SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – American International College will be having its Commencement ceremony on Saturday, with Congressman Richard Neal as the Keynote speaker.

Congressman Neal was both raised and educated in Springfield and is an AIC alumnus, according to a news release from AIC. He graduated from AIC in 1972 and was awarded an honorary degree in 1990. He holds the position of dean of the Massachusetts Delegation and the New England Congressional Delegation and currently serves as the Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee. He also serves as an At-Large Whip for the House Democrats and is the Democratic Leader of the Friends of Ireland Caucus.

Neal will be delivering the address to an audience of approximately 1,200 including 578 graduates, their families, and friends. Some of the topics he spoke about were democracy, the impacts of social media, and A.I.

“I would caution all of you here today to think about what you want the future to look like for your children and grandchildren, these technologies have great potential, but they also have potential to be Pandora’s Box,” Congressman Richard Neal (D) told the graduates.

During the ceremony, retired NBA star and Springfield native Travis Best will receive an honorary degree from the college. He will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society.

Best is being honored because he founded the Travis Best Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that teaches kids how to utilize the academic and life resources that sports, arts, and education afford through sportsmanship training, music, and visual art workshops. The Travis Best Foundation has been working to develop new community initiatives since 2008 to support young citizens living in Springfield.

AIC’s Commencement ceremony is being held on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the MassMutual Center. AIC President, Hubert Benitez, DDS, Ph.D., who recently marked his first anniversary at the College, will preside over the ceremony.