Local residents receive degrees from Union College

The following local residents recently graduated from Union College during its 218th Commencement exercises:

Emily Bluth, of Hewlett, graduated cum laude and received a Bachelor of Arts degree. Bluth is a English major.

Melanie Watman, of Hewlett, graduated and received a Bachelor of Science degree. Watman is a Neuroscience and Arts major.

Before the 530 Union College graduates received their degrees, MSNBC talk show host Dylan Ratigan, a 1994 alum of the college, gave an upbeat and energizing message for graduates nervous about leaving college to face the harsh realities of a world markedly different from the one when they entered Union. Ratigan is the host of "The Dylan Ratigan Show" and author of the New York Times bestseller "Greedy Bastards." He challenged the class to "throw out the rulebook and dive head first" into their individual pursuits, despite an uncertain future.

Union College, founded in 1795 as the first college chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, offers programs in the liberal arts and engineering to 2,100 undergraduates of high academic promise and strong personal motivation. Union, with its long history of blending disciplines, is a leader in educating students to be engaged, innovative and ethical contributors to an increasingly diverse, global and technologically complex society.