Lasell College commencement speaker Donato Tramuto (l) is congratulated by President Michael Alexander. Photo by John Gillooly – PEI

NEWTON, MA (June 28, 2018) – Following his May 12th commencement address at Lasell College, Donato Tramuto, CEO of Tivity Health in Franklin, TN, received a standing ovation from the more than 500 graduates who were inspired by his life story. They listened to Tramuto’s account of surviving difficult moments throughout his life, including the loss of his hearing at age 8, and undergoing several surgeries until most of his hearing was restored when he was a teen. Despite the challenges he has confronted throughout his life, Tramuto has succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations, driven by an overwhelming passion to make the world more just and fair.

Tramuto, a summer resident of Ogunquit, ME, was equally moved by the enthusiasm of the graduates and the warm reception they and their families extended to him.

Just a month before the commencement, Tramuto spent a day on the Lasell campus, talking directly with students and prospective graduates in classrooms and on a campus tour, and later discussing his book, Life’s Bulldozer Moments: How Adversity Leads to Success in Life and Business with a group of lively residents at Lasell Village, an on-campus senior residence.

In his conversations with students, Tramuto mentioned the non-profit foundation he created in memory of his two close friends and their young son who had been staying at his home in Ogunquit. They died on September 11th, 2001 when the plane they had boarded in Boston flew into the 2nd World Trade Tower in New York City. Tramuto had been scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on the same flight but changed his plans when he had to make an emergency appointment with his dentist in Boston. Over the past 17 years, the Tramuto Foundation has provided more than $1 million in grants to non-profit organizations and individuals and more than 50 scholarships to high school graduates.

“I was so impressed with each student I met at Lasell and realized as I walked around that campus on that rainy April day that I would like to do something to help Lasell students like me who had to overcome much adversity to succeed in college,” Tramuto said, noting that he was introduced to the college by his friends Dr. Arvind Chakraborty and his wife Elizabeth Turner, Esq. of Arlington. Dr. Chakraborty is a member of Lasell’s Board of Overseers.

Their daughter, Priya, who was born with a rare congenital condition called Apert’s Syndrome, had been a student at Lasell. Tramuto learned how the student body and the faculty embraced this young woman who had endured 28 surgeries to correct deformities in her head, face, hands, and feet. Her classmates and teachers remember that Priya never complained about the chronic pain she suffered or the inconvenience she endured. The young lady loved her time at the school. With an overwhelming will to accomplish her lifelong goal of graduating from college, Priya graduated at age 23 in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. One year later, after attending her first class reunion at Lasell, Priya died in her sleep.

The Chakraborty family, along with College President Michael Alexander, decided that a scholarship established in her memory would allow financially challenged students and students with disabilities to attend Lasell College. When President Alexander told Tramuto about the scholarship, a connection was made and Tramuto decided the best way he could help would be to provide funding for the Priya Chakraborty Scholarship.

At a luncheon following the commencement held in Tramuto’s honor, he surprised all in attendance, including Priya’s parents, President Alexander, the board of trustees and the college’s deans and faculty, by announcing a gift of $25,000 from the Tramuto Foundation to support the Chakraborty scholarship.

“Donato Tramuto has, in a short period of time, become a valued member of the Lasell family,” President Alexander noted. “We are extremely grateful that he has chosen to honor one of our own by helping to endow the Priya Chakraborty Scholarship that will benefit Lasell students far into the future.”

Dr. Chakraborty and his wife were moved to tears by Tramuto’s announcement. “Lasell College, with its extremely dedicated and nurturing faculty, unearthed the inner strength and courage that Priya herself always possessed, and encouraged and challenged her to be the very best she could be,” Dr. Chakraborty said. “Priya was so proud to be a Lasell graduate and the school always held a very special place in her heart. She would be overjoyed to know that, through this scholarship in her name, she could provide an opportunity for students who are challenged like she was, be able to realize their dreams and potential.

“We are deeply touched by Donato’s incredible generosity,” he said. “But we know the amazing work the Tramuto Foundation does, and it is truly a reflection of the heart and soul of the man himself. We are honored to call him a friend, and forever grateful for a gift that will make it possible for future Lasell College students who are challenged in various ways in their everyday lives yet, like Priya, demonstrate the perseverance and unwavering determination to overcome those obstacles and reach their goals.”