The video begins with a shot of the back of an undergraduate student's shoulder and head. She is looking away from the camera and is wearing a cap and gown, along with other graduation regalia and other graduate students in front of her. At that moment, the text "Brandeis 2026 Graduate Commencement" appears in white. A quick flashlight blinks in the video, and we see wide shots of a group of students walking together from the soccer field towards the location where commencement will take place.
While students walk in line and also await their turn in the background, a reflective and upbeat inspiring song plays. Quick shots matching the beat of the music show students entering the pavilion, smiling, and posing for the camera. First, we see the faculty walking to their seats, followed by the undergraduate students. Several students take their seats while a brass band plays music. A long shot shows the seated audience.
With the sun shining on the audience through skylights atop the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, President Arthur Levine tells the graduates "We’ve come together not only to applaud your achievements, which are extraordinary, but also to celebrate the fact that you now have the skills, the knowledge and the values to make this world a better place." The camera shows excited students watching his speech. Levine finishes, "Thank you. Congratulations!" All the students and families applaud.
The video now shows quick cuts of honorary degrees being awarded, including one to Isabel Wilkerson, bestselling author of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” and “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration,” and the first Black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, told the graduate Commencement ceremony that as we confront the pendulum swings of history in our current moment, it is natural to look for a leader. She says to the audience: “You’ve focused on the long term. You chose depth over speed. You chose to mine the fields of your devotion, to unlock mysteries of understanding of the seen and unseen world, the challenges of humanity itself.” We can see students are happy and contemplate with her words. Then she finishes “Congratulations to you all.” Students stand up and applaud her.
The video then cuts to Jin Zhao MS’20, PhD’26, a computer science doctoral candidate. As the graduate student speaker, she says that the education she and her fellow graduates received at Brandeis equips them to use their knowledge, skills and critical thinking in service of carefully listening and revising assumptions. She mentions “Brandeis was founded on the ideals of inclusion, truth, and justice. But what Brandeis has truly taught me is that understanding doesn’t begin with agreement. It begins with curiosity.” We can see students nodding and agreeing with her. She then concludes, "My hope for us is that we carry forward to the Brandeis way. Congratulations to the class of 2026! Thank you.” The students then stand to applaud and celebrate the moment with her.
The video cuts, and we see scenes of graduate students walking in line to receive their diplomas and cross the stage. Some wave to family members seated nearby. Everyone shakes hands with President Levine and the university's board members. They celebrate with their diplomas in hand. The video ends with the Brandeis logo and celebratory music fades down. End of video.