The video begins with shots of students in caps and gowns walking and posing for pictures. We hear the undergraduate student speaker, Hana Renate say: “Good morning, family and friends, faculty and staff. Class of 2025, we made it.” We then hear the music pick up and see quick shots of the students walking inside the building and sitting down. We hear Hana say: “Brandeis is a place for everyone. Brandeis is a place that allows us to follow our passions, not in addition to our coursework, but through it. Brandesians are driven by the desire to apply our education to the world, to know the truth within, not for the sake of knowledge alone, but to strengthen the very fabric of our existence.”
We see more shots of students listening to the speakers. We then hear the voice of interim president Arthur Levine say: “Today I want to talk to the graduates. I want to talk about your hopes, your fears, and your promise. I want to talk about what happens tomorrow morning. You, we, all of us, are living through a period of profound, accelerating, unceasing, and unprecedented change and our hopes and dreams are with you. We need you to repair the world, to build the new world, and to make it better than the world is today. This morning, we’ve come together not only to applaud your achievements, but to celebrate that you now have the skills, the knowledge, the values to accomplish this.”
The music than changes and we see shots of students walking towards the building. We hear the voice of Jonathan Sarna, the undergraduate speaker. He says: “Members of the Brandeis graduating Class of 2025, as you now set forth amid the turbulence of our time, eager to promote change. Be patient as well as persistent.”
We see shots of students lining up to start walking and we hear the voice of Giselle Gabriel, the graduate speaker. She says: “Today is a day of immense pride and reflection. We are not just celebrating the achievements of this extraordinary graduating class, but also paying tribute to 76 years of a remarkable university, its legacy of transforming lives, uplifting communities and making history. My friends, we struggled together. But in that struggle, we found resilience. We discovered strength in our faith, loved ones, mentors and friendships we built here at Brandeis. And today, we celebrate. We celebrate as a community that has supported, uplifted and inspired one another.”
We see shots of students during the ceremony and the designs of caps decorated. We hear the graduate speaker, Shirley Ann Jackson say: “Class of 2025, let your purpose guide you. Ask yourself, not only what can I achieve, but what can I contribute? But do not let others write you story. Claim your intellect, own your purpose I wish for you good health, safety, happiness and much success. Go forward and change the world.”
We then see students taking pictures with their families outside. We hear Hana say: “As we move forward from here, remember this: Be not simply good, be good for something, and let the next chapter of your story be written with the same passion, perseverance and hope that brought us all to this moment today. Congratulations to the Class of 2025, and thank you.” We then see the ceremony ending and the students throwing their caps in the air.
We see the Brandeis logo and the music fades down.