Latest news with #commencement
Forbes
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why S. Epatha Merkerson Gave To Talladega and Why It Matters
S. Epatha Merkerson, offering the commencement address at Talladega College. There are a lot of good things happening at Talladega College. After a period of significant challenges – from declining enrollment to financial strain – the institution is now seeing signs of renewal. Walter Kimbrough, former president of both Philander Smith College and Dillard University, served as interim president and shepherded the college through difficult times. In June, Talladega welcomed Willie Todd Jr. as its 22nd president, beginning a new chapter of leadership. And, just weeks earlier, the small college experienced another powerful and important moment when S. Epatha Merkerson, actress and director, donated $1 million during her commencement address. Her donation serves as an affirmation of Talladega's promise moving forward. Merkerson's relationship with Talladega College began just over a year ago. As she relayed to me, 'I was introduced to the college last year, in 2024, during the Black History Month convocation where alumnus Rockell Metcalf (Class of 1985) was the keynote speaker.' She added, 'He'd asked me to come along to introduce him. He's an old and dear friend, so I knew I couldn't refuse!' Once she arrived on the small college campus, the Talladega students gave Merkerson a tour, and the experience was deeply memorable for her. As she explained, 'That weekend, I was given a tour of the college by two students who presented and represented their campus with such love and pride.' She shared that the inspiration to give to Talladega started with her engagement with students. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage) The passion of the students, paired with Merkerson's conversations with faculty, trustees, and then-interim president Kimbrough, gave her a deeper understanding of the college's legacy as well as its urgent needs. She shared that all of the 'devoted DEGA TORNADOES' spoke of 'the importance of keeping the college operational and how difficult that had become. As Alabama's oldest private historically Black college, Talladega has made a significant impact in our community and in our history.' When Merkerson returned to campus this May 2025 to deliver the commencement address, she no longer felt like a guest. As she told me, 'My connection to the college was solidified this year when I was asked to be the 2025 commencement speaker and received an Honorary Degree. I am now an alumna!' Merkerson added, 'I have had a great career with amazing opportunities. The decision to be of service was an easy one to make, especially now when institutions of higher learning are under attack.' Kimbrough explained that during Merkerson's initial visit with her friend Metcalf, Metcalf's classmate Essye Miller, as well as the board chair Rica Lewis-Payton, "developed a relationship with Ms. Merkerson and discussed her giving the commencement address this year. We learned close to commencement that she planned to give a major gift.' Merkerson's $1 million gift is particularly important in terms of its size, but also in that it is flexible. According to Kimbrough, 'Getting completely unrestricted gifts is rare, especially for institutions with financial difficulties.' He added, 'Ms. Merkerson has allowed us to use the gift as an unrestricted gift initially, and then we will build it out as an endowed scholarship program. We will then use that as a match for another program, which will essentially double the impact of her gift.' Unrestricted giving requires not only generosity but also trust in the institution's leadership, trust in its long-term goals, and trust that one's contribution will meet real, tangible, and growing needs. Merkerson's gift is timely and deeply strategic. It is a lesson in how thoughtful philanthropy can create both an immediate and enduring impact. Walter Kimbrough, former interim president of Talladega College According to Kimbrough, Merkerson's gift offered a broader message as well: 'The message for our community is that despite the challenges, there are people who believe in what we have done throughout our history. If someone new to Talladega can see our worth, those who profess their love must be even more engaged. It will still be up to alumni and friends to fully restore the College, and we can't simply sit back and wait to be bailed out. Having a non-alumnus give a major gift at commencement is extremely rare, so we need to not only say thank you to her, but show our thanks collectively by stepping up our own philanthropy to Talladega.' Merkerson's story is now part of Talladega's story. It is a reminder that relationships, when nurtured with care, can lead to transformation. Her gift comes at the right time and can bolster the agenda and vision of the new president and move the institution forward.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Relive the class of 2025 graduations in Bucks County. Do you spot your graduate?
It is hard to believe it was just a few weeks ago we were sending best wishes to the Class of 2025. Did you miss any of the ceremonies we covered? Here are the graduations in Bucks and Eastern Montgomery counties our photographers visited this spring. The Bristol Township school held commencement ceremonies for 455 graduates on June 17. Speakers included Senior Class President Mohamed Touray and Valedictorian Alisha Knight. On June 9 Souderton Area High School sent off 556 graduates with diplomas. Graduation speakers were valedictorian Claire Jalboot, salutatorian Elizabeth Hercek and student council president Reece Pirrone. About 79 percent of the class is going onto college and 20 percent is joining the workforce. Some classes notable accomplishments were:• 384 seniors completed 401 mentorships for a total of 12,744 hours.• Seniors completed 628 job shadows, more than one per graduate.• Girls Track and Field State Champions led by senior Destini Smith jumping to three state gold medals The class of 2025 had graduation at the Centennial District's Claude Loge Stadium on June 5. Officer Ava Stracuzzi was among the class speakers. The Lansdale school saw 1,062 graduate on June 17. Speakers included Valedictorian William A. Shui, Salutatorian Hailey A. Swyter and Class President Rachel M. Lynn. The senior Panthers' commencement was June 4 at the Quakertown school. Speakers were class officers Morgan Lee, Samuel Wilkin, Abigail Boone, Ella Schubert and Natalie Welliver. MBIT held a Senior Recognition ceremony June 3 at William Tennent High School in Warminster. CEC graduated 149 seniors at its campus on June 3. The class collectively received over $30.9 million in scholarships and grant money, the highest in school history. Class valedictorian was Amber McCarthy and salutatorian was Sophia Miniter. Mark Curley gave the class of 2025 reflection. Wood graduated its class of 162 seniors on June 2 at The Kuch Center on the Arcadia University campus in Glenside. The class collectively received over $31.8 million in scholarships and grant money. Class speakers were Kelsey New and Emily Nowakowski. The Bulldogs Class of 2025 graduated at the Morrisville school on June 13. Morrisville speakers were salutatorian Laila Waters, valedictorian Ana Araya and class officer Eric Miller Bucks Intermediate Unit celebrated 55 graduates on June 9 at the Life Sciences Building at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown. Tabbitha Kerr from the Neshaminy District delivered the keynote address. Neshaminy graduated 747 seniors on June 11 at the school in Middletown. Of the school's 419 graduates, 91% are headed to college and 4.5 are entering the workforce. There were $6.38 million in grants and awards accepted. Graduation speakers were Alvaro Luna (senior class president), Grace Seamans and Ava DeMaio. Speakers at the June 12 commencement in Holland were Class President Gavin Michael Sudac, Steven Alexander Belder and Zoe Mae Emerson. Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro addressed the 745 graduates in ceremonies June 12 at the Fairless Hills campus. Class speakers included senior Class President Riley Kopceuch and Zaki Ali. The class totaled over $1.5 million in scholarships. NH-S celebrated 111 graduates on June 11. Of the 561 grads, 72.9% are headed to college and 14.55% will go into the workforce; 3% entering the military. The class received $14,484,767 in scholarships, grants and other financial awards. Phoebe J. Ting was valedictorian and Tejas Singh Sasan was salutatorian Emma Bates delivered he welcome message and Finley Mae Fitzmartin spokes as well at the June 11 commencement on the Doylestown campus. Graduates received their diplomas during a commencement ceremony held at Helman Field in Perkasie. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: See more than 1,000 photos from high schools in Bucks County and Montco
New York Times
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Where I Learned the Power of Looking at Everything
People who earned their bachelor's degree from an Ivy tend to let you know, even decades after graduating. It's in their author bio, or on their X handle. My degree from U.C. Berkeley never seemed like a detail worth mentioning, unless someone explicitly asks me where I went to college, in which case my instinct is to explain that it was easier to get in when I attended. That I share this alma mater with, say, Joan Didion, never seemed to raise me up. In 1953, when she began her studies, as in 1985, when I began mine, a Californian with good grades matriculated to Berkeley the way you'd 'decide' to use a public utility: there weren't any competitors of Berkeley's caliber offering a virtually free in-state college education (my first-year tuition was about $500 a semester; I wrote my own check for it from a summer job in retail). But when I was asked to return for the occasion of giving a commencement speech this May, a new kind of pride came whooshing in. The invitation was proof of having become someone in the 35 years since graduating. That I was asked by Rhetoric, the most intellectual of literature departments at Cal, seemed especially perfect, and perfectly ironic. As a freshman, I'd enrolled in a standard English class and gotten a B and never took another. Rhetoric was English classes for sophisticates, literature within a rigorous context of classics, theory, theology and law. I had chosen as my major political economy, in no small part because its interdisciplinary coursework in history, political science and economics required only that I absorb and synthesize information, which I was good at, and did not require maturity or insight, which, as a 16-year-old freshman, I apparently lacked. I had remained mute while my older peers spoke confidently in that English class where I earned my B. Rhetoric would be sharing its graduation with Film and Media Studies. For many years now, I've been telling others and myself that the most consequential class I took at Berkeley was Seymour Chatman's seminar on Michelangelo Antonioni, whose movies have given me continual sustenance. I still go back to them, write about them and teach them. I lucked into this Antonioni class, an inessential elective, and have no idea what grade I got. In my required classes, I remember that I got A's and almost nothing else, except that the historian Stephen Ambrose chain-smoked at every lecture, and you had to be at Economics 100A early if you wanted a seat, since enrollment was double the capacity of the auditorium in Wheeler Hall, which holds only 700 people. An academic theory I did manage to pick up, from a political science class taught by Harold Wilensky, was that a lack of involvement in labor unions, churches and volunteer associations has broad social implications. What Wilensky referred to as 'atomization' still produces in my mind an image not from his textbook, but of the little boy playing quietly with his toy robot in Antonioni's 'Red Desert,' in which the denizens of a company town where chemicals are manufactured are each alone with their dreams and disaffection. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Forbes
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Make Bravery The Norm—Advice To Graduates (& Leaders) From JB Pritzker
Galesburg, IL June 8, 2025 Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers commencement address We're at the end of graduation season, with its outpouring of advice dispensed from podiums across the country. My heart was full of joy and hope for my eldest daughter as she graduated from Knox College, a small liberal arts college in rural Illinois. But I'll admit, I anticipated the graduation speech by Governor J.B. Pritzker with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. For one thing, this is a tough world our kids are graduating into—with the unemployment rate for 20-24-year-olds at 8.2%—more than double the 3.4% unemployment rate for those 25 and over, significant economic uncertainty, and heightened geopolitical risk. What could anyone say to equip and encourage them on this occasion? And in any case, hasn't it all been said? I've heard my share of commencement addresses, and few of them have transcended the usual platitudes. In addition, I am naturally skeptical of very rich guys in positions of political leadership and I worried the Illinios governor and potential presidential hopeful might politicize the speech or make it more about his agenda than the graduates. But when he took the stage in front of these young people and their parents, the governor won me over as he offered some wisdom to the graduates that many of our leaders in business and government could also benefit from. As Gov. Pritzker warmed up, he started with some mild self-deprecation (appropriate, as he was standing where Abraham Lincoln took a stand against slavery in the Fifth Lincoln-Douglas Debate in 1858). He cracked a few jokes and offered some 'dad advice'—turn off the lights when you leave a room, put air in your tires, don't subscribe to too many streaming service subscriptions—very practical, and served up with a dose of humor. The crowd was with him. But then he moved into the heart of the address with three pieces of advice that should speak to us all: Show Up. A leader, grounded in values, shows up for people when it matters, and knows that in many cases what they say or do is less important than the support provided by just being there. The governor touted the importance of showing up for others—attending funerals and soccer games and award ceremonies. 'In a world where TikTok and Instagram tells you to be selfish with your schedule, I am telling you: Be generous with your time. Showing up is a unique and meaningful thing only you can do.' This advice may seem to contradict much advice (including my own) about setting boundaries. But Pritzker's advice is not fundamentally about time management. It is about presence—not about transactions or outcomes—and our commitment to the people in our lives. Doubt. In an increasingly complex world, we may feel the urge to cling to certainty, but certainty offers only a false security and is antithetical to innovation. Pritzker encouraged the graduates to cultivate doubt, because 'doubt makes us curious. Doubt keeps us humble. Doubt makes us seek when it would be so much easier to sit idle. Doubt prompts us to ask good questions. Questions like: am I looking at ALL the facts or just the ones I want to see?' As leaders, our experiences, mental models and the playbooks that we relied on in the past may not be equal to the task of scaling in a complex world. They require constant updating and iteration. Doubt invites leaders to be vigilant about confirmation and other biases, seek out divergent points of view, welcome challenges to assumptions, and be open to experiment. Be Brave. Finally, Gov. Pritzker exhorted the graduates to make courage the norm, not the exception. 'When we tell the stories of history, we often excuse the atrocities of our ancestors by suggesting that they were merely acting on what was popular at the time. Because we understand in our core, whether we want to admit it or not, how much easier it is to live a life that chases popularity rather than courage. Occasionally we are confronted with stories, like the founding of Knox College [established in 1837 by abolitionists committed to educating women and people of color]Pritzker urged the graduates to 'expect bravery' of themselves and their communities rather than accepting passivity that it rooted in fear. In this time of uncertainty and even chaos, it is tempting to double down on fear, to hesitate and wait to see which way the wind blows. Instead, it is not just our newly-minted graduates who we are called upon to show up with the curiosity and humility borne of doubt, and be brave. It is all of us.
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- General
- Washington Post
A philosophy graduate has a message for the class of 2025
Clary Doyle was the undergraduate student speaker at Northwestern University's 2025 commencement. Her address to classmates has been edited lightly. Today, I receive a degree in philosophy. Which, as many of my relatives have pointed out, means it may be a long time before I pay off my loans. So, I am both literally and figuratively indebted to Northwestern because I got to spend the past four years trying to answer questions like: What is the meaning of life? How should I live? And what is the right thing to do?
