YSU alumni honored at Spring Commencements May 6

Alumni Presley Gillespie, president of Neighborhood Allies in Pittsburgh, and George Young, chief executive of Kalypso LP, receive honorary degrees at Youngstown State University’s Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 6, in Beeghly Center on the YSU campus.

Gabriella Gessler and Daniel Belinky are the student speakers.

Commencement will include morning and afternoon ceremonies:

• Graduates in the Williamson College of Business Administration, Beeghly College of Education and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will participate in the ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Young and Belinky will speak at this ceremony.
• Graduates in the College of Creative Arts and Communication, Bitonte College of Health and Human Services and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences will participate in the ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Gillespie and Gessler will speak at this ceremony.

Christine Cobb, professor of Theater and Dance, and Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez, professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, are macebearers for the ceremonies.

Young, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from YSU, founded Kalypso in 2004. The company is a global management consultancy dedicated to digital innovation and product development. He holds two U.S. Patents and has authored numerous scientific and business publications.

Gillespie, a nationally-recognized leader in community and economic development, was the founding executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. He previously worked in the banking sector, including vice president for KeyBank.

Gessler is graduating with a degree in Exercise Science, Pre-Physical Therapy, through the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services. Over the past four years, she has served as a student representative, vice president and most recently, president of the Student Government Association. She has been involved in projects including the YSU Student Food Pantry, Mental Health Advocacy Training and creation of various academic and student experience committees involving text book affordability and inclusion and awareness. She has worked four years in the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center and completed an internship through the YSU Department of Kinesiology and Sport Science. Gessler plans to continue her education at YSU, where she has been accepted in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program.

Belinky, a 2013 Boardman High School graduate and a Business Economics major with a minor in Mathematics at YSU, is an active member of both the Honors Program and the Williamson College of Business Administration. He is a member of the 21st class of University Scholars, served as vice president of the Ugandan Water Project, worked as a peer tutor in the Center for Student Progress, served as president of Beta Gamma Sigma, and worked at MakerGear in Beachwood, Ohio, as an export specialist intern through the Ohio Export Internship Program. He has accepted a position with First National Bank as a cost analyst intern. Next Fall, he will serve as a teaching assistant in the YSU Economics department as he works towards a master’s in Financial Economics.