On Sunday, May 14, some 1,400 University of Pennsylvania undergraduates representing 47 majors crossed the stage on Franklin Field during the graduation ceremony for the College of Arts & Sciences. After a welcome from Paul Sniegowski, Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College, Hoang Le, C’23, W’23, offered his fellow graduates some thoughts, before graduation speaker Joshua Bennett, C’10, came to the podium.
Bennett, an award-winning poet, spoken word artist, and author—who had been the student speaker at his own Penn graduation—referenced what he’d said on that day 13 years prior, before offering the Class of 2023 some advice on the importance of surrounding themselves with “communities of care” and finding joy in the everyday.
Top row (from L to R): Graduation speaker Joshua Bennett, C’10, Dean Paul Sniegowski, and student speaker Hoang Le, C’23, W’23, before the ceremony; Maria Alley, senior lecturer in Russian and East European Studies, Sarah Gronningsater, Assistant Professor of History, and Donald Berry, Professor of Chemistry, being honored. Bottom row: Students including Oluwatomilola Oyasiji (far right), who carried the flag for the Health & Societies major, celebrate the day. (Photos by Lisa J. Godfrey)
Families filled the stands at Franklin Field on Mother’s Day for the College of Arts & Sciences ceremony, as more than 1,400 students processed in. Flagbearers carried flags for each of the 47 majors represented by the graduating class. (Photo by Lisa J. Godfrey)
“My hunch is that in college you’ve had all sorts of moments when you needed someone to look after you, someone to help you study or get over a heartbreak or remind you that your final paper is actually due next Monday and not tomorrow after all,” Bennett said. “This, I think, is at the very core of what friends are for, not just to celebrate you in moments of triumph but to protect your heart and mind on the occasions when you fall short.”
He closed by reiterating the importance of spending time with people who “help you tap into the most free, unguarded version of yourself. …This grand adventure is so much better with company. We belong with each other. We are each other. The great gift of your life is meant to be shared.”
Earlier that day, the College of Liberal & Professional Studies ceremony took place in Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Nora E. Lewis, Vice Dean for Professional and Liberal Education, and Brighid Dwyer, Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the School of Arts & Sciences, addressed the 487 graduates.
This year’s graduates of the College of Liberal & Professional Studies represented three bachelor’s degrees, including the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences, and 10 master’s degrees, including the International Master of Public Administration, the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences, and the Master of Environmental Studies. (Photo by Edward Savaria)
Nora E. Lewis, Vice Dean for Professional and Liberal Education, and Brighid Dwyer, Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the School of Arts & Sciences (top row, L to R) addressed the 487 graduates, including master’s students like Kanchi Desai and Rebecca Krick (bottom left). (Photos by Edward Savaria and Lisa J. Godfrey)
The previous Friday, May 12, graduate students in the School of Arts & Sciences—receiving master’s and doctoral degrees from 25 different departments—heard remarks from Beth S. Wenger, Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor of History and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies; Herman Beavers, Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt President’s Distinguished Professor of English and Africana Studies; alums Nakul Deshpande and Sarah Xia Yu, who had earned Ph.D.s in Earth & Environmental Science and History, respectively; and Kimberly Cárdenas, the student speaker, who that day received her Ph.D. in Political Science.
At the Graduate Division graduation on Friday, May 12, graduate chairs and faculty representatives from more than two dozen Arts & Sciences departments announced degree recipients, including Ezgi Cakmak (top right), who received a joint degree in Africana Studies and History. Speakers included Ph.D. student Kimberly Cárdenas and recent graduate Sarah Xia Yu (bottom left), pictured with Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Beth S. Wenger, and Herman Beavers, Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt President’s Distinguished Professor of English and Africana Studies. (Photos by Lisa J. Godfrey)
Faculty of the School of Arts & Sciences applaud the Graduate Division graduates. (Photo by Lisa J. Godfrey)
View more photos from each of the celebrations on Flickr:
• College of Arts & Sciences Graduation
• Graduate Division Graduation
• College of Liberal and Professional Studies Graduation
Banner image: Donald Berry, Professor of Chemistry, led the procession of Arts & Sciences deans, faculty, and speakers at Franklin Field. He carried the University mace “in recognition of his contributions to chemistry education at Penn on the eve of his retirement,” said Paul Sniegowski, Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College, during introductory remarks.
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