As Clark conferred 1,376 degrees to the Class of 2024 on Monday, May 20, at the DCU Center in Downtown Worcester, student speakers recalled the compassion and community found among peers on campus.

"Being a part of a diverse community has taught me so much because it has allowed me to see the world through the lens of other people," graduate student speaker Gabe Spindel ’23, MBA ’24, told the thousands in the arena.

Undergraduate student speaker Laila El-Samra ’24 encouraged her peers to think about the impact they can have on others.

"Start small, maybe just one good deed a day," she said. "Together we possess the compassion, resilience, and determination needed to create a brighter future for ourselves and those around us."

Geography Professor Rinku Roy Chowdhury read a commencement address from Dr. Robert D. Bullard, “the father of environmental justice” and the Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University. 

“I am driven by, and I am happy to be able to pass the baton to, the up-and-coming generations of environmental justice advocates who will continue with the same resilience that so many involved in the journey have already shown," Bullard wrote.

Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.