‘Priceless Work to Do’: Smith Celebrates the Class of 2024
News of Note
The college celebrated the class of 2024 at Commencement on May 19 with words of wisdom and inspiration from five honorary degree recipients.
Published May 19, 2024
Gratitude, resilience, and the power of human connections were themes woven throughout Smith’s 146th Commencement on May 19.
The college awarded 627 undergraduate degrees Sunday and 41 graduate degrees. Members of the class of 2024 came to Smith from 45 states and 23 countries.
Presiding over her first Commencement, Smith President Sarah Willie-LeBreton encouraged graduates to celebrate the day as the start of a new chapter.
“With beginnings come hope and curiosity, uncertainty and anxiety, relief and resolve,” she said. “Let the joy and warmth of this day fortify you and carry you forward into whatever is next, where you’ll spread your own joy and gratitude and love so that others may feel it, too.”
In a break from tradition, there was not one keynote speaker at this year’s ceremony. Instead, each of five honorary degree recipients offered words of wisdom and congratulations to graduates—one in the form of an original poem.
Honorary degrees were awarded to:
- María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado, poet laureate and feminist intersectional educator
- Ruth E. Carter, two-time Academy Award winning American film costume designer
- Ertharin Cousin, CEO & managing director of Food Systems for the Future
- Jill Lepore, award-winning academic, journalist and writer
- Reeta Roy, CEO of Mastercard Foundation
Read remarks from the 2024 honorands.
In remarks sprinkled with words in the languages they grew up with—Spanish, French and Bambara—student speakers cited the unique challenges members of the class of 2024 have faced. Key among them were a global pandemic that meant missing their high school graduation ceremonies and, more recently, violence in the Middle East that sparked a wave of protests at Smith and nationwide.
Speakers acknowledged the global complexities and the “chaos” that graduates must contend with—and also the strengths they bring to the task of making positive change.
“You have proven that Smithies are resilient scholars and leaders who truly care and advocate for equity and justice not only on campus, but in the world,” said Vanessa Nicole Burgos-Ramos ’24, president of the Student Government Association. “I have no doubt in my heart that the class of 2024 will change the world for the better, just like you have on campus.”
Senior Class President Hamssatou Almahamoudou Maiga ’24 urged fellow graduates to “pay attention. Ask questions,” and seek out “unexpected connections.”
“We can bring change; we have priceless work to do,” Maiga said. “Because we are artists, we are scientists, we are researchers, we are activists and engineers, we are writers of novels and stories. We are computer scientists. We are more than enough, because we are Smithies.”
Commencement weekend featured much loved Smith traditions including concerts, teas, candle lighting, and the student/alum Ivy Day parade on May 18.
Speaking to Ivy Day participants representing five decades of college history, Peggie Ward Koon ’74, president of the board of the Alumnae Association, noted that the class of 2024 is now part of “one of the strongest alum networks on the planet.”
“I hope that each of you will lean into all that our amazing Smith network has to offer,” she said, “and like the Smithies before you, will create a future filled with joy, hope, and opportunities for growth and success—knowing that Smith will always be your home.”
In her closing words at Commencement, Matilda Cantwell M.S.W.’96, Smith’s director of religious and spiritual life, urged graduates to treasure the bonds they’ve forged through difficult times.
“Joy and sorrow depend on each other,” Cantwell said, quoting the poet Ross Gay. “My hunch is that the joy that emerges from our common sorrow will draw us together. Go in peace.”
Words of Wisdom
Here are excerpts from Commencement speeches by this year’s honorands:
Scenes from the Weekend
Take a look back through photos from the festivities, from Baccalaureate to Ivy Day and the Commencement ceremony itself.