate Professor Emeritus John Dennis Anderson, who retired last summer after teaching in Emerson’s Communication Studies Department for 27 years, gave the graduate address. Also awarded with honorary degrees were civil rights advocate Anita Hill, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, and 2016 MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” winner and poet Claudia Rankine.
Emerson College is based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in the liberal arts, communication, and the arts.
The College has approximately 3,500 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups.
Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs at Emerson Los Angeles, located in Hollywood, and at its beautifully restored 14th-century castle in the Netherlands.
The College has an active network of 37,000 alumni. For more information, visit emerson.edu.
