Good evening, everybody and thank you for joining us for this extraordinary occasion!
Today is the first time a handful of you will walk across a real stage to receive your diploma instead of grabbing it out of the car window of your mom鈥檚 Subaru or receiving it in the mail right on time for a zoom graduation ceremony.
Here you are again, at graduation day, and that is not something to take lightly. It is a testament to the resilience and fortitude innate to our class, it is a testament to the limitless potential and power each of you hold in the palm of your hands. So before we continue, Abbie and I want each of you to take a moment to breathe, to laugh, to cry (because we know those tears are waiting in the wings) and to recognize the work, exhaustion, triumphs, sorrow, and joy that you have survived to be here today. Let鈥檚 give it up for our graduates!
But as we all know鈥攂ecause it鈥檚 said in every graduation speech from the dawn of time, and for good reason鈥攊t takes a village. What makes today so special is not the pomp and circumstance, but the people. The parents, siblings, friends, family members, partners, pets, faculty, staff, and community members who have held our hands as we navigated times of darkness and disillusionment, who have made us smile with their kindness and compassion, who have brought us coffee at 1 a.m. finishing a thesis draft that was totally not being written the morning it was due.
This day is just as much about each and every one of you as it is for those in the caps and gowns. These caps and gowns are a symbol of your support, of the love you have graced upon our minds and hearts.
Therefore, quickly, Abbie and I want to thank a few individuals who have been integral parts of our journeys these past four years and long before.
Gracias a mi Nanny por todo su apoyo, amor, y alegr铆a; te quiero mas que me puedo explicar. Thank you to my mom and dad for your unwavering belief and unconditional love and to my Hingi, t铆o, cousins, godmother, Grandma Reba, and family for teaching me to embrace the goofiness of life.
Thank you to all of my professors, especially Professor Mendiola, and every incredible staff member who is the embodiment of passion and care, and a special shoutout to those in facilities and housekeeping who are the backbone of this community: You all are the true beauty and spirit of this place.
Thank you to my friends, partner Revelle residents, TSV coworkers and teammates for every late night adventure, casual swim, Mot rot, and patience you all have shown me in the face of my perpetual tardiness. I love you all, and in the wise words of Charlie Brown, 鈥渁ll you really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn鈥檛 hurt.鈥�
I second all the thank yous Bel茅n gave鈥攕eriously, shoutout to her family for raising such an incredible human. I can鈥檛 imagine Scripps without her. To my own family鈥擮mma, Appa鈥旉皭靷晿瓿� 靷瀾頃挫殧. You are the grounding force behind everything I do. Every decision鈥攇ood, bad, or chaotic鈥擨 think of you and ask how I can make you proud, how I can even begin to repay the sacrifices you made before I ever existed. You crossed oceans from Korea and M茅xico with dreams not for yourselves, but for your families. And even after all you鈥檝e endured, you still give so fully鈥攏ot just to me, but to every friend who鈥檚 walked through our door. (Shoutout Claremont locals.) You鈥檝e built a home with a fridge that鈥檚 always full (Allen still talks about your curry eggs, Mom) and a heart that鈥檚 always open.
You say I did this on my own, but really, you鈥檙e the producers of this show. Me criaron con tanto amor鈥攅ven when I turned our house into a chaotic film set and Dad had to replaster the walls. You鈥檝e shown me love in every sacrifice, every late-night ride, every quiet act of care鈥攁nd yes, even in repainting drywall. Por eso, con todo mi coraz贸n: Gracias. Los quiero much铆simo. 雱堧雱堧 靷瀾頃挫殧. This moment, this degree鈥攊t鈥檚 yours too.
Today is not only a celebration of each of your academic accomplishments, but more importantly, everything our class has come together to achieve throughout the past four years.
When we first sat on Elm Tree Lawn together during orientation week in 2021, we were living in a different world. Fresh out of the COVID-19 lockdown, we were relearning what it meant to be in community, practice collective wellbeing, and navigate social settings outside of Zoom breakout rooms.
It was the first time many of us sat down for a meal with peers or lived in a space with people outside of our immediate families. It was the last time many of us had long hair or blank, tattoo-less arms. We were the first class after COVID, and it seemed like it was our responsibility to lay the foundation for a post-COVID Scripps while also finding ways to honor the traditions of the past. And on top of everything, try and solve the quintessential question that has baffled young adults for centuries: Who am I and who do I want to be? And of course, tackle Core 1.
But time and time again, our class has not only risen to the occasion, but gone above and beyond to create change that will resonate long after we are gone.
Bel茅n and I are both believers in the unequivocal power of storytelling. Each of us has a story that deserves to be told, even and especially when the world tries to tell us otherwise.
Throughout our time at Scripps, we have sat in classrooms that preach the importance of speaking out against injustice and using our voices to rewrite the dominant, colonial narrative. Stories are the fuel that ignite fires of advocacy and connection. They are the thread that weaves together our individual experiences into something more beautiful and impactful than we could dare dream alone. Together, our class has begun a story of bravery, tenacity, and love that we are excited to conclude a chapter of today.
You all have been integral in reimagining and reviving beloved Scripps traditions like Queggers, POC dinner, and BeHeard Forums that have given the broader Scripps community the chance to connect to our campus鈥檚 history and alumni in new and fulfilling ways.
We also want to recognize a few plotlines that highlight the specific authorship of our class. This includes the reopening and revitalizing of the Motley in the spring of 2022 for the first time since the pandemic, and again in the fall of 2024 after its sudden closure by administration in response to the hanging of a Palestinian flag in the space.
Under the selfless leadership of the Motley co-heads and senior leadership, as well as the collective support of our class, the Motley succeeded in opening its doors once again and working in collaboration with administration to reimagine the coffeehouse鈥檚 policy to ensure this could not happen again. This past fall, The Scripps Voice released a 鈥淣o Business as Usual鈥� edition that spoke out against the ongoing genocide in Palestine and highlighted the student organizers, many of whom are from our class, who have fought tirelessly to uplift Palestinian voices.
Throughout the year, senior leadership from the various SCORE CLORGs have advocated for the existence and autonomy of the space through teach-ins and assisting in the director search. The founding of the Transparency Committee has created restorative practices around accountability and the growth of the Sustainabiliteam has been at the forefront of implementing meaningful change regarding sustainable practices at Scripps and the 5Cs.
Additionally, the transformation of the Student Union, led by SAS, has turned the space into a hub of connection and activism; Nobody Fails at Scripps has continued to organize aid and communal safety initiatives; and the dedication of Denison employees has been imperative in creating environments of education, enthusiasm, and activism for all library patrons. And of course, coming together to fundraise for a water bottle refill station in GJW!
It鈥檚 important to say that clearly, many of the initiatives that have made the biggest difference on this campus were started and sustained by marginalized students. These weren鈥檛 just projects. They were labors of love. Acts of care, resistance, and hope. And let鈥檚 be honest鈥擲cripps, like many historically women鈥檚 colleges, still carries echoes of a purity culture that some of us first encountered in our all-girls high schools. A culture that told us to be polished, quiet, proper. But we鈥檝e been rewriting that script.
Together, we鈥檝e redefined what it means to attend Scripps鈥攏ot as a place where we鈥檙e molded into someone else鈥檚 ideal, but as a space where we shape ourselves. Where identity and voice aren鈥檛 just tolerated, but celebrated.
Too often, this kind of work only gets acknowledged once it鈥檚 no longer controversial, when it鈥檚 conveniently packaged as an example of student-led initiative and resilience after we’ve left. But we don鈥檛 want to wait. We want to recognize you now, while the work is happening. Because leadership isn鈥檛 just about creating change鈥攊t鈥檚 about making space for others to thrive.
And we鈥檝e seen so many of you do just that. You鈥檝e made space by showing up for friends who were struggling. By lending your voice to collective efforts, even when it felt like the impact might not come right away. By turning your passions into community鈥攚hether through rugby, Thursday-night freestyle dance sessions, participating in the APIDA night market, joining the encampments, boosting mutual aid funding, and more. You鈥檝e built culture. You鈥檝e cultivated care. And you鈥檝e done it not because it was easy, or because someone told you to鈥攂ut because you wanted to. Because you believed in each other.
We also want to acknowledge that building community isn鈥檛 always joyful. It can be grueling, thankless, and all-encompassing. There were nights you probably thought, 鈥淲hy did I agree to do this?鈥� and then did it anyway鈥攚ith a Canva flyer and a smile.
We saw it in the little things: the 鈥測ou got this鈥� text before a presentation. The eye contact across class when someone said something unhinged. A table saved at Mudd for Wednesday pho. These moments mattered. They added up. They reminded us that love鈥攔eal, transformative love鈥攐ften looks like acts of service. Like showing up even when it鈥檚 hard. Sometimes it looks like hauling 60 boba drinks up three flights of stairs. Or sending your 47th 鈥淛ust following up :)鈥� email with the patience of a saint.
It鈥檚 never been about prestige. It鈥檚 never been about competing. It鈥檚 about passion. It鈥檚 about purpose. And you didn鈥檛 redefine success by how many things you did鈥攜ou redefined it by how much you cared. That鈥檚 the legacy you鈥檙e leaving behind.
In the translation of her work, Time for Outrage, St茅phane Hessel reminds us that, 鈥渋nstead of exasperation, there should be aspiration. Exasperation negates hope. As an emotion, it is understandable. I might even go so far as to say that it鈥檚 natural. But鈥t will never accomplish what hope could.鈥�
So as you lock or don鈥檛 lock up your dorm room or window passageway for the last time, stay hopeful. Have hope in the friendships you鈥檝e formed, the lessons you鈥檝e learned on purpose or by circumstance, the haircut or tattoos you鈥檝e settled on, and the narrative you will continue to construct and cultivate from here on out.
And whether it鈥檚 grad school, a new job, adventuring, or finally catching up on some well-deserved rest, remember this: You carry the power to transform every room you enter. You have the power of the pen. You don鈥檛 need permission to take control of your life and you never did.
We are beyond proud and eternally inspired by each of you. We鈥檙e so grateful for all of you for always showing up and for the chance to serve as your co-class presidents . We can鈥檛 wait to see how you continue to lead鈥攚ith humor, creativity, empathy, and loads of love. Stay Scripps strong and congratulations, Class of 2025.
We did this. Together.