Class of 2020 Valedictorian and Salutatorian Named

Lauren Robichaud, of Holden, and Sean O’Rourke, of Spencer, Will Address Class of 2020 During August Commencement

Assumption has announced that Lauren Robichaud and Sean O’Rourke have been named valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2020, respectively. Robichaud will address her classmates and their families while O’Rourke will introduce the speaker, Robert Royal, Ph.D., at Assumption’s 103rd Commencement on Sunday, August 23 at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. 

“At Assumption, the highest honors of valedictorian and salutatorian are not based on grades alone, but are awarded after a careful and deliberative process on the part of a group of students, faculty, and administrators,” said Eloise Knowlton, Ph.D., associate vice president for Academic Affairs and chair of the committee. “The committee’s deliberations begin with a small pool of the highest academic achievers, but we then seek to honor those who have contributed broadly to the life of the College and the class as persons of character, creativity, and caring.”

Robichaud, a native of Holden who majored in accounting with a focus in fraud and forensic accounting and minored in French, will continue her studies in Assumption’s Master’s in Business Administration in accounting this fall. She is the recipient of a number of scholarships including the Dr. Maurice B. Plasse Memorial Scholarship, Cynthia Courtney and Adelard F. Landry Award, the Institute of Management Accountants CMA Program Scholarship, the George and Sarah Denomme Scholarship, and the La Fede French Scholarship. She is a member of the National French Honor Society, Pi Delta Phi; participated in the Accounting Club; and served as vice president of communications for Assumption’s Greyhound Association for Marketing Enrichment (GAME) club, for which she organized guest speakers and professional networking events for students. Robichaud also served as a mentor for Assumption’s Mentor Collective Program where she shared personal experiences, insight, and tips to support three Assumption students to support their academic success, personal growth, and career development during their time on campus. 

Off-campus, Robichaud is the leader of the Rutland Girl Scout Troop 30276. Since 2017, she has assisted her fellow troop leader in weekly activities such as arts and crafts and service opportunities, as well as creating lesson plans and helping facilitate creativity and a desire for service within 20 Girl Scout Juniors. 

A Spencer native, O’Rourke was a double accounting and economics major with a minor in finance and fraud examination and forensic accounting. He is a member of the International Economics Honor Society, Omicron Delta Epsilon, as well as the National Philosophy Honor Society, Phi Sigma Tau. He is a Francis Ouimet scholar as well as a Greater Worcester Community Foundation December 3rd scholar.    

On-campus, O’Rourke served as a D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence Fellow, in which he provided a student perspective and fostered a dialogue around teaching and learning at Assumption; worked in the College’s Academic Support Center tutoring his peers in accounting, finance, economics, marketing, and management. He was also a member of the Accounting Club. O’Rourke worked as a business tax services intern for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC in Boston, as well as an intern and assistant to the representative at Provo Financial Services, Inc., in Shrewsbury.  

The finalists, who were chosen from a select pool of their peers who ranked in the top percentile of their class, were interviewed by a committee comprised of faculty, administrators and students. In addition to Knowlton, the committee included Mary Cote, Class of 2020 president; Dan DiTullio, assistant to the President, and co-chair of the Commencement Committee; Timothy Kelly, Class of 2020 vice president; Carl Keyes, Ph.D., associate professor of history; Nancy O’Sullivan, d’Alzon Library and co-chair of the Commencement Committee; and Francis Prior, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology and criminology.