--As written by Amanda Christman for the Hazleton Standard Speaker (May 28, 2010)

With pops of laughter, a few tears and plenty of smiles, the Hazleton area's first graduated class of 2010 officially took its first steps to new adventures and experiences.

Students in red dresses and tuxes walked two-by-two into the 118th commencement ceremony at MMI Preparatory School's auditorium Thursday, May 27.

Valedictorian and Class President Diana Svea Anthony said the class helped each other succeed, each classmate stronger because of one another. She named each student and their career choices, noting they will make an impact in the world. "The world works when it works together. We worked because we worked together," she said.

Salutatorian Megan Kathleen Veglia urged her classmates to do small things with "great love" and practice kind acts.

But it was the guest speaker who gave the founder's day address. Richard Goldman, a 1968 MMI graduate, brought in his old report cards to prove a point to the Class of 2010. Goldman, of Northern California, who earned an English degree from Rutgers University, helped grow the Men's Wearhouse clothing chain from a $1 million-a-year business in 1973 to $1.2 billion a year by 2002 when he retired. He also wrote a book, "Luck by Design ... Certain Success in an Uncertain World," which was released in 2009. Goldman has been called a "marketing mastermind."

He stood at a podium to address the 34 graduates, reading off a list of "Ds," an "F," and a "C" he received at MMI. Laughing, he said, the "C," was actually a "D" he received in physics, though before he brought the score home he successfully upgraded the letter grade with an eraser. He also got a "B" in physical education.

"Who gets a B in phys ed?" Goldman said to a laughing audience.

He said he was rebellious with a bad attitude, a hallway roamer, and - as the school newspaper editor - didn't hesitate to lambaste just about everything and everyone in editorials, including the high school's librarian and her wish for complete silence in the library. Goldman said the librarian, precariously, was the school president's wife, pulling chuckles from the crowd. Yet, he said, there were still some teachers at MMI who saw his potential. When he went to Rutgers University, the clowning around - which Goldman said he wasn't proud of - stopped and he got serious. He graduated with a degree in English but afterwards found himself back in Hazleton. A few years later he made a bold move and left for Texas - a move that eventually had him learning the ropes of sales at Men's Wearhouse, a business he would later spend almost three decades with. During the first few years of his job, Goldman relied on self-confidence; he urged the class to do the same.

He told the students to find a balance in college and life. He told them to work hard but to find time to have fun, push to fulfill their dreams but to learn to fail "elegantly." Failures and mistakes, he said, can be great lessons. "Don't try to be the best. Be your best," he said.

MMI Preparatory School Congratulates the Class of 2010.  The members of this year's graduating class are:
Diana Svea Anthony
Lewis Paul Bevans Jr.
Paul Joseph Blanner Jr.
Ross H. Bluth
Jordan Joseph Calvello
Joseph Stefano Caputo Jr.
Sarah Elizabeth Careyva
Anthony Frank Carrato
Justin Steven Dasher
Robert Dylan Dougherty
Matthew Brian Farrell
Caitlin Marie Ferry
Jordan Alexander Gorski
Tiffany Rae Harvey
Zachary David Haupt
Jared Thomas Hinkle
Alyson Marie Klush
Alyona Caroline Kostyal
Katie Lynn Laputka
Brone S. Lobichusky
Holly Lynn Manganelli
Edward Connor McNelis
Leonid Alexander Moroz
Taylor Elizabeth Olian
Hardik Divyakant Patel
Magdalena Nikole Rychlik
Micah Schnaufer
Ryan Christopher Scirrotto
Alaina Margaret Titus
Megan Kathleen Veglia
John Ross Walton
Shannon Lee Wenner
Robert Joseph Yamulla
Roberth Xavier Yandun

Next year's graduation will take place on May 26, 2011.