Cornell graduation held commencement exercises for the class of 2024 Sunday, May 12, conferring 214 diplomas.
Speakers for the class were Donivan Joe Jones and Isabella Anne Kristina Schmidt.
Jones, who served as student body president, reflected that just four years ago, many of the students in attendance were just weathering the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had all made at that point, however, the decision to come to Cornell,” Jones said.
That year following the pandemic was trying for students, but Jones said it helped them to bond as something they all went through together.
“We learned to become one, to lean on one another when we needed help,” Jones said.
Those challenges and many others they encountered pushed the class to become a loving, accepting “Ramily.”
Schmidt thanked professors, family and others who have helped the class of 2024 on their journey, as well as her own parents.
“I can not describe how grateful I am for all of your help,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt also reiterated for many of the graduates from Cornell, they didn’t have a traditional graduation ceremony in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this was the first time that many of them had commencement exercises.
“Despite the threat of the pandemic and the derecho, we all persisted,” Schmidt said. “We made the best of a less than ideal situation to experience college.”
That experience may have started with Zoom only hangouts and unsanctioned gatherings, but those experiences shaped the class of 2024 to be “a persistent and resilient Ramily.”
Faculty speaker Katey Sagal, assistant professor of English and creative writing, drew on her love of video games for an analogy for her speech.
She compared getting a diploma as getting a sword in the video game “Legend of Zelda,” with a quote from the game “It’s dangerous to go alone, here take this.”
“Think of the degree you hold as your weapon that will help you in the real world,” Sagal said.
She noted already the class had weathered Zoom classes and distanced learning, navigated the dangers of the derecho and COVID-19 pandemic, and leveled up themselves via the education in their chosen disciplines while at Cornell.
“This has all prepared you for the world on the outside of these halls,” Sagal said.
College empowered students with critical thinking skills and research skills, which Sagal said will be more important than ever now that Google and other resources are harder to navigate to find the correct information.
She encouraged students in her analogy to conquer their dragons, save the princesses and walk the path that their educations have prepared them for.
Cornell College president Jonathan Brand also reflected on the impact of COVID-19 in his charge to students.
“I kept reflecting over the past year how your class was the one mostly impacted by COVID-19,” Brand said. “Where my son and nephew’s classes were impacted for a few months of their college experience, your class had to weather a whole year of distance learning, Zoom classes.”
He said that through all the craziness of that first year, however, the class of 2024 was yearning for the college experience, and due to Cornell’s one class at a time model, students were able to get that experience while having opportunities to feel safe while doing so.
“your class had the opportunity to experience and overcome something huge,” Brand said. “Because of COVID, you grew together as a class.”
Brand’s charge to students was simple – move forward with what they had learned at Cornell, their compassion and skills, to pursue their passions.
Two professors also given emeritus status
William Dragon, professor of psychology, and Leslie Kathleen Hankins, professor of English, were also both conferred emeriti status by the college during commencement exercises.
Dragon’s peers noted his extraordinary teaching in the classroom. As well, Dragon has earned 20 awards and grants during his tenure, and of the 29 published works he has had, he has had student involvement in those publications on 26 of those papers and projects. His work in establishing the student symposium program at the Orange Carpet, the Psi Chi honor society at Cornell and further outreach in teaching in the community were all noted.
Hankins scholarship and studies, especially in Virginia Woolf, were noted as accomplishments, especially Hankins speaking at symposiums and serving on national boards while also bridging that discipline with her students. On top of that, Hankins worked to bring film as a study in the English department, championing films by women directors and people of color. She also founded Fox Den Press at Cornell College.