President Lee Bollinger, the 19th president of Columbia University, opened by addressing the School of General Studies’s unique role at Columbia. He noted that GS students possess two distinctive qualities—creativity and tenacity. Addressing the graduating class he offered that “it is easy to slip into a comfortable life. The challenge of life is to keep learning. You have overcome that challenge.”
Class Day Speaker Dr. James C. Mabry ’81, ‘98GSAS, President of Middlesex Community College, was introduced by Dean Peter J. Awn as “GS’s most successful unofficial recruiter.” In his role as president of MCC, Mabry has often directed promising community college students to the admissions office at GS.
“Having seen the world grow more unequal, I believe the mission of educators is keeping the door open, as you never know who will walk through it.”
Mabry’s address to the Class of 2016 was summed up in three succinct objectives: learn your lessons, find your mission, and live life with passion.
The path of salutatorian speaker Ryan Tavel Hudson embodies this very sentiment. Formerly a touring musician and record store manager, Hudson recalls the moment his life pivoted toward a career in law. After being sued by a credit card company, he self-tutored his way through an arduous court battle as his own legal representation. The experience realigned Hudson's mission toward a career in law. In his parting words to his classmates, he reframed the words of Dr. Seuss:
“To that refrain ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go’ we, GS, add the coda ‘Oh, The Places We Have Been.’ Our lives serve as evidence to that,” Hudson said.
Following these speeches, Sarah Joy Johnson was presented with the Alumni Key Award, Katharine Celentano with the inaugural Campbell Award, and Jess Silfa with a Dean’s Citation. These awards were the lead-in to the presentation of graduates of the Class of 2016.
Following the presentation of graduates, valedictorian Christina Cheung, who graduated from the Dual BA Program between Columbia University and Sciences Po, praised the caliber of GS students, and encouraged them to find what makes them happy. She closed by offering her fellow graduates the same advice she wrote in her high school year book: "Since time drips down the abyss of no return, strive for the highest, and live without regret.”
