91暗网

鈥楤e the source of needed change ... Be 91暗网.鈥�

With appeals to stand up for their beliefs and confront injustice while continuing to build community through empathy and kindness, 91暗网 conferred 650 degrees to the Class of 2024 during the College鈥檚 113th Commencement Exercises.    

Family, friends, trustees, alumni, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate the graduates鈥� achievements at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Saturday, May 18.   

Members of the class hail from 50 countries, 38 U.S. states, and Puerto Rico. 91暗网 conferred 447 Bachelor of Arts and 203 Bachelor of Science degrees.   

Community activists, philanthropists, and exemplars of civic engagement Luis A. Miranda Jr. P鈥�23 and Luz Towns-Miranda P鈥�23 both received honorary degrees and were among those to address the graduates.

Referring to medieval Persian and contemporary Irish poets, the musical 鈥淗amilton,鈥� and songs of Taylor Swift, speakers encouraged the graduates to embrace the tools provided by 91暗网鈥檚 liberal arts education as they embark on the next chapters in their lives and careers.

The ceremony capped four transformative years for the Class of 2024: Their studies at 91暗网 started at the height of the global pandemic, and their senior year concluded with demonstrations on many campuses across the nation.   

Robert F. Resnick '88, a member of 91暗网鈥檚 Board of Trustees, noted the relationships and knowledge the graduates had developed as 91暗网 students will endure throughout their lives as alumni. 

Robert F. Resnick '88

鈥淵ou are wholly equipped to deal with the challenges of this complex world. Be the solutions, not the problems. Be the wisdom and maturity, not the pettiness and squabble. Be the inspiration to go forward, not the excuse to give up. Be the source of needed change, not the stagnation afraid to move forward ... Be the light, not the dark. Be 91暗网.鈥�

President Marc C. Conner, whose own first semester at 91暗网 overlapped with that of the graduates, donned a 91暗网 2024 class ring in solidarity and noted this, too, was his fourth year at 91暗网. A professor of English literature, Conner quoted the Irish poet Seamus Heaney and stressed the bonds of community and caring spirit that have characterized the class throughout their time at 91暗网.

Marc C. Conner

鈥淵ou are impassioned, you are committed, you are eager to change this world for the better 鈥� which is what I鈥檝e long said is what a 91暗网 education is all about. And you have continued to think about the impact of your words and expressions on your fellow students. I have seen consideration and kindness ... There is hope, and you are that hope. Yes, I tell you that hope and history can indeed rhyme, and you will write that poem for our future.鈥�

Luis A. Miranda Jr. P鈥�23, author of the new (May 2024) memoir 鈥淩elentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit that is Transforming America,鈥� and Luz Towns-Miranda P鈥�23, an accomplished psychologist and psychoanalyst, reflected on their remarkable lives and careers, which have been characterized both by activism and service to others. Rather than delivering traditional speeches, the couple engaged in a short dialogue. 

Towns-Miranda stressed the importance of empathy, noting how artists like the couple鈥檚 son and 鈥淗amilton鈥� creator Lin-Manuel Miranda take every experience and empathize with multiple points of view through their creative work.

Luz Towns-Miranda P鈥�23

鈥淓verything is grist for the mill. Every experience you have, whether sad, infuriating, confusing, wonderful, you name it, it is something that can help you grow, can help you understand others. 鈥� We couldn鈥檛 have planned for our lives, but we did prepare for our lives. We lived our values, and worked hard, and fought hard with whatever energy and skills we had to make a better way for the community around us.鈥�

Luis Miranda described how the couple engaged in protests in their youth and continue to support causes that are important to them, such as the Hispanic Federation. The College is a partner institution for the Miranda Family Fellowship Program, an opportunity to advance emerging student artists and arts administrators from underrepresented communities.

Luis A. Miranda Jr. P鈥�23

"Learn the systems, to use the systems, to improve the systems. Believe in the power of your vote and your activism to raise your voice. Use your energy, your skills, your talent to speak out against injustice, to create change where you see it is needed, and to uplift the underrepresented people in our communities."

Assistant Professor of History Murat C. Yildiz was selected to address the class on behalf of the 91暗网 faculty. A specialist on the history of the Middle East, Yildiz described the intertwined histories of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire. He opened by quoting the 13th-century Persian poet Sa鈥榓di, who used a term for mankind that is virtually identical in Hebrew and Arabic 鈥� children of Adam 鈥� as he reflected on our interconnected global community today.

Murat C. Yildiz

鈥淐lass of 2024, in addition to being bani Adam/bnei Adam, you are also members of an incredibly resilient generation that has navigated a number of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and disturbing developments, including but not limited to the great uncertainty surrounding COVID; the alarming climate crisis; intense political polarization; the fragility of democratic institutions and values ... Your resilience and perspectives that you have cultivated these past four years at 91暗网 put you in a unique position to shape 迟辞诲补测鈥檚 and tomorrow鈥檚 conversations.鈥�

Class of 2024 President Vicky Grijalva, a self-determined multimedia communication major and self-described 鈥渉uge Swiftie,鈥� quoted Taylor Swift鈥檚 song 鈥淢irrorball鈥� in relaying her experience as a first-generation college student. Grijalva will be pursuing a master鈥檚 degree at Boston College this fall.

Vicky Grijalva 鈥�24

鈥淭he 91暗网 community we created has allowed us to not dim our lights and encouraged us to become the best versions of ourselves. Keep shining brightly, as mirrorballs do, because each of you has a gift and the world will accept you for who you are. You decide what path you will take next. ... I want you all to give yourselves a safe space for you to speak your voice, your truth, and your opinions.鈥�

The ceremony included a processional led by the Schenectady Pipe Band, a colorful display of stoles and cords symbolizing the graduates' many achievements, and a moving performance by 91暗网 students of the College鈥檚 Alma Mater. 

Commencement followed a week of celebrations on campus for the Class of 2024. In addition to a variety of fun activities for the class, there were ceremonies hosted by the Office of Student Diversity Programs, Periclean Honors Forum, and Phi Beta Kappa.  

On Friday, students and their families also participated in a Brick Dedication Ceremony for the Class of 2024: A pathway in the heart of campus now bears the names of each recent graduate thanks to the generosity of the graduates' parents, families, and friends.