Going Further Together: Commonwealth Honors College Welcomes New Students at Induction 2025

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Photo: Nina Prenosil

On Friday, August 29th at 3:30 p.m., the auditorium at the Bromery Center for the Arts was buzzing with excitement as incoming Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) students took their seats for the 2025 Induction Ceremony. Upon arriving at the Bromery Center for the Arts, new students received their official CHC induction pin, and a card for the meet and greet activity that took place right after Induction.

Dean Mari Castañeda welcomed new Honors students during her speech at Induction 2025, Photo: Mikey Hadley

Dean Mari Castañeda opened the ceremony with warm remarks, describing the transformative journey awaiting the students over their four years at CHC. She emphasized the family-like community that defines the college experience, sharing her favorite African proverb: 

"If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go farther, go together."

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Chancellor Reyes speaking during Induction 2025, Photo: Mikey Hadley

Next, UMass Amherst's Chancellor, Javier Reyes, addressed the audience. He congratulated students on joining a scholarly community committed to excellence, highlighting opportunities for research across disciplines and faculty engagement, and the transformative experience of completing an Honors Thesis, noting:

"As a member of Commonwealth Honors College, a central part of your academic experience will be the completion of a thesis or capstone project. The possibilities for exploration and discovery are unlimited."

Daniel Nguyen, a junior Honors chemical engineering student on the pre-med track, was the next speaker to welcome new students, acknowledging the natural anxiety that comes with starting college and emphasizing that changing directions is completely normal. 

"As a first-generation student from a low-income background, I struggled to find peers who resonated with my life experiences or even shared the same slang. But over time, I learned that feeling out of place was not a reflection of my worth—it was part of the process of growth and self-discovery," he explained.

Daniel Nguyen's speech acknowledged that it can be a struggle to find your people when you first come to college, Photo: Mikey Hadley

Nguyen concluded by urging students to embrace both significant and everyday moments of their college experience, reminding them that their time at UMass will be transformative and fleeting.

Professor Sally Pirie, a cartoonist and director of the Comics-Based Research Lab at UMass, shared three pieces of art-inspired advice for students: 

1. Seek whimsy as a source of hope
2. Slow down to truly see the world through practices like sketching
3. Say yes to opportunities despite obstacles and naysayers. 

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Pirie emphasized that even those without formal artistic training can achieve creative success, citing her own win of the Charles Schulz award, Photo: Mikey Hadley

Drawing from her own journey of perseverance through rejection, she emphasized how art creates the conditions for becoming more fully human and provides alternative visions of possible worlds during challenging times. Pirie's message celebrated the power of creative thinking and artistic practices not just for Honors Theses or research projects, but as essential tools for navigating life with joy, perception, and determination.

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Students throughout the auditorium helped each other pin their Honors College pin to their shirts, Photo: Nina Prenosil

As the ceremony approached its conclusion at 4 p.m., students participated in the traditional pinning ritual, turning to neighbors on their right to fasten each other's pins.

"Please accept this pin as a symbol of the community you have joined and the goals you have set for yourself, and for each other. Wear the pin with pride—wear it to special campus events and hold onto it so that you can place it on your Honors gold stole and graduation robe," said Dean Castaneda.

The room filled with applause and smiles as the Minuteman Marching Band performed the university's fight song. The ceremony culminated with enthusiastic chants of "Go...Go U...Go UMass!" as the newest members of Commonwealth Honors College streamed out of the auditorium to take part in a meet and greet in front of the Bromery Center. 

Students played human bingo as an ice breaker during the Meet and Greet, Photo: Nina Prenosil

With music pumping, and faculty and staff alike participating, hundreds of students had the chance to make new connections to start their academic journey as Honors students at the University of Massachusetts.