Image

The Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on May 18 conferred a record 2,502 master’s degrees and 17 education specialist degrees in a Commencement ceremony at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. 

The ceremony was one of many special events marking UMass Amherst’s 155th Commencement this weekend, which also included Undergraduate Commencement, the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, the Stockbridge School of Agriculture ceremony, and school and college Senior Recognition ceremonies.

Presiding over the celebration, Chancellor Javier A. Reyes applauded the Class of 2025’s resilience, intellect and impact on the UMass Amherst community. “You met the rigors of your academic program, and you succeeded,” he said. “Your exceptional scholarship and research have contributed to your discipline and have enriched our intellectual community.”

Image

The chancellor also acknowledged the broader impact many graduates have made during their time at UMass, serving as mentors and role models to undergraduates. In an era when some are questioning the value and purpose of higher education, he commended the class for embodying its enduring relevance. “Your unwavering commitment to advancing knowledge, innovation and discovery that moves the world forward is a shining example of the power and promise of higher education,” he said.

Reyes encouraged students to draw upon their training and values to help shape the future. “Move forward with curiosity. Embrace the unknown and work to forge new realities. And always, always stay true to your values — just like we will always do at UMass,” he said.

The chancellor them led the crowd in recognizing the vital support systems behind each graduate’s success and concluded with a message of hope and confidence. “Class of 2025, now is your time to lead. Your outstanding achievements and tireless commitment to the advancement of knowledge gives me and everyone in this room great hope for the future.”

Image

Graduate student speaker Dan Gessen, of Falmouth, Massachusetts, who earned a Master of Science in business analytics from the Isenberg School of Management, reflected on his unique journey from the battlefields of Iraq to the podium at UMass. 

“Just a few months ago, as I was drafting this very speech, I was still in northern Iraq — where I was leading a platoon of 27 fantastic Massachusetts infantrymen,” he began. What started as an effort to inspire his fellow soldiers to pursue education evolved into his own transformative academic journey. “I rediscovered the importance of always continuing to learn,” he shared, noting that returning to the classroom provided new purpose and perspective.

The Bronze Star Medal recipient spoke of the deeper meaning behind earning a graduate degree, calling it “a deliberate choice” and “a commitment born of a genuine passion for our field of study” and to “make a meaningful impact on the world around us.” Drawing from his family’s history — survivors of Nazi extermination camps and later Soviet persecution — he emphasized the responsibility that comes with opportunity. 

“Our American dream is not self-sustaining,” Gessen warned his fellow graduates. “It thrives because people like you refuse to be complacent.” He urged them to use their achievements not only as personal milestones, but as tools to uplift others and drive societal change. “The world changes through individuals like you,” he declared. “Let’s use [these degrees] to build, to uplift, to lead and never stand idly by.”

Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, extended congratulations to the Class of 2025, celebrating not only their academic accomplishments but also the resilience and community that sustained them. “Today, we gather to celebrate a huge milestone: your master’s degree,” he said, giving special recognition to those attending campus for the first time after completing their programs virtually.

Framing graduate education as a communal pursuit, Abd-El-Khalick drew on the African proverb “It takes a village…” He described graduate life as one shaped by shared experiences — in classrooms, labs, libraries and field sites, and in “those quiet, vulnerable moments when you weren’t sure if you belonged — and someone in your community assured you, ‘You do.’”

Graduate School Dean Jacqueline Urla remarked on both the diversity and determination that define the Class of 2025. “With over a third of you coming from a multitude of countries across the globe,” she said, “you demonstrate the continuing global attraction of pursuing a graduate education here at UMass Amherst.” 

Urla reminded graduates that their degrees are not just credentials but springboards to continued growth. “What we learn from graduate education, and I hope that you have all learned, is that there is always more to learn,” she said. Above all, she encouraged the class to “elevate others, to be an ally with someone different from yourself,” and to uphold the university’s core ideals of “excellence, justice and inclusion” in their future pursuits.

Image

Prior to the conferment of degrees, Bo (Boram) Kim, who is expected to complete her Master of Fine Arts in studio arts next May, was presented with the Distinguished Teaching Award. The honor has been presented annually since 1961 to instructors who demonstrate exemplary teaching at the highest institutional level. The awardees are chosen from representatives of every department on campus and have been widely praised by students and alumni for their abilities to communicate, motivate and inspire.

Kim was bestowed the award for her work as an artist-educator committed to equity and care. She has brought her trauma-informed teaching training to her work in the Department of Art, where she teaches drawing and painting to both art and non-art majors, and at Girls Inc. of the Valley, where she fosters creativity and scientific curiosity among fifth grade students in underserved communities.

Complete details about UMass Amherst Commencement Weekend are available at www.umass.edu/commencement.