Greetings to our 2024 graduates, family members, and friends who have gathered here to celebrate this extraordinary milestone. Welcome also to others from our Lawrence University community—the dedicated faculty and staff who have been instrumental in making this day a reality.
To our distinguished guests, Mr. Pawo Choyning Dorji, Class of 2006 and today’s Commencement speaker; Mr. James Gandre, Class of 1981 and the speaker at yesterday’s Baccalaureate service; and Mr. Cory Nettles, Class of 1992 and chair of the Lawrence University Board of Trustees, welcome and thank you.
There is no more fitting location for the Class of 2024 to be celebrated than here on Main Hall Green, a beautiful and beloved gathering space for generations of Lawrentians.
Graduates, today is for you and about you. We come together on this joyous occasion to celebrate the work, commitment, and resilience it has taken to arrive at this moment. We celebrate the friendships that have been built, the bonds that have been strengthened, the intellectual adventures that have commenced, and the dreams that have been ignited.
When you walk with your classmates through the arch and out into the world at the close of today’s Commencement, you will do so with the knowledge that you have accomplished something significant. In that sense, it is an ending, a completion of your undergraduate studies. In another sense, it marks a beginning. From here, a new journey begins.
I urge you to go forth on that journey with a boundless imagination and the wisdom to know there is still much to learn.
You are now a member of the great alumni community of Lawrence University, more than 22,000 strong. They are your peers, your advocates, and your biggest cheerleaders. As those alumni will tell you, the diploma itself does not guarantee anything other than opportunity—it will not on its own chase dreams or take chances or break barriers or lead or change communities. That is for you to determine.
Your Lawrence education has shown you the path to a lifetime of learning. Without question, you are now better equipped to adapt, to innovate, to think critically, and to thrive.
Members of this class have excelled throughout their undergraduate journeys and are positioned to do bold, creative, and impactful things.
I have had the pleasure of working closely with many of you and I’ve watched you grow into insightful student leaders. Kyle Gierman, an economics major and captain of the men’s hockey team, and Addison Littlefield, a music major in vocal performance, brought incredible wisdom to the inaugural cohort of the President’s Student Advisory Council. I so appreciate your commitment to excellence and to the future of our campus community.
Kianni McCain, majoring in Anthropology, and Paula Castillo, majoring in Ethnic Studies, are both Posse scholarship recipients who have fully immersed themselves in the Lawrence experience. It was a pleasure to see you flex your networking skills with alumni on a trip to Washington, D.C. this past December. Both Kianni and Paula completed internships last summer at the Center for Urban Teaching in Milwaukee and have committed the next phase of their lives to teaching, an incredibly important profession.
Paola Saldana Galvan, an international studies major and president of Model UN, was awarded a prestigious fellowship with the United States foreign service.
Jonathan Bass, a double degree student majoring in music performance and French and francophone studies, was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to pursue his graduate degree in music performance in Paris, besting thousands of applicants across the nation.
And our seniors on the men’s baseball team led the Vikings to a conference championship twice in the last three years.
These are just a few examples of the brilliance of this class. We cannot wait to see where each of your journeys will take you.
As graduates, lean into lessons from your fellow Lawrentians. Embrace this community of learners and leaders. Stay connected no matter how many miles or years separate you from this place and find solace and support in the liberal arts education you have so passionately pursued.
Life, of course, is not without pain and struggle. We, like others, have felt the world’s pain in heartbreaking ways since you arrived as first-year students. It is real and it hurts. As Lawrentians, let us lean on each other for strength.
Let the Lawrence family be a source of comfort and care wherever your journey takes you and through whatever challenges you face and victories you celebrate. Be a beacon for good in the communities you will now call home, finding and spreading joy while living a life informed by compassion, empathy, and grace.
Parents, guardians, families, and friends, we also celebrate you today.
No one walks this journey alone. Your contributions and sacrifices have helped bring your graduate to this stage today. Your guidance and support going forward will be no less valuable.
To the class of 2024, on behalf of the full faculty and staff of this university, I wish you the very best. Go be great. You are ready to do amazing things. To all of you, congratulations.
It is now my honor to present our 2024 senior class speaker, Monique Johnson.
Mo brought an impressive intellect and passion to her studies over the past four years. A government major, she now has her sights set on a law degree, planning to build a career as a criminal defense attorney.
She came to Lawrence as a 16-year-old, having combined her sophomore and junior years in high school.
She arrived at Lawrence, as did the other members of the Class of 2024, amid the uncertainties and precautions of the pandemic.
Mo was a first-generation college student, a Caribbean-American from Brooklyn, New York. Her academic achievements and leadership skills earned her a Posse Scholarship. She would become part of Lawrence’s Posse 14.
Mo embraced life as a Lawrentian in and out of the classroom. From studying abroad in Rome to being active across campus, she was all in. She guided her peers as a Community Advisor in Residential Education, provided leadership with the Lawrence University Community Council and the LU Cheer Team, and was active with the Beta Psi Nu sorority and the Black Student Union and African and Caribbean Union student organizations.
She forged a tight bond over the past four years with the wonderful Kate Zoromski, who served as a mentor to this group of Posse students. Kate said, “Keep your eyes on Mo. She’s brilliant and resourceful, and she’s got a bright future ahead of her.”
I couldn’t agree more. Please join me in welcoming this year’s senior class speaker, Monique Johnson.