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Thousands gathered at Nickerson Field Sunday to celebrate the commencement of Boston University’s class of 2015. Faculty, family and friends surrounded a sea of scarlet gowns and black caps as the newest BU alumni proceeded to the center of the field for the annual ceremony.
Commencement exercises began with music and a call to order by Robert Knox, chairman of the BU Board of Trustees. Naomi Brigell, a graduate of the College of Fine Arts, sang the national anthem.
Following invocation by Dean of Marsh Chapel Reverend Robert Hill, BU President Robert Brown gave a brief welcome to the audience. Brown then introduced the student speaker, Seung Joon Lee, a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Lee spoke about his difficult and unusual journey through college, explaining the struggles he faced as an international student. He gave his perspective on the question of whether a college degree is worth it.
“Just because I’m a commencement speaker today, does not mean I have a simple answer to this question,” Lee said. “I entered BU in 2006 as a freshman, and I was a confused student. I was especially confused about life and questioned the purpose of getting a college education.”
Lee went on to discuss his experiences leaving BU, working in North Korea and later returning to finish and earn his bachelor’s degree. He said he has been inspired by professors and classmates, as well as by BU alumnus Martin Luther King Jr.
“The legacy of our [alumnus] Martin Luther King Jr. touched me to speak out when there were arguments based on the difference of the background rather than the content of the problem,” he said.
Lee said that he has also been inspired by interactions between students of different nationalities.
“We can, and we will, work together at the international level. BU is a school with such a special educational environment. It is a school consisting of students from 134 countries,” he said. “And as trivial as this might sound, we have shown through group activities and team projects that, regardless of the backgrounds, we can work together.”
Honorary degrees were awarded to President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Cornell William Brooks, Allen and Kelli Questrom, Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein and television personality Meredith Vieira. Vieira also delivered the commencement address.
She began her speech humbly, mentioning that she is not usually one to give inspirational speeches. She spoke about the difficulty she faced when she was starting out in the field of journalism, all the way from her initial doubt in her career path to where she stands today.
Speaking from her own prior experience, Vieira encouraged students who are not entirely sure of their path to not stress.
“So if you haven’t found a job, or decided on a career path yet, don’t freak out. Don’t let fear or frustration or the fact that others seem to be all set immobilize you,” Vieira said. “But do, from this day forward, open yourself up to possibilities you may never have considered. Step up, step out of your comfort zone, [and] consider saying ‘yes,’ even when ‘no’ feels much safer.”
Conversely, she reminded those students with a clear path planned to be mindful of potential changes ahead.
“You do not know what’s about to hit you. And that’s the great thing about life,” she said. “How boring would the journey be if you already knew the final destination?”
Vieira continued with a discussion of measuring success. She advised graduates to not focus on any perception of success other than their own.
“You have to believe in yourself, or no one else will. In order to swim, you have to drown out the naysayers,” Vieira said. “Success has nothing to do with how much money you make, or how big of a house you live in, or how prestigious your job might sound to someone else.
Jennifer Blessing, 44, of Pennsylvania, was there to see her daughter, a graduate of the College of Communication. She said that the past four years have been exciting for her daughter, both on and off-campus.
“We’ve been talking about how, for the four years she’s been here, she’s not only had great experiences at BU, but it’s just been such a memorable and historical time in the history of Boston,” Blessing said. “[And] a lot of those things were referenced in the speeches, too: the record-breaking snowstorms, everything with the marathon, the sports teams, the Super Bowl, the World Series, it’s been a really exciting four years.”
Jennifer Yu, who graduated from CAS with a degree in psychology and neuroscience, said that while she envisions herself in physician assistant school five years from now, she did not want to say anything for sure.
“[I’m feeling] accomplished and a little lost. I’m nervous to go into this real world,” Yu said.
Yu also said that she felt a sense of unity with her classmates during the ceremony that she had not felt before.
“There are a lot of us. It was very, very overwhelming,” she said. “I see it every day, but I just didn’t feel that togetherness, and right here today I felt that. We’re all united, all together, [with] similar accomplishments, and all graduating together. That felt really nice.”
Luis Carrasquillo, a College of Engineering graduate, said he felt speechless after the ceremony.
“Words can’t even describe how far we’ve all come, and the thing is that this is not the end,” he said. “There’s still another journey ahead, and this is just a transition phase in which we’ll just start again basically. And I’m excited for that.”
Amanda Domuracki, a graduate of the College of Communication, said that the speakers inspired her to not focus too much on only having one path. Considering where she sees herself in five years, Domuracki said that she did not have a set plan.
“This past year, specifically, I’ve tried to not make specific plans because I know it’s probably not going to work out that way,” she said. “All of our commencement speakers said whatever you expect to happen [might not] happen.”
For Domuracki, the ceremony’s events elicited mixed feelings.
“[I’m] kind of overwhelmed by everything, but kind of in a good way,” she said. “It’s bittersweet.”
