Graduates in the college’s 27 associate, bachelor’s and master’s programs hailed from 23 states, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Canada, Honduras and Venezuela.

Throughout 78 commencements, PSC now has more than 15,000 alumni.

The temperature was in the mid-40s, and the morning had brought rain and fog — what PSC President Dan Kelting called “A perfect Adirondack spring day.”

Kelting praised the graduates for their personal grit.

Paul Smith’s College graduate Liz Bolt leaps off a dock into the chilly waters of Lower St. Regis Lake after commencement on Saturday. Bold is an Alpine skier from Buffalo and graduated with a bachelor’s in environmental sciences. (Provided photo — Mercedes Rideout)

“Each day you have made sacrifices; you have overcome hurdles and refuse to be defeated by the adversities thrown your way,” Kelting said. “Graduating amid societal challenges is no small feat. Yet here you are, triumphant and resilient.”

Class Speaker Alison Russell of Old Forge, who earned a degree in disaster response and management, said she was inspired by her fellow classmates.

“The people you meet here are hard workers, those who give it their all in the classroom and their sport,” she said. “We learned how to get up and get the job done we learned that we are capable of so much, maybe even more than we originally thought.”

Senior Class Vice President Emily Pulcini from Palmyra, who earned a degree in ecological restoration, said they learned “skills that are as real and as rugged as the mountains around us.”

Guest speaker, Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, who represents the college in the 115st state district was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate of Letters for his service and commitment to the North Country.

A class of 181 Paul Smith’s College students graduated on Saturday. (Provided photo — Mercedes Rideout)

“It’s how you react and how you communicate effectively and productively,” he said. “We have enough toxicity in the world. You are the stewards of creating civil dialogue. I promise you it will make the world a better place. More importantly, it will make you a better person.”

He said he was talking to a PSC alumni from the class of 1986 who met his wife at the college.

Jones asked him to write down his feelings about PSC and said it only took him a few minutes to get back to him with a response: “Once a Smitty, always a Smitty.”

“It becomes a big part of who you are and how you view the world around you,” Jones said. “The experience coupled with the relationships formed at Paul Smith’s College tend to draw out our finest qualities and shape our persona through the unique lens of being a Smitty.”