Road to Commencement: Michael DeGirolamo

Major: Psychology

Graduation: May 10, 2025

MEDIA, Pa. — As Michael DeGirolamo prepared to graduate on May 10, he reflected on his time at Penn State Brandywine and the unique experiences he had.

“I originally went to a college closer to home in Maryland and was also playing summer baseball with Connor Thompson (class of 2024), who also played baseball for Penn State Brandywine. He told me there might be a spot on the team if I wanted to go there and play, so I emailed Head Coach Vinny Gallo and came up here for a visit,” he said.

“I really liked Media and being so close to Philadelphia, and I also liked the people I met on the team, so I decided to spend the next four years here.”

During his time at Brandywine, DeGirolamo was a catcher on the baseball team, with a career batting average of .407 and 75 runs batted in.

“The greatest benefit I got out of playing baseball at Brandywine was getting to meet everyone on the team and having a close-knit group of friends since the day I got here,” he said. 

An accomplished singer, songwriter and musician, he was also involved with the Brandywine Music Association and sang the National Anthem at multiple sporting events. During his time at Brandywine, when he wasn’t in class or playing baseball, he often spent time in the auditorium in the Main Building playing the piano.

DeGirolamo said one of his greatest accomplishments during his time at Brandywine was getting to speak and sing at commencement.  

“I was really proud to represent the class of 2025 at graduation by speaking and singing. I sang ‘Humble and Kind’ by Tim McGraw,” he said. “Patton Vo, director of campus development, approached me after watching me perform at a campus event and asked if I wanted to speak and sing at commencement. That was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up.”

Upon graduating from Penn State, DeGirolamo will be moving to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue his career in music while pursuing his master’s degree in neuropsychology at the University of Tennessee.  

When reflecting on his favorite memory from his time at Brandywine, DeGirolamo recalled spending time with his friends in his college apartment.  

“If I was to go back and relive a moment in college, it wouldn’t be a party or a baseball game or anything. I would probably go back to being in my first year here, spending time in my apartment with all my friends,” he said.

“I don’t remember every conversation we had, but I just enjoyed the moments we had together, talking to each other on the balcony, small things like that. Those were some of the memories that stuck with me.”

DeGirolamo said one of the most valuable lessons he learned at Brandywine was to enjoy the present moment because time moves quickly.  

“Time moves faster than you think. I’ve had a lot of good memories here, and there are a lot of them I wish I could go back to. It’s weird how fast it all went,” he said.

“Enjoy your time here. Take a second to look around every once in a while. There will be parts of college that aren’t fun, but you’ll be thankful for them one day. One day five years from now, you’ll wish you could go back to being 22 and be in your worst days in college. Just enjoy every moment.”