Leave to serve: 2025 Valedictorian Dominic Fleming ’25 honed his leadership skills in a variety of ways during his Saint Mary's journey. Here, working as a congressional intern, he assists Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) at a Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group press conference. / Photo courtesy Dominic Fleming
Crossing the Commencement Stage as this Year’s Valedictorian: Dominic Fleming ’25
The Bay Area native initially expected to leave California for college. A sports injury and a shoebox full of college acceptance letters changed his trajectory. Four years later, he’s the top academic achiever in his class.
Playing soccer at a high level in high school while excelling at academics, Dominic (“Dom”) Fleming ’25 had big plans for college. A native of Alameda, California, here in the San Francisco Bay Area, he was headed up the coast.
“I was committed to the University of Washington to play soccer, I was going to rush for a fraternity, and I was going to take part in their Brotherhood Initiative,” he says. “I was even ready to pick out my dormitory.”
But then fate—and Dom’s mother—stepped in. And everything changed.
First, a major knee injury as a high school senior turned his collegiate soccer dreams upside down. Then, long accustomed to receiving letters from colleges and universities across the country that were impressed with his soccer skills, his mother happened upon one from Saint Mary’s. Largely due to the nearly-perfect academic record he had accumulated in high school, the letter informed the Flemings that Dom was eligible for a presidential scholarship, which would essentially cover all of his costs of attending Saint Mary’s.
“I was raised to be fiscally responsible,” he explains. Determined to avoid a mountain of future debt, he decided to forgo the “big public university” (with its out-of-state tuition) that he had set his sights on previously. He soon became a Gael.
Gaining inspiration from passionate educators
Though he acknowledges an adjustment period, Fleming soon came to admire certain characteristics of a Saint Mary’s education. Looking back on his time in Moraga, he especially appreciates the small class sizes and the opportunity to learn from and connect with top educators.
“The professors here, unlike those at some of the larger universities who might be more focused on research and who are lecturing to hundreds of students in a big auditorium, love to teach,” he observes. “They’re passionate about it, and they care about their students. Once I realized this, I knew I was where I needed to be.”
He cites Professors Ronald Ahnen and Patrizia Longo, both of SMC’s Politics Department, as inspirational figures and examples of the kind of renowned instructors from whom he’s been privileged to learn.
“Professor Ahnen is one of the nation’s top political scientists on Brazil and Latin America, and I’ve been able to sit in his class every day, just one of about 30 students,” he raves. “Professor Longo is one of the world’s leading theorists on justice, yet she actually knows my name. I get to ask her questions and pick her brain. It’s amazing.”
Indeed, in 2018, Professor Longo published Justice Unbound: Voices of Justice for the 21st Century, which examines political theory through the lens of racism, sexism, abolitionism, colonialism, imperialism, and white supremacy.
“At the end of the day, I'm here for my education,” says Fleming. “I don't want to be taught how to write from a teaching assistant; I want to be taught by a tenured professor who does this every day.”
In addition to Professors Ahnen and Longo, Fleming says there are many “hidden gems” among the Saint Mary’s faculty, educators who each have their own “incredible” lived experiences. “As a student, you can almost be star-struck sometimes,” he says.
His admiration for his instructors has had a direct bearing on his academic success as a Gael. On May 24, he’ll have a seat on the Commencement stage and will deliver remarks to the Class of 2025 as its Valedictorian.
Leadership and creative approaches
While academics have remained a priority throughout his time at Saint Mary’s, Fleming has also made it a point to immerse himself in campus life. A key theme in his involvement has been leadership, particularly through Gael Force and Associated Students.
As president of the College’s official student spirit club, Fleming and his peers have worked diligently to boost student turnout at athletic events and campus activities. He notes that students often miss promotional materials—whether it’s flyers or social media posts—due to their busy schedules and information overload. However, with persistence and creative thinking, their efforts have sometimes paid off.
One successful approach involved partnering with the men’s basketball team. Fleming arranged for players to personally engage with students, encouraging them to attend games. Before one game earlier this season, standout players such as center Mitchell Saxen handed out flyers—along with donuts and coffee—in a busy area of campus.
“We’ve seen a noticeable increase in attendance when student-athletes take an active role in promoting their games,” Fleming explains. “It makes a bigger impact when star players are involved. Some teams might just send their freshmen, but with men’s basketball, it was Mitchell Saxen, Augustas Marčiulionis, Luke Barrett, and other recognizable names.”
Fleming also serves on the Executive Branch of SMC’s Associated Students as Vice President for Administration. Last year, he served as Class Senator.
“I don’t know exactly what my career is going to look like, but I’m certain it will include some element of advocacy,” he says. “So working to obtain these skills has been a great learning experience and feels crucial to me and my future.”
In his current role, Fleming coordinates meetings, engages and answers questions from students during weekly office hours, creates formal resolutions with his peers, and works to represent the needs and interests of all Gael students. Projects might be as simple as working with facilities to install water filters around campus, while others might be as complex as working on accessibility issues near UCU Pavilion.
As an Associated Students officer for two years, Fleming says one of the biggest challenges has been motivating other students to act. “Getting people to buy into an idea can be very difficult,” he acknowledges, noting how busy and distracted college students can be with academics and other responsibilities. Still, he anticipates that his experiences in student government will pay dividends down the road.
“I don’t know exactly what my career is going to look like, but I’m certain it will include some element of advocacy,” he says. “So working to obtain these skills has been a great learning experience and feels crucial to me and my future.”
As a precursor to his vice presidency with Associated Students, Fleming served as a congressional intern for Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) during the summer of 2024. He performed a variety of administrative tasks, attended briefings, helped manage calendars and visits to the Congressman's office, and generally learned the ins and outs of daily work on Capitol Hill. He even had the opportunity to assist Rep. Garamendi at a Congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group press conference.
Forging a path toward service
It should come as no surprise that Fleming rose as a student leader during his time at Saint Mary’s, given a family background rooted in activism, public service, healthcare advocacy, and law enforcement.
As an underclassman, he volunteered in the College’s Veteran Resource Center and served as president of the Veterans and Military-Affiliated Gaels as a tribute to his father’s military service and to honor the veterans on campus.
“When my position was created, he took the time to meet with me often and offered a lot of good suggestions and advice for what needed to change regarding the veteran community at Saint Mary’s,” says Kindra Stewart MFA ’24, a veteran and former academic resources manager for SMC’s Veterans and Graduate Support Services. “I feel so much gratitude toward him.”
Fleming has also focused his efforts with Gael Force on advocacy. “We need to do a better job supporting and elevating women’s sports,” he stresses, highlighting his commitment to promoting teams that are often underrepresented. He also values the opportunity to work alongside President Roger Thompson on initiatives that enhance the overall student experience.
“It makes a big difference to have someone in leadership who backs what we’re doing,” says Fleming. He recalls how meaningful it was when President Thompson helped secure an additional bus to transport Gael Force members and other students to Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference tournament in March. “The fact that he stepped up and pushed for it showed real support—and that didn’t go unnoticed.”
Fleming is set to earn his BA in Politics with a minor in Economics. In the fall, he will start the next phase of his academic journey when he begins classes at UC Law San Francisco (formerly known as UC Hastings). He has yet to decide on which area of law he might pursue, though he says civil law or something that positions him for a career in government or civil service is most likely.
As he prepares to address the Class of 2025 at Commencement—a distinction typically granted to the Valedictorian—Fleming is guarded about the specifics of his upcoming speech. Still, he offers a glimpse into his message, suggesting he will encourage his fellow graduates to cherish their time at Saint Mary’s and the bonds they have built along the way.
“I believe it’s essential for all of us to hold on to the sense of community we’ve shared over these last four years,” he says. “So many of today’s challenges—inequality, political division, and loneliness, to name a few—stem from a loss of connection. We’ve lost that sense of balance, and it’s important that we remember and preserve the community we found at Saint Mary’s.”
