Senior Speaker: Sustainable Community Development

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: 

Sustainable Community Development is more than just city planning. It’s community-centered planning and practice, rooted in a vision for generations to come - where every plant, every animal, and every person can coexist.

Yes, our discipline is small, but we know our purpose and our passion. Some of us entered UMass as Sustainable Community Development students, while others found our way here after an exploratory freshman year. But what pulled us here remains the same: an unwavering dream to build belonging and safety in the face of adversity.

This graduating class has witnessed catastrophes that have left many of us anxious about the future. We carry the weight of climate change, of constant paradigm shifts, and a world that often feels divided. Yet instead of giving up, instead of falling into fear, we found refuge here — in our small island at UMass, in the Olver Design Building. We found refuge in each other.

And we rediscovered the passion that brought us here in the first place: love.

This place has shown us something powerful - that our differences do not divide us. Our individuality is what allows us to innovate, to build bridges, and to be truly sustainable. Every place, every plant, every person has a superpower that must be understood, not erased.

As we step into our futures, we carry the most powerful tools this planet has ever seen: Hope. Belief. Compassion. And perhaps most importantly - love.

Because sustainable communities are not built by fear. They are built by people brave enough to build them together.