Senior Speaker: SBS RISE

A message from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences:

Each year, our graduating students in every major select a student to speak on behalf of their area of study. Because we are a large college, the time allotted to our ceremony does not allow for each speaker to appear on stage. However, these speeches have been recorded for your viewing pleasure. 

At its core, our College supports open and free inquiry and debate about the most weighty and consequential subjects that face us all. Each student was given a minute to speak on whatever topic they think will be meaningful to their peers. Some of the contributions are lighthearted, others are serious, and some may inspire some people and conflict with the values and beliefs of others. But that is the nature of free inquiry and debate: it should challenge us and make us think. We are proud of every one of our graduates, whether or not we agree with the views they express here. 

Transcript: 

On your first day, you’re handed a glossy pamphlet. It shows students on a manicured lawn and lists "how to succeed": Join a club. Network. Find community. But it doesn't mention that for us, office hours often mean sacrificing a work shift that pays rent, or that internships are often unpaid. It doesn't tell you how to carry the guilt of being on this massive campus with all these resources while your mom works 15 hour days on her feet to make sure you and your brother always have a home to go back to on break.

UMass tells us to “Be Revolutionary.” But what does that mean? It means trying. But trying is terrifying because it makes you visible. For the "first" or "only," visibility feels like a risk. It feels like putting a spotlight on everything the world has told us was a disadvantage. But we didn't have to stand in that spotlight alone. The pamphlet told us to "find your community," and we found SBS RISE. It was a sanctuary. It was a place where we realized our shared struggles were actually our shared strength. In that community, we didn't have to hide where we came from—we drew power from it.

Look around this room. Look at the diverse neighborhoods we represent, the different languages spoken at our kitchen tables, and the working-class grit that brought us all to this exact moment. For our families, our education isn't just a degree—it is a lifeline, the ultimate return on generations of sacrifice. It shapes everything we do next, driving us to advocate, to lead, and to lift others as we climb.

We are visible now. And we aren't here to fill a quota; we are here because we refused to be quiet. We succeeded not merely in spite of where we come from, but because of it. We studied, we learned, and we earned this.

As we leave UMass, don’t "evolve" by letting go. Succeed without forgetting where you are from. Your roots kept you upright when the campus winds got cold. Do not let anyone tell you who you are. TELL them. SHOW them.