At the 49th Commencement Ceremony, taking place on Friday, May 16, 2025, RCC will honor outstanding leaders whose dedication has made a lasting impact on both the College and the Greater Roxbury community.
Gregory Saint-Dick was a proud graduate of Roxbury Community College whose life exemplified leadership, creativity, and service. During his time at RCC, he served as President of the Student Government Association, contributed cartoons to The Gazette, and participated in clubs like Pizza and Politics and the Business Club—always advocating for student voice and community engagement.
After RCC, Gregory earned a Bachelor’s from UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University. He was later accepted into Bentley University’s Executive PhD in Business program. His professional journey included more than a decade in student development at top institutions across Massachusetts, including RCC and Harvard. He was also a freelance graphic designer, self-published author, and co-host of two podcasts—U PANIC’D and Boxing Bros USA.
Gregory’s e-book, Negotiating Your College Success: The Guide for First-Generation Students of Color (2023), reflected his commitment to uplifting others through knowledge and empowerment. He often credited RCC not only for shaping his academic and professional path, but also for introducing him to the love of his life. Together, they built a family and raised three young sons, whom he cherished deeply.
Gregory Saint-Dick’s impact lives on through his work, his words, and the many lives he touched.
Napoleon Jones-Henderson has been based in Roxbury since 1974, where he has been an influential community member, educator, and mentor.
Jones-Henderson is one of the longest continual active members of the AfriCOBRA art movement. He has received awards, both for his artwork, and in recognition of his community in-reach, and curatorial efforts championing Black Art internationally. He was honored by the National Conference of Artists with the Award of Excellence and the Massachusetts State Senate, “Omical Citation for Cultural Excellence.”
In 1987, Jones-Henderson created “Nyame Birbi Wo Soro,” the beautiful enamel on copper on mahogany artwork for the doors of RCC’s library. Although the library has been renovated since then, the artwork remains prominently displayed in the Library’s entryway. Jones-Henderson also taught art at RCC. Jones-Henderson has many public artworks featured throughout the city and remains a mentor to young, up-and-coming artists by locally and nationally.
Massachusetts State Senator Liz Miranda is serving within her second term as the Senator
of the Second Suffolk District, representing nine neighborhoods in the city of Boston.
Prior to her time in the Massachusetts Senate, Miranda served as a Massachusetts State
Representative, representing the 5th Suffolk District from 2019-2022.
As the Senate Chair of the Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion Committee, Vice Chair of the Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities Committee, and Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, Senator Miranda has focused on equity, inclusion, and access throughout her legislative agenda. Most recently, she led the passage of comprehensive maternal health legislation, tackling racial inequities in our maternal health outcomes in Boston. Also, she passed enabling legislation for the City of Boston to restore neighborhood-based restaurants and boost economic development by generating 225 new liquor licenses to allow small businesses to open and maintain successful restaurants.
Senator Miranda is the Co-chair of the Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression. She is also a member of the National Caucus of Black State Legislators and the Eastern Regional Representative and serves on the Executive Board of NOBEL, the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women. Senator Miranda is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She serves as the Social Action Co-Chair in the Boston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Senator Miranda is an alumna of Wellesley College and returned to the college in 2021 as their 143rd commencement speaker. Miranda is the first Cabo Verdean woman to be elected to the Massachusetts Senate and the fourth Black Woman in History. Miranda was named one of the Bostonians of the Year by The Boston Globe in 2024 for her work passing liquor license legislation and boosting neighborhood access to sit-down restaurants and community spaces.
