Rider University announces student Commencement speakers

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Rider University has selected the student speakers for its 2026 Commencement ceremonies, which will take place on May 16 at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. Marina Jean-Baptiste, a senior double major in psychology and behavioral neuroscience, will address the undergraduate class. Victoria Riccardelli, who is earning her master’s in clinical mental health counseling, will address the graduate class.

After experiencing serious health challenges during her sophomore year, Jean-Baptiste found support and belonging at Rider and went on to become a founding member of ADAPT, the University’s disability club, helping create a supportive community for students navigating chronic illness and disability.

“I found that resilience is not loud, but sometimes it is quiet and persistent,” Jean-Baptiste says in her speech.

A Rider University Trustee Scholar, Jean-Baptiste embraced opportunities that pushed her beyond her comfort zone. She served as a supplemental instruction leader, supporting fellow students academically, and produced Health 411, a medical radio show on the University’s student-run station 107.7 The Bronc.

Drawing from her own experiences, Jean-Baptiste reflects on the moments many students quietly carry with them — uncertainty, overwhelm and questioning whether they belong. She encourages her fellow graduates to move forward with the courage to take up space, the humility to keep learning and the compassion to create the kinds of communities that once held them.

Victoria Riccardelli is a licensed associate counselor and member of the Chi Sigma Iota counseling honor society. Throughout her time at Rider, she has participated in community outreach efforts supporting access to mental health services in underserved communities, including initiatives benefiting The Samaritan Center at the Jersey Shore and the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County.

Riccardelli’s graduate address centers on vulnerability as a source of growth, both personally and professionally. Drawing from her experiences as a counseling student, she reflects on the pressure many students feel to appear confident and capable, particularly in graduate education and professional settings.

“My hope is that when discomfort or uncertainty shows up, and it will, you don’t confuse it with weakness,” she writes in her speech. “That you ask questions before you have answers. And that you remember, competence grows faster when you stop pretending you already have it.”

She leaves her fellow graduates with words of encouragement, to go forward in life, being brave enough to be vulnerable in their careers, to stay human and to not be afraid of making mistakes.

For more information about Rider University's 2026 Commencement ceremonies, please visit rider.edu/commencement.