SPHHS Celebrates Class of 2024
The SPHHS ceremony recognized its undergraduate Class of 2024, which this year welcomed over 500 graduating seniors.
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The School of Public Health and Health Sciences held its Senior Recognition Ceremony on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in the Mullins Center on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. The SPHHS ceremony recognized its undergraduate Class of 2024, which this year welcomed over 500 graduating seniors into its ranks.
View our Facebook gallery for photos from the event.
Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz welcomed a large crowd of family, friends, and guests who were gathered to celebrate the new graduates. She encouraged students to remember that they have been trained to be game-changers and innovators. She also advocated for them to abandon rigidity and cultivate elasticity to embrace all individuals regardless of their color, religion, sexual identity, or political stance.
“Today is the first day of a lifelong journey to serve your fellow humans through hard work, perseverance, kindness, and compassion,” she said.
Kinesiology graduate Sean Bannon served as the school's student speaker. Bannon, who had been honored as a 21st Century Leader during the university's commencement ceremony the day before, shared the story of a man who had profoundly shaped his path: his uncle and godfather, Fred Tobin. His uncle’s words to use his “sharp mind and strong body…not just to climb mountains but to lift others up with you” still resonate, and Bannon encouraged his fellow students to treat your body, mind, and life as the gifts that they are and to “use our gifts responsibly, to foster progress, to inspire change, and to contribute to the health and happiness of our communities.”
He parted with a message of encouragement to his fellow graduates: "Let's go forth with resilience, compassion, and determination. Let us make our mark on the world, knowing that the best way to honor our gifts is to use them to make a difference."
In addition to the dean, the ceremony featured a presentation of outstanding teaching awards from Gloria DiFulvio, associate dean for undergraduate academic affairs, and talks from Lindiwe Sibeko, chair of the Department of Nutrition; Richard van Emmerik, chair of the Department of Kinesiology; Sarah Poissant, chair of the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences; and Sofija Zagarins, program director for the Public Health Sciences major.
A full replay of the ceremony is available on the SPHHS livestream webpage.
The SPHHS Senior Recognition Ceremony followed the university's Graduate and Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies at McGuirk Stadium on May 17-18. At the Graduate Commencement on May 17, Graduate School Dean Jacqueline Urla welcomed the class, which included 2,750 degree recipients, saying they range in age from 19 to 74 and represent impressive work ranging from preserving primates in Africa to finding new treatments for disease. Featured speakers included Chancellor Javier Reyes and graduate student speaker Jarrel De Matas who received his Ph.D. in English.
The following day the university held its Undergraduate Commencement, which celebrated the graduation of approximately 6,800 students before a gathering of 20,000 family and friends.
UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes, presiding over his inaugural Commencement, praised the resiliency of the graduates. “You, the class of 2024, have faced unprecedented challenges in the pursuit of your degree. Despite these challenges, you showed up: You showed up in the classroom. You showed up in the laboratory. You showed up on Zoom. And you showed up here today. You met the rigors of your academic program and you succeeded.”
Sophia He, of Fremont, California, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and a minor in sociology, represented the undergraduate Class of 2024 as student speaker at the ceremony.
Highlights from the 2024 Undergraduate Commencement can be found here.