SNHU Spotlight: Adrian Henares, BA in Communication Grad

After graduating from high school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adrian Henares ‘24 knew she wanted to attend Commencement in person when she finished her college degree.

“I was the class of 2020 back in high school,” she said. “That means I was not able to get the traditional graduation that graduates typically did.”

So when the time came, Henares traveled from Maryland all the way to Manchester, New Hampshire, to celebrate earning a bachelor’s in communication from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and reflect on her road to Commencement.

A lot changed for Henares since she started her degree at SNHU. For one, she discovered a path that excites her after having previously felt unsure of what she really wanted to do for a living.

“It took a lot of life to tell me what my actual goals were,” she said. She considered a few different majors before deciding on communication, which she felt would be a good fit that she could use in a variety of different industries.

Then, six months before graduating, Henares started a job at an ice rink after having been a skater for years. The experience made her realize that she wanted to stay close to the ice throughout her career.

“It told me that hey, I truly belong in the ice rink,” she said. “I want to make it my home for as long as possible. The rest of my degree was about how I can apply what I know to the ice rink industry.”

In addition to finally experiencing the tradition of walking at a graduation ceremony, attending Commencement gave Henares the opportunity to meet one of her instructors, Pamme Boutselis, in person. Boutselis is a longtime writer and editor, and a senior content marketing director and a communication instructor at SNHU.

When Boutselis saw Henares’ post on LinkedIn saying she had completed her degree, she asked her if she planned to come up for Commencement. She was, and the two made a plan to find each other at the ceremony.

“Meeting Adrian was a highlight of this fall’s Commencement weekend for me,” Boutselis said. “I’m not sure students realize how much they come to mean to us throughout each term."

Overall, Henares said her college experience was worth it — especially since the flexible schedule of SNHU’s online programs allowed her to study at her own pace each week so she could skate, work and have a social life outside of school.

“How else would you get an experience where you can plan your own time, work, skate, do any extracurriculars you want to, any social event you want to, while studying?” Henares said.

She said the perks of this schedule allowed her to flourish — both on and off the ice.

Mars Girolimon '21 '23G is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University where they earned their bachelor's and master's, both in English and creative writing. In addition to their work in higher education, Girolimon's short fiction is published in the North American Review, So It Goes by The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, X-R-A-Y and more. They're currently writing their debut novel, which was Longlisted for The First Pages Prize. Connect with them on LinkedIn.