Senior Speaker: Social Thought & Political Economy

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: 

To my fellow graduates, I am immensely proud of us and everyone I have met in my time here. In times of complexity and deep injustice, it is often easy to forget how much we can rely on each other. In our time here, our university and our government have continuously used violence and force to attempt to rupture solidarity. It is important to remember what we owe to each other, and what we owe to ourselves. What moves us forward, what keeps us safe are our relationships with each other. And this solidarity must extend - we must keep calling attention to the Palestinian struggle, to speak up for the people of Lebanon, of Iran, and to speak up for the people in our own home who are being unjustly tortured, detained, and separated from their families. The point of our education is to grow - and we must continue to grow together, to grow for one another.