[Opening slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
International and Global Studies (IGS)
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Another slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text reads:
Brandeis University
Chandler Rosenberger
Associate Professor of International and Global Studies and Sociology
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slide shows Prof. Rosenberger in his study trying to figure out the webcam with not knowing that the webcam has started recording]
Prof. Chandler Rosenberger: Honey, what day is it?
[Slide shows Prof. Rosenberger dressed in the formal attire ready to commence the Graduation Celebration]
Prof. Rosenberger: Good morning everyone. And welcome to this online celebration of the International Global Studies class of 2020. I'm Chandler Rosenberger, the chair of IGS. And I'm delighted that you could join us today. Welcome to the graduates' family and friends. Graduates, this is obviously not how any of us wanted your time at Brandeis to come to a close, and certainly not how I wanted to say goodbye to you. When I first looked through the list of the members of this IGS class, I was amazed at how many of you I've actually taught individually in classes, or have gotten to know well through advising or have just talked to at different events on campus. And graduation is usually the time when we take all of those memories and wrap them up and put a bow on it, call it college, and then move on. But not this year.
This year, our commencement celebration is framed pretty much the way we've spent the past couple of months. Online or a little disoriented, maybe. And we're connecting from all over the world. Right now there are people in California watching this at about 7 a.m. and there are people in Asia watching it at about 10, 11 p.m. So we're, you know, deeply connected even while we're scattered. And of course, I'd much rather be seeing you in person today. And I'm sure you would have much rather spent the past couple of weeks with your friends. But there's something I think very IGS about this experience of being all over the world and yet connected, connected by our common memories and connected by the conversations that we've had, the ideas we've shared. You have all gotten so good in your time at IGS at forming articulate impressions about what's going on in the world, and sharing them with each other that maybe this commencement is actually the beginning of a new kind of life together as the IGS community.
Today, maybe we can start knowing that we can check in with each other, no matter where we are in the world, and that we share so much more than just the common place that we gathered for four years. So let's start that today with a program featuring speakers who have come to us in this online meeting from every corner of the world.
First up in this morning's presentation are your class speakers. Also your UDRs Rolonda Donelson and Emily Rae Foreman. Next up, we have some greetings from my IGS faculty. Then some very fun interviews with the winners of the IGS student prizes from 2020. We'll have some more greetings, including one from a very special guest speaker. Then your names and some final thoughts. And please do join us afterwards for live meetings in Zoom Rooms with IGS faculty and friends. If you need to find where those are, check your email; we sent them out in the list. And feel free to share them with anyone whom you would like us to meet. But now let's hear from Rolonda and Emily.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal appears. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Class Speakers: Rolonda Donelson and Emily Rae Foreman
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slide shows both the class speakers, Emily Rae Foreman and Rolonda Donelson, sharing a screen and giving their speech together]
Emily: Hi, my name is Emily Rae Foreman, and I'm one of your class speakers along with Rolonda Donelson. I know this has been a really challenging situation for all of us. And trust me, choosing what to say in an online graduation speech has also been a challenge for us. But we just wanted to take a few minutes to address you, the amazing IGS class of 2020. And of course, we're doing it on a recorded Zoom call.
Rolonda: In trying to figure out what to say for this speech, I went back through my email and realize that lines from some of the emails I received in the past two months perfectly summarize this situation. So here they are combined in a way that makes sense.
Dear Class of 2020,
I hope you're doing well. In light of the continuing global impact of COVID-19, I just wanted to check-in. I hope this finds you well under the circumstances. I know the past weeks have not been anything like what you thought your spring semester of Brandeis would be like; this is not normal.
Emily: If there is anything positive that comes out of this crisis, other than being able to attend class in our pajama pants, I hope it's that we're all given a few moments more than we normally would to reflect and be grateful for everything Brandeis has given us and everything we've worked hard to give ourselves. Although it's incredibly hard not to be together in person, these events have not diminished our accomplishments. We entered college with the 2016 election, which changed so much about our country and our politics, and now we're leaving college with yet another albeit different but still life-altering events. But as IGS students, we are resilient and adaptive, and we will work hard to find solutions that are holistic and inclusive.
Rolonda: I first want to take this opportunity to thank the amazing professors and faculty that came to work every day to help IGS students learn and excel. We would not be here today without your continued support.
Emily: Along with thanking our amazing professors, we wanna thank you, the IGS class. Having all of you as classmates has made me a better person and student.
Rolonda: IGS is a unique major in that it allows students to take a wide range of courses across departments.
Emily: No other major would have allowed me to take Spanish, global economy, anthropology, religion and American Voter Parties in the same semester and still have all of them count towards my major.
Rolonda: In the fall of 2018, I was able to take Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies, The Rise of India, and Muslims in the West, all towards my IGS major. I know all of you remember the crazy assortment of classes you took that led you to your IGS degree.
Emily: Through taking such multidisciplinary classes I've seen my friends pursue amazing internships, study abroad all over the world, and work to make our home base of Brandeis a better and more globally informed community.
Rolonda: IGS challenges students to take their skills learned inside of the classroom, out into the world. With IGS, I was able not only to study Chinese at Brandeis for four semesters but then I was able to use those skills in a semester abroad in Shanghai.
Emily: IGS afforded me the opportunity to study abroad in Dublin, be a leader in student organizations, and work at the State Department. I feel like I want to say something that will resonate with all of the IGS students but, to be honest, it feels really impossible to do that because we're a group of people with incredibly different interests and experiences.
Rolonda: So Emily Rae, I know it might seem impossible, but how would you last address the class of 2020?
Emily: I think it's really hard to conclude graduation speeches in a way that isn't overly cheesy, especially when in reality, I am just talking to Rolonda on Zoom. I just wanna say that I know it feels like a lot has been taken away from us. But it's really important to remember that we have gained so much and we have accomplished so much. If you think about it, there has really never been a more important time for IGS students to be entering the world. And I am so confident in all of us that we will continue to work hard as global citizens in whatever field we pursue.
Rolonda: IGS majors leave Brandeis to do a wide range of things from becoming Fulbright Scholars, diplomats, lawyers, leaders in public health and banking, famous comedians in China and so much, much more. I can't wait to see what each and every one of you accomplish in your time post-Brandeis. Leaning into the cheesy factor, I just wanna leave you with these wise words from former President Barack Obama. "Keep exploring, keep dreaming, keep asking why. Don't settle for what you already know. Never stop believing in the power of your ideas, your imagination, your hard work to change the world." Congratulations, IGS class of 2020, we did it.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis seal is shown. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Elanah Uretsky
Assistant Professor in the International and Global Studies Program
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
Prof. Elanah Uretsky: Brandeis IGS class of 2020, what a year to graduate from college. And what a year to graduate from college as an international studies major. President Kennedy once said, "From crisis emerges opportunity." He developed that phrase on the basis of the Chinese word for crisis, wéijī, which is made up of two characters, wéi meaning danger, and jī which is often translated as an opportunity. While wéi does mean danger, jī really refers to an incipient moment, a crucial moment when something begins or changes.
So while the world is in crisis, and you as college graduates first emerging onto the world stage at this point in time may especially be feeling the burden of this crisis, you will certainly find opportunity because the world as we have known it is about to change. As people trained in International and Global Studies, I am sure that you will discover opportunities as the way we imagined the world is about to change and begin anew. And your perspective will be especially needed in this new world. In Chinese I wanna send you off by wishing you (speaks in the Chinese language). I wish you health and may all of your wishes come true. Go forth in strength, Brandeis IGS graduating class of 2020.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Avinash Singh
Lecturer in History, International & Global Studies, and South Asian Studies
Celebrating Class of 2020]
[Slide shows Prof. Singh with a garden in the background]
Prof. Avinash Singh: Congratulations class of 2020, here's wishing you the very best, be well.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Kerry Chase
Associate Professor of Politics
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slide shows Prof. Chase with his kid wearing a graduation cap and making cute gestures]
Prof. Kerry Chase: Hello IGS, 2020 graduates, this is Kerry Chase sending you my warmest congratulations on your graduation day. I'm amazed that out of 50 IGS graduates this year I've had, um...
[Kid]: 28
Prof. Chase: 28 of you in my classes these four years. Some of you I haven't seen since freshman year; [kid makes gesture of wiping away tears] others I was happy to have in my class this term. Please stay in touch, drop me a line, and tell me how you're doing. And enjoy your achievement, you've earned it!
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text reads:
Brandeis University
Guille Caballero Ferreira
Winner of the Ellen Lasher Kaplan and Robert S. Kaplan Prize
(Conversation with Thesis Advisor: Lucy Goodhart)
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slide shows both Prof. Goodhart and Guille sharing a screen and having a conversation about his thesis]
Prof. Lucy Goodhart: I wanted to share some nice news with you. Not all students know that in addition to having the honors thesis, there are a couple of awards and prizes that the IGS program can award every year. And this year, the IGS, faculty have decided that you should be the recipient of the Ellen Lasher Kaplan and the Robert Kaplan prize for the IGS honors thesis that best explores economic globalization and growth. So, congratulations, you're the winner…
Guille Caballero Ferreira: Thank you.
Prof. Goodhart: …of the Ellen Lasher Kaplan and Robert Kaplan prize.
[Slide shows Guille is extremely happy after receiving the prize]
Guille: Wow, like I'm so honored, I'm so… I was very happy with the highest honor but I'm so happy to hear this too.
Prof. Goodhart: Good, no, I just thought it was great, and we felt like it was that your thesis was a really appropriate prize recipient because you deal so centrally with some of the issues at the epicenter of globalization, what happens when workers can't benefit from the transformations because they can't move. So congratulations, and I think it also means a lot to the Kaplans. Ellen Lasher Kaplan is an alumna of Brandeis, and they have been longtime supporters of the IGS program. So it's really nice to be able to connect them and you. I know you have not had your first coffee of the day, Guille, [laughs] but thinking back on it, I wanted to ask you, what was the toughest time you think, writing this thesis? What was the hardest part?
Guille: I think the whole process was well, I think I would say two parts. The first part was just figuring out exactly how I was gonna qualitatively measure what I wanted to measure, which was mobility costs. And I think the other part in that came along with like measuring mobility cost was definitely I'd say, the getting through all of the frustrations of organizing 28 interviews in a matter of like 20 days. And, yeah, I think that those two things.
Prof. Goodhart: Yeah, I was wondering about that, in other words, was there ever a time when you felt like, oh my gosh, if I miss this bus, I'm not gonna be able to do the next three interviews. It all relies on getting the bus.
Guille: Yes exactly.
Prof. Goodhart: What high points of the thesis
Guille: Oh high points--
Prof. Goodhart: of finishing (she laughs).
Guille: Of finishing, well, definitely I would say the getting to know the subjects, which was the main thing that I wanted to do. I wanted to get to hear their voices and get to know them. Until I was in the field, they were merely just people whose names and phone numbers I had, and who had agreed but then once I met them, they were like wonderful people who were so nice and willing to be open with me. I really liked them. Because that allowed me to connect with them and actually give more than just substance to my thesis, it became more than just an experience of writing an academic paper, it was also writing about these people. And that was really rewarding. And I would say also the meetings that we had I really enjoyed, just you giving me articles to read books, authors, and then like, trying to calm me down when I was like, oh, like the trip is coming up and then after the trip like I have so much to transcribe and things like that. Just having your guidance was really, really key.
Prof. Goodhart: Guille, congratulations again. You're a really worthy and natural recipient of the Ellen Lasher Kaplan and Robert S. Kaplan prize, and I was so honored to be the one to be able to Zoom this morning and tell you, but congrats.
Guille: Thank you, thank you so much.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Eli Wasserman
Winner of the IGS Global Citizenship Award
(Conversation with Prof. Chandler Rosenberger)
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slide shows both Prof. Rosenberger and Eli Wasserman sharing a screen and having a conversation]
Prof. Rosenberger: First off, you're graduating, congratulations. As far as I know.
Eli Wasserman: I know, yes, definitely graduating.
Prof. Rosenberger: I'm sure you are graduating, as long as the finals are in. But the other thing I want to congratulate you on was that you were the faculty's choice for this year's International and Global Studies, Global Citizenship Award…
Eli: That's amazing.
Prof. Rosenberger: …because of your, I mean, sort of similar to some of the stuff you're doing now with Partners in Health. It's just this consistent interest you've shown in the well being of other people, the welfare of other people, particularly the health of other people. Yeah, going back to your work with Gardens for Health in Rwanda. And then through your work with Oxfam, and with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. You've just had this really consistent commitment. And we've talked about a lot, you and I've talked about it a lot. The courses you've been taking and just a really consistent commitment to other people's welfare. And the other thing, of course, that has blown us all away is your commitment to sharing ideas about international affairs on campus. Founding the Brandeis Society for International Affairs was a huge deal. And I remember when you were, was that sophomore year, or freshman year?
Eli: It was sophomore year, so it was right coming out of the Brandeis International Journal with Zach, yeah.
Prof. Rosenberger: That was so exciting.
Eli: It was very exciting.
Prof. Rosenberger: And so and also, the other thing I really appreciate, is your commitment to improving the IGS program. I mean, your work in IGS was really important. All that work you did on putting together clusters of classes and coming up with themes for people's majors. You just showed a real commitment to everybody's better understanding of international affairs and to the welfare of the people you're working with. So we're just really excited, we're really pleased.
Eli: That's amazing.
Prof. Rosenberger: And okay, good. And from here on, you're going to continue working in contact tracing with Gardens for Health. And does that build on anything you've done at Brandeis or?
Eli: So I, the only thing would build on technically is like I was in Phonathon, but that's development work.
Prof. Rosenberger: Oh, right, oh that's interesting, you have that experience, yeah.
Eli: So like, it's interesting, because like, translating those skills in terms of interviewing and like talking with people on the phone, like it's very relevant. But this is much more like public health focused. Like Endeavor, which I really enjoy. Yeah, I guess another thing was, like, when I finished my thesis, I like had done 15 subject interviews, because that was my ethnographic data. So I like it and I have a major in anthropology as well. And so like everything, it's very anthropological, it's public health.
Prof. Rosenberger: Oh, that's interesting.
Eli: It's great.
Prof. Rosenberger: Yeah, well, congratulations, definitely join us. And I'm just really excited for you.
Eli: Awesome, thank you so much.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Samantha Power
Former Ambassador to the United Nations
(Guest Speaker)
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
Samantha Power: I'm Samantha Power, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and a professor of practice at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School. And I'm just here to wish the class of 2020 in the Brandeis IGS program all the best in your road ahead. I wish you were able today, of course, to gather with your classmates, your teachers, your loved ones. And I wish you could be celebrated in the way that you so deserve to be celebrated. I hope that day will come. But in the meantime, it's worth remembering that the very pandemic that keeps you apart, that keeps you at an appropriate distance, I suppose today underscores just how important the education that you have just acquired and the contributions you have made are.
I think the program you've been in is one that underscores the importance of international and regional cooperation. You now know much more about that and how to make it happen, why it doesn't happen, when it doesn't happen, than you did before you walked onto the Brandeis campus. You know the flaws of international and regional institutions, but also the possibilities and the promise. You see the indispensability of human dignity and the instability that stems from occasions when dignity is trampled, or when public policy doesn't put dignity at the heart of the equation. And you're ready, in every respect.
The only appeal I would make to you at a time of daunting challenges —not only the pandemic and the economic and public health devastation that lies in its wake, but also, of course, climate change, economic inequality, a surge in nationalism and xenophobia — so many of the ills that I don't need to remind you of that are very much part of the landscape that you are walking out of Brandeis and into. But in seeing all those problems and many more, and all of those challenges, it can be tempting as a citizen, but also now as someone who brings the kinds of tools you do to bear, could be tempting to think I gotta take my slice at all of those, how can I choose? I wanna make a productive difference and how can I do that on issues of racial injustice when the planet is warming? Don't feel guilty; fight your fight. Take your slice of the world, however small, however it feels modest compared to, again, the range of challenges confronting us. Do your thing, find your change. And just know that if each of us just does that, if we just find our little piece of any particular challenge to do our best to address, together we can make a profound difference. So I thank you for letting me join you today virtually, and I wish you all the best. We're counting on you.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Greg Freeze
Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of History
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slide shows the picture of the professor and a presentation]
Prof. Gregory Freeze: Hi, I'm Gregory Freeze. I'm a professor of Russian history and also a participant in the Global Studies Department. And I teach one of the core courses, which is this IGS 10a International and Global Studies. And 20 years ago, when I began teaching the course, I always included pandemics as part of the course and it was in the syllabus for last fall. This was the outline of the lecture, which I gave that day. Ebola crisis in 2014 was the last major episode. I think I need to revise this, and one of the things which faculty revise is sort of a light addition, and this would be one possibility that I could make a light revision. But I think this requires a much more radical revision, in which case we need Darth Vader to rewrite that lecture, then put in what's really going on.
And the second thing I want you to take away from all of this is the idea of what you're gonna do with what you've learned at Brandeis. And a good place to begin is Marx's statue at his funeral at his burial place in northern London. At the top you see, "Workers of all lands unite," and that's pretty clear; not hard to figure that one out. The bottom half is actually the most famous statement, which is not very readable, and you'll see that it says the following, "Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." So as you go along, keep that in mind.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Gary Jefferson
Carl Marks Professor of International Trade and Finance
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slide shows Prof. Gary Jefferson in his office]
Prof. Gary Jefferson: Hello, class of 2020, some of you have been in my courses on the economy of China and the economics of innovation and change. I can imagine how incredibly disruptive and disappointing it is to have been so rudely displaced from your spring semester senior year. My own son is struggling to process the same experience. I'd like to take this brief opportunity to urge you to use the learning skills and the spirit that you nurtured at Brandeis to try to savor the many dimensions — health, economic, social, international — of this totally unique life experience that has been created for the class of 2020. For Chinese students, (speaks in foreign language). For all, congratulations.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text in the slide reads:
Brandeis University
International and Global Studies(IGS)
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
[Slides with a blue background, one for each student, listing their name, degree and honors as their names are read. Some display a picture of the graduating student. Pomp and Circumstance is played quietly in the background]
Ruya Yasemin Akar.
Alexandra Theresa Aldridge.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Alexandra in a winter jacket and hat in front of trees
Jacob McClain Bacon.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Danielle Marie Bertaux.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Lillian Muriel Bickerstaff-Richard.
Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude
Picture of Lillian sitting in front of a yellow building with turrets and arches.
Zosia Anna Buse.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Carlos Guillermo Caballero Ferreira.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Carlos wearing a white shirt and tie seated at a banquet table talking to other people at the table.
Joshua Alexander Cohen.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Picture of Joshua smiling, standing in front of a framed picture
Natalie Rachel Cohen.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Picture of Natalie wearing a blazer, standing next to a banquet table
Samuel Evan Cohen.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Samuel standing against a wall, smiling.
Hannah Rose Cook.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Brianna Cummings.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Elizabeth Adjeiwaa Dabanka.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Elizabeth standing on a lawn with tree branches behind her.
Saint Cyr Dimanche.
Bachelor of Arts
Qindi Ding.
Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude
Picture of Qindi standing in front of windows with view of treetops
Allison Paige Donahue.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Allison standing in front of a cathedral
Rolonda Jenise Donelson.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Picture of Rolonda wearing a graduation cap
Emily Rae Foreman.
Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude
Close up shot of Emily Rae smiling
Sydney Elizabeth Glazer.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Sydney standing in front of a wood-panelled wall
Yasmine Haddad.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Joshua David Hanau.
Bachelor of Arts
Yimin He.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Maya Olan Iimura.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Picture of Maya standing in front of a background of clouds
Gregory Irwin.
Bachelor of Arts
Julia Morgan Karr
Bachelor of Arts
Sohaima Khilji.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Close up picture of Shaima wearing a yellow shirt
Ashley Maria Kim.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Kyung Hyun Kim.
Bachelor of Arts
Mayan Abigail Kleiman.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Mayan leaning against a column wearing a long dress
Ilana Sara Krill
Bachelor of Arts
Picture of Ilana sitting on a swing, wearing a cap and gown
Maria Nina Kulchyckj.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Maria on a balcony overlooking a green park with tall buildings in the background.
Noa Sylvie Laden.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Noa standing on a hilltop at sunset overlooking a village of stone buildings.
Soomin Lee.
Bachelor of Arts
Yiwen Li.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Yiwen wearing a graduation gown, standing on a tree-lined street
Yixuan Li.
Bachelor of Arts
Sichen Lin.
Bachelor of Arts
Ashley B Loc.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Ashley wearing a striped shirt standing by the Lights of Reason installation
Yijin Lu.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Picture of Yijin in cap and gown standing in front of a white wall
Rachel Luo.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Hannah Rose Muhlfelder.
Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude
Picture of Hannah wearing a graduation gown
Hannah Nicole Mui.
Bachelor of Arts
Logan Harley Nesson.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Jun Young Park.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Gloria Park
Bachelor of Arts
Picture of Gloria standing in front of a light blue cloud-pattern background
Leah Peretsky.
Bachelor of Arts
Picture of Leah riding on a mule in a desert, with a long line of other riders behind her
Danni Qi.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Danni in a forest of snow covered trees
Stephen Nicolas Rosselli.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Joao Pedro Rossi.
Bachelor of Arts
Picture of Joao wearing a jacket, with other people in the background in formal attire
Sarah Dorneles Sharpe.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Anna May Sherman.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
David Shpilman.
Bachelor of Arts
Picture of David standing on a stone path by a river with a bridge in the background
Alessia Maria Stewart.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Yuhong Sun.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Isabelle Le Truong.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Picture of Isabelle on a long narrow grassy, tree-lined path
Precious Chinonso Ufomadu.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Eli Sherman Wasserman.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Eli wearing graduation gown, standing in front of a cherry tree blossoms
Rebecca Weydt.
Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude
Picture of Rebecca in front of a scenic view of water and distant mountains at sunset
Natalya Lenora Wozab.
Bachelor of Arts
Picture of Natalya in front of a light blue background with cloud pattern
Eric S Yoon.
Bachelor of Arts
Xinmiao Zhang.
Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude
Close up picture of Xinmiao against a white wall
Mark Khan.
Master of Arts in Global Studies
Closeup picture of Mark Khan
[end of slides of students]
And the Master of Arts in Global Studies, Mark Khan.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Kristen Lucken
Lecturer in International & Global Studies, Religious Studies, and Sociology
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
Prof. Kristen Lunken: A hearty congratulations to the IGS class of 2020. We can't help but reflect on the immense talent and passion each of you has brought to campus. You were a very special group. Intellectual curiosity and a desire to make an impact are values that define Brandeisian. And these values are exceptionally reflective of your class. You've contributed significantly to the richness of our campus life, not only through academics, but also through clubs, sports, and volunteer activities in Waltham and beyond. As you cross this important threshold of graduation as scholars in your own right, and citizens of the world, we're confident you have the skills, talents, and passions needed to actively engage in the world and make an impact. So IGS class of 2020, Congratulations!! We wish you the best of luck, and we really hope that you stay in touch.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text reads:
Brandeis University
Hannah Mueller
Associate Professor of History
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
Prof. Hannah Mueller: Congratulations to all of you, our IGS graduates and your families. For those of you I don't know, I'm Professor Hannah Mueller. As a historian of the British Empire, I have always been grateful to have IGS students and their perspectives in my classes. Your understanding of the world as an interconnected place, and our shared humanity helped to foster fascinating connections between the past and present every semester. Well, I will miss seeing you on campus. I am confident that your time at Brandeis and your range of experiences have prepared you for what lies ahead. I'm even more confident that the world will be a better place with all of you in it. Whatever your next steps may be, I wish you the very best. Please do keep in touch as you make your own histories.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal appears. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Lucy Goodhart
Lecturer in International & Global Studies and Politics
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
Prof. Goodhart: Hello, greetings, IGS majors, can you believe it? The day is here. We might never have thought we would get here but it's your graduation. I want to express my congratulations to you and to your proud family. I want to say how much your achievements matter to you and to us during what has been such a challenging year. We look forward to celebrating your commencement with you in whatever way we can. And I want to wish you well, for the road ahead. We're thinking of you and we want to be in touch. Take care of the future.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
Chandler Rosenberger
Associate Professor of International & Global Studies and Sociology
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
Prof. Rosenberger: Graduates, that's it for our prepared remarks for today. But please do join us in the Zoom Rooms that will open in just a moment. As I mentioned before, we've sent you an email listing the rooms and the faculty who will be in the different rooms. And please feel free to share those emails, those Zoom Room addresses with family and friends, anyone whom you would like all of us to meet. Speaking of family, I hope you will take some time today to thank the parents, your caregivers that have brought you this far. I'm sure you have all spent a lot more time together in these past couple of months than you expected to. But I also hope that in that time, your parents, caregivers have grown, have seen how you've grown and how much you've learned in your four years of Brandeis. And that you appreciate all they did to make sure that that was possible.
On behalf of the Brandeis faculty, parents, thank you so much for giving us the chance to teach your children and to learn from them, and absolutely wonderful conversations we've had over these past four years. So as I said before, I do think this is a beginning of a new life. It's certainly the beginning of a new life for our graduates. I hope that this strange new beginning, launched as we were early out online, is an indication or a reminder of how much we share and how easily we can stay in touch if we want to. Your IGS experience, your Brandeis experience adds up to more than just the time you spent on the campus. It's a collection of ideas and memories, and conversations and those conversations can continue. We know that now. So go out there graduates, the world needs your energy and enthusiasm more than ever. Go out, be well, take care, and stay in touch.
[Slide with a blue background and Brandeis Seal. The text on the slide reads:
Brandeis University
International and Global Studies(IGS)
Celebrating the Class of 2020]
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