Congratulations, Class of 2021!

成人视频hosted its first-ever virtual Commencement for its 184th ceremony to honor graduating seniors and send them on to do great things.

By Keely Sexton

More than 500 seniors and 58 master鈥檚 degree candidates were honored at 成人视频College鈥檚 184th Commencement 鈥 its first virtual one 鈥 May 23, 2021. Students and their families tuned in from near and far, as the graduates represented countries and continents around the globe, to celebrate students鈥 phenomenal successes under extraordinary circumstances.

 

Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, chief diversity officer, addressed graduates on video.
Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer.

Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer,  began the event with a land acknowledgment and a reflection on the special meaning of moments of joy and celebration, especially against the backdrop of pain and loss.

鈥淢ay all that you contribute in the future help heal yourselves, your loved ones and the world,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hank you. It has been an honor to be a part of your journey.鈥

In convening the ceremony, Karena Strella 鈥90, chair of the 成人视频Board of Trustees, congratulated the new graduates on their induction to the community of more than 39,000 成人视频alums. 

鈥淵ou鈥檝e all benefited from Mount Holyoke鈥檚 intellectually adventurous education,鈥 she said. 鈥淓ach and every one of you has grown in many ways through experience here at Mount Holyoke. You鈥檙e well-poised for whatever you encounter outside these beautiful gates and will accomplish great things.鈥

President Sonya Stephens addressed the graduating students, reflecting that empathy and its intellectual companion, curiosity, are at the core of a liberal education and are invaluable characteristics in this time of continual challenge and change.

Canoes with lanterns lined up on the shore of the lake at twilight in advance of Canoe Sing.
Canoes lined up with lanterns ahead of the 2021 Canoe Sing.

鈥淓mpathy is the most important of human attributes 鈥 it is a pillar of social understanding and of our interactions. It is the connective experience that underpins friendships as much as it fuels advocacy and collective action,鈥 she said. 

 

鈥淏y making empathy a central part of your own engagement with others, and a part of your own ambitious imagination, you, Class of 2021, can be empaths who make radical change 鈥 whatever the ways you are able to make a difference may be.鈥

As this year鈥檚 graduates joined the worldwide network of 成人视频alums, Stephens exhorted them to stay in touch with their empathy, a source of great strength, justice and courage. 

鈥淢ay you accomplish great things, and may you do so with the advancement of humankind always at the center, and with generous curiosity, ambitious imagination, unlimited courage and, especially, with great empathy.鈥

 

Senior speaker

Graduating senior Casey Roepke addresses her fellow celebrants. She stands outside, smiling in front of a blooming rose bush.
Senior speaker Casey Roepke addresses her fellow graduates on this day of celebration.

Stephens introduced the senior class speaker, Casey Roepke 鈥21, who promised that her speech would not be about the pandemic that had interrupted the class of 2021鈥檚 junior year and scattered many across the globe during their senior year.

Instead, Roepke focused on the togetherness of the 成人视频community, and how even through geographic separation, their bonds endure. 

鈥淲e each brought our own unique experiences and histories to the table,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd we learned that at Mount Holyoke, community extends to the classroom 鈥 after all, the 成人视频community would not be complete without the incredible, life-changing faculty who 鈥 became our trusted allies in the pursuit of knowledge.鈥

She recalled her favorite tradition 鈥 the staircase in the Williston Memorial Library atrium that begins as one set of steps and then separates into two staircases, the flags of the green griffins and blue lions hanging above one side and the yellow sphinxes and red pegasi above the other. 

鈥淪uperstition says that you have to take the stairs that match your class flag or otherwise risk not graduating,鈥 she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an everyday reminder of the history, legacy, tradition and community of 成人视频and how our footsteps are a part of it all. 鈥 The class of 2021 is a bit like that set of library stairs,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e may drift apart in the middle of our journey, but we鈥檒l always come back together.鈥

Roepke and her fellow green griffin seniors were joined by the teal owl graduate students and the purple phoenix Fances Perkins students and by three honorary degree recipients, who shared their thoughts and well-wishes for the graduation class.

 

Honorary Degree Recipients

Rabiya Javeri-Agha 鈥83 celebrated the accomplishments of the class of 2021.
Rabiya Javeri-Agha 鈥83 received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for her decades of championing the rights of women and LGBTQ individuals in Pakistan.

Rabiya Javeri-Agha 鈥83 received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for her decades of championing the rights of women and LGBTQ individuals in Pakistan. 

鈥淢y desire for social and political change was sown in heated debates in [emeritus professor] Vinnie Ferraro鈥檚 肠濒补蝉蝉.鈥

She cited 成人视频founder Mary Lyon鈥檚 commitment to global education and change as firing her own political awakening.

鈥淚t fired my ambition to challenge patriarchy and to dismantle the walls of patriarchy and injustice,鈥 she said.

鈥淒ream and dare to defend your dreams,鈥 she said. 鈥淏e hopeful, but give hope to others. If you need acceptance, accept others. Remember that rigidity is brittle and brittle things break.鈥 

鈥淲e often hear the saying 鈥榖elieve in yourself,鈥 but now I ask you to believe in more than yourselves: Believe in each other,鈥 she said. 鈥淓mbrace the common humanity that unites us all.鈥

Next, Stephens introduced famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, spouse to Jill Hornor 鈥74. World-renowned for his music, Ma鈥檚 humanitarian work has brought together musical traditions around the world.

 
Yo-Yo Ma, spouse to Jill Hornor 鈥74
Yo-Yo Ma is the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of the Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but regards his highest honor to be the first-ever Fred Rogers Legacy Award.

Ma, the recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of the Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, regards his highest honor to be the first-ever Fred Rogers Legacy Award. 

Recalling Fred Rogers鈥 advice, Ma told graduates to 鈥渓ook for the helpers.鈥

鈥淭his community is full of helpers and with your graduation, each of you is being called to help whatever way you can,鈥 he said. 

Citing the strength and values of the 成人视频community, he said that it gave him 鈥減rofound hope for the future.鈥

Ma was given an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, and concluded his remarks with a cello rendition of the 鈥淎lma Mater鈥 so that the 成人视频community could join him in song.

Chloe Zhao 鈥05, first Asian woman to win Best Director Academy Award
Chloe Zhao 鈥05 is the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director.

Then, Stephens introduced none other than green griffin Chlo茅 Zhao 鈥05, who made history in April as the first woman of color to win an Academy Award for Best Director for her film 鈥淣omadland,鈥 which was voted Best Picture. 

Zhao, whose path as a filmmaker has not been easy, reminded the class to honor the 鈥減rimal need for silence鈥 when they feel lost. 

鈥淎nd in that silence,鈥 she said, 鈥淲onder on your own. Discover on your own. And don鈥檛 ever be afraid to get to know yourself better. 鈥 Go forth, and best of luck!鈥

成人视频students in graduation garb and masks, striding through the gates with their hands locked, prepared to meet the world.