‘Be the source of needed change ... Be Skidmore.’
With appeals to stand up for their beliefs and confront injustice while continuing to build community through empathy and kindness, Skidmore College conferred 650 degrees to the Class of 2024 during the College’s 113th Commencement Exercises.
Family, friends, trustees, alumni, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate the graduates’ achievements at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Saturday, May 18.
Members of the class hail from 50 countries, 38 U.S. states, and Puerto Rico. Skidmore conferred 447 Bachelor of Arts and 203 Bachelor of Science degrees.
Community activists, philanthropists, and exemplars of civic engagement Luis A. Miranda Jr. P’23 and Luz Towns-Miranda P’23 both received honorary degrees and were among those to address the graduates.
Referring to medieval Persian and contemporary Irish poets, the musical “Hamilton,” and songs of Taylor Swift, speakers encouraged the graduates to embrace the tools provided by Skidmore’s liberal arts education as they embark on the next chapters in their lives and careers.
The ceremony capped four transformative years for the Class of 2024: Their studies at Skidmore started at the height of the global pandemic, and their senior year concluded with demonstrations on many campuses across the nation.
Robert F. Resnick '88, a member of Skidmore’s Board of Trustees, noted the relationships and knowledge the graduates had developed as Skidmore students will endure throughout their lives as alumni.
Robert F. Resnick '88
“You are wholly equipped to deal with the challenges of this complex world. Be the
solutions, not the problems. Be the wisdom and maturity, not the pettiness and squabble.
Be the inspiration to go forward, not the excuse to give up. Be the source of needed
change, not the stagnation afraid to move forward ... Be the light, not the dark.
Be Skidmore.”
President Marc C. Conner, whose own first semester at Skidmore overlapped with that of the graduates, donned a Skidmore 2024 class ring in solidarity and noted this, too, was his fourth year at Skidmore. A professor of English literature, Conner quoted the Irish poet Seamus Heaney and stressed the bonds of community and caring spirit that have characterized the class throughout their time at Skidmore.
Marc C. Conner
“You are impassioned, you are committed, you are eager to change this world for the
better — which is what I’ve long said is what a Skidmore education is all about. And
you have continued to think about the impact of your words and expressions on your
fellow students. I have seen consideration and kindness ... There is hope, and you
are that hope. Yes, I tell you that hope and history can indeed rhyme, and you will
write that poem for our future.”
Luis A. Miranda Jr. P’23, author of the new (May 2024) memoir “Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit that is Transforming America,” and Luz Towns-Miranda P’23, an accomplished psychologist and psychoanalyst, reflected on their remarkable lives and careers, which have been characterized both by activism and service to others. Rather than delivering traditional speeches, the couple engaged in a short dialogue.
Towns-Miranda stressed the importance of empathy, noting how artists like the couple’s son and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda take every experience and empathize with multiple points of view through their creative work.
Luz Towns-Miranda P’23
“Everything is grist for the mill. Every experience you have, whether sad, infuriating,
confusing, wonderful, you name it, it is something that can help you grow, can help
you understand others. … We couldn’t have planned for our lives, but we did prepare
for our lives. We lived our values, and worked hard, and fought hard with whatever
energy and skills we had to make a better way for the community around us.”
Luis Miranda described how the couple engaged in protests in their youth and continue to support causes that are important to them, such as the Hispanic Federation. The College is a partner institution for the Miranda Family Fellowship Program, an opportunity to advance emerging student artists and arts administrators from underrepresented communities.
Luis A. Miranda Jr. P’23
"Learn the systems, to use the systems, to improve the systems. Believe in the power
of your vote and your activism to raise your voice. Use your energy, your skills,
your talent to speak out against injustice, to create change where you see it is needed,
and to uplift the underrepresented people in our communities."
Assistant Professor of History Murat C. Yildiz was selected to address the class on behalf of the Skidmore faculty. A specialist on the history of the Middle East, Yildiz described the intertwined histories of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire. He opened by quoting the 13th-century Persian poet Sa‘adi, who used a term for mankind that is virtually identical in Hebrew and Arabic — children of Adam — as he reflected on our interconnected global community today.
Murat C. Yildiz
“Class of 2024, in addition to being bani Adam/bnei Adam, you are also members of an incredibly resilient generation that has navigated a
number of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and disturbing developments, including
but not limited to the great uncertainty surrounding COVID; the alarming climate crisis;
intense political polarization; the fragility of democratic institutions and values ... Your resilience and perspectives that you have cultivated these past four years
at Skidmore put you in a unique position to shape ٴǻ岹’s and tomorrow’s conversations.”
Class of 2024 President Vicky Grijalva, a self-determined multimedia communication major and self-described “huge Swiftie,” quoted Taylor Swift’s song “Mirrorball” in relaying her experience as a first-generation college student. Grijalva will be pursuing a master’s degree at Boston College this fall.
Vicky Grijalva ’24
“The Skidmore community we created has allowed us to not dim our lights and encouraged
us to become the best versions of ourselves. Keep shining brightly, as mirrorballs
do, because each of you has a gift and the world will accept you for who you are.
You decide what path you will take next. ... I want you all to give yourselves a safe
space for you to speak your voice, your truth, and your opinions.”
The ceremony included a processional led by the Schenectady Pipe Band, a colorful display of stoles and cords symbolizing the graduates' many achievements, and a moving performance by Skidmore students of the College’s Alma Mater.
Commencement followed a week of celebrations on campus for the Class of 2024. In addition to a variety of fun activities for the class, there were ceremonies hosted by the Office of Student Diversity Programs, Periclean Honors Forum, and Phi Beta Kappa.
On Friday, students and their families also participated in a Brick Dedication Ceremony for the Class of 2024: A pathway in the heart of campus now bears the names of each recent graduate thanks to the generosity of the graduates' parents, families, and friends.
Meet the Class of 2024
They started in isolation but ended in community: Like the sun that peeked through the eclipse this spring, joy, creativity, connection, and care for others always managed to shine through.
Read the storyDear Class of 2024 ... Love, Skidmore
As the graduates prepare for the next phase of their lives, several faculty and staff who supported them along the way share advice and final well wishes.
Honors Convocation celebrates student achievement, character
The longstanding Skidmore tradition recognizes academic accomplishment, leadership, and service as students look forward to the future.
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