MIDDLETOWN — Alexander Piasecki, of Middletown, graduated from Alvernia University with a BS in Psychology with a minor in Addictions and Mental Health Treatment at the Santander Arena in downtown Reading, Penn. on May 9.
Alvernia University celebrated the Class of 2026 by conferring a record number of 800 degrees at the ceremony, the culmination of a weekend of events. The event included Alvernia’s first Master of Medical Science in Physician Associate (PA) Studies graduates and featured a speech from Customers Bank Executive Chairman Jay Sidhu.
“At Alvernia, we believe education is more than a credential. It is the formation of life-long learners, reflective professionals, engaged citizens, and ethical leaders with moral courage. It is about preparing people who will use their gifts not only to succeed, but to serve,” said President Glynis A. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., who welcomed the graduates. “That commitment to serve is not an abstraction here-it is lived. It is rooted in our Franciscan values of service, humility, peacemaking, contemplation, and collegiality. You have carried those values into classrooms and residence halls, onto fields and stages, into labs and clinics, and out into the community.”
Jay Sidhu, Executive Chairman of Customers Bancorp, Inc. and Customers Bank, was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters and served as the commencement speaker to inspire the Class of 2026.
In his speech, he reflected on the experiences that shaped him, including immigrating to the United States in 1971.
He inspired the graduates by sharing anecdotes his learned in his own higher education journey including four pieces of advice for a “successful, satisfied, and fulfilling life.”
