(orchestra playing jazzy "Pomp and Circumstance") (audience cheering) - Please be seated.

I declare the 53rd Commencement of Michigan State University's James Madison College now open.

(audience cheering) We begin our ceremony with the MSU Land Acknowledgement.

We collectively acknowledge that Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands, of the Anishinaabeg-Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples.

In particular, the university resides on lands seated in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.

We recognize support and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigan's 12 federally recognized Indian nations for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who are forcibly removed from their homelands.

By offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold Michigan State University more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.

We ask our guests to please rise if able, and join with students and faculty in singing "America the Beautiful," accompanied by the MSU College of Music's jazz orchestra, directed by university distinguished, professor Rodney Whitaker with vocalist Sarah Whitaker.

♪ Oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ For amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ For purple mountains majesties ♪ ♪ Above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ America America God shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ And crown Thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ From sea to shining to shining sea ♪ (audience applauding) - Please be seated.

The occasion of this commencement finds us assembled in humble gratitude for a university community and a faculty and student body in whom we take justifiable pride.

The most deserving, honored guests present here today are those of you whose constant support and love, have sustained the graduates we gather to recognize.

I asked the Class of 2023 to rise and turn toward their parents and loved ones to express the gratitude I know they feel.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) (dean laughing) While you remain standing graduates, I ask you now to turn towards those whose special work has been to guide you in your studies, your faculty.

Will the faculty rise and be recognized by these graduates and their families and friends.

(audience cheering) You may be seated.

I want to thank you for coming out on this day to celebrate the accomplish accomplishments of this great group of students.

I know firsthand the great strengths of our college, especially its faculty and staff.

But as I've learned in my time at Madison, we are so fortunate to have the kind of students we have and so fortunate to be in a position to teach them at a time when they're coming to exercise their full intellectual gifts and entering adulthood.

On behalf of the faculty and staff, I want to express my gratitude to the parents, grandparents, guardians, and loved ones for trusting us to do this work.

We enjoy this afternoon some special guests, JMC alumna, Dr. Yvette Efevbera will deliver our commencement address.

(audience applauding) And Ian Earle of the Class of 2023 will present the student commencement address.

(audience cheering) Other guests participating in the ceremony today are MSU trustee, the Honorable Kelly Tebay, (audience applauding) Vice Provost Mark Largent, (audience applauding) Professor Sejuti Das Gupta (audience cheering) and Assistant Dean Jeff Judge.

(audience cheering) Also on the platform to honor this fine graduating class, Associate Dean Bobby Brathwaite, (audience cheering) Professors Daniel Ahlquist, (audience cheering) Kirsten Brathwaite, (audience cheering) Olufunmbi Elemo, (audience cheering) Norman Graham, (audience cheering) Constance Hunt, (audience cheering) Louise Jezierski, (audience cheering) Daniel Kramer, (audience cheering) Linda Sayed, (audience cheering) Amy Simon, (audience cheering) Susan Stein-Roggenbuck, (audience cheering) Jennifer Sykes, (audience cheering) Brianne Wolf (audience cheering) and Matt Zierler.

(audience applauding) We would like to recognize and thank Andrea Cliver who will be translating for the open captioning at our ceremony today.

(audience cheering) We would also like to recognize and thank the MSU College of Music's Jazz Orchestra for their performances today under the direction of university Distinguished Professor Rodney Whitaker.

(audience cheering) Today we bring together our graduates, along with our families and friends to honor you and your accomplishments.

We gather today while being mindful that we are still mourning the violence our community experienced on February 13th.

It may feel uncomfortable to celebrate while that occasion still consumes so much of our thoughts and feelings.

We are dedicated to supporting everyone who is impacted by this event, including the students who are injured, witnesses to the violence and families of those who are injured or passed.

As we begin to shift to a celebration of your accomplishments, let us now pause for a moment of silence to consider how we can live our lives in a way that honors all Spartans, including those who are no longer with us.

It is always a treat to welcome our alumni back to campus to visit with students and impart the wisdom they have acquired since their days as a student in Case Hall.

We are fortunate to have many alumni invested in the success of our current students and new graduates.

Our alumni show up for their Alma Mater in countless ways and today is no exception.

It wasn't that long ago that our keynote speaker, Yvette Efevbera, sat where you're sitting today, most likely experiencing some of the very same feelings that many of you share.

As she prepared to walk across this stage, earning her degree in both international relations and African studies, she knew she had big plans for her future.

She went on to pursue graduate degrees from Harvard University's Chan School of Public Health, she holds a master's of science and global health and a doctor of science and population and reproductive health.

(audience cheering) Impressive.

(audience cheering) While her degrees are impressive, what is even more noteworthy is the kind of work Dr. Efevbera is doing with her education.

She is a leader and an expert in global health and a champion of equity for women and children.

She has worked nearly 15 years across academic, nonprofit, and philanthropic spaces, at the intersection of research programs, policy and advocacy.

She leads culturally intentional efforts to improve programs and policies linking gender and youth, particularly in settings of adversity.

Efevbera's experience advancing health development, gender education and equity has spanned several countries with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora.

She was most recently lead the Gates Foundation for addressing child marriage and gender-based violence and building a new adolescent and youth focus.

In that role, she developed new strategies and led targeted investments to advance the field, addressing barriers girls and women face.

Prior, Efevbera was an NIH-funded principal investigator at Harvard University, leading research on child, girl-child marriage, adolescent health, and women's issues in African context.

She has worked for several organizations in different countries, including Wellspring, UBS Optimist Foundation, the Harvard Center for Population Studies in Burundi, and Mothers to Mothers in Malawi.

Efevbera's passion has been creating spaces for underrepresented voices to participate in decision making, further reflected in her board and service experience as a certified diversity, equity and inclusion consultant.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome our keynote speaker, Dr. Yvette Efevbera.

(audience applauding) - Thank you for such a kind introduction, dean.

Good afternoon everyone.

- [Audience] Good afternoon.

- Oh, you guys are so good!

Board of Trustees, JMC, faculty and staff, family, friends, and our most esteemed guests of the day, the JMC Class of 2023, (audience cheering) it is an absolute pleasure and an honor for me to be able to share this day with you all.

I was thinking when I was invited to give this speech, who the speaker was when I graduated 14 years ago now.

It's not that long, (audience laughing) but I actually can't for the life of me remember.

So I hope that means the bar for today is not too high.

(audience laughing) Today I want to talk with you all about navigating and riding the waves of transition.

And I want to start with a quick live poll for our graduates here.

So just three quick questions.

Raise your hand if any of these ring true for you.

Number one, how many of you know exactly what your next step is gonna be?

Okay, so you know you're going to graduate school, you're starting a job.

Okay.

Number two, how many of you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Let's pretend that's like 15 years from now.

Okay, hands down.

And number three, how many of you have no idea what comes next, other than you'll listen to me talk and then you'll celebrate your weekend and you'll figure it out.

(audience laughing) Okay, brave souls.

Well, when I was in your shoes, I actually would've raised my hands proudly for questions one and two.

But today as I stand in front of you, I joined those brave souls who just raised their hands for question three for the fourth time since I sat in your shoes.

So I already feel connected to each and every one of you.

When I came to James Madison College, our beloved JMC, nearly two decades ago, I knew I was interested in a career in public service.

At the time I was a 17-year-old, who came from a small rural community here in Michigan.

I'm first generation born American, but Nigerian by origin, and I'd spent some time with my family there over the years.

And I'd had this life altering experience when I was in high school.

My family moved to Namibia in Southern Africa and it changed my perspective from pursuing dreams of Broadway musical theater stardom to pursuing a career in global health, international relations and diplomacy.

I just knew that I was gonna be the next big global figure in global health policy.

I was gonna be a director at the United Nations or in the U.S. government.

I was gonna be the next ambassador, Catherine Wyler, for any of you watching "The Diplomat."

(audience laughing) Okay, there's a few of you.

And so I went through my time here on campus on that pathway.

I'll skip the memories of my time here.

You all have several of those and maybe a few stories you don't want to share with the parents.

But I do want to share a little bit about my time since leaving JMC.

And I want to share four lessons that I've learned through four major points of transition that I wish someone would've shared with me earlier in my journey into leadership and service.

I will first tell you that I left JMC hearing the messages that I was a leader.

And I went off to my next step, graduate school, believing I knew exactly what would come next and where I'd end up when I grew up, which is next year for me, apparently.

So a quick aside, I had classmates who, they knew what they were doing next, they knew what they wanted to be and and they achieved it.

Those classmates today, they work for agencies that cannot be named.

They are professors, they're business leaders, they're lawyers, and so they're elected officials, right?

So dreams with hard work and a little bit of luck can come true.

But for the rest of us, that may not be our realities, especially if we're going down pathways where our dreams have not already been chartered.

And so it leads to the first lesson that I want to share with you all, and that is that in the midst of a transition, seize opportunities.

Now you might have gathered from my short aside that life did not exactly progress as I had imagined.

I left JMC and went to the Harvard University and I went there to get my master's in global public health.

And I realized very quickly that not everyone was trained the way that you and I were trained here in JMC.

My classmates weren't interested in talking about political analysis.

They weren't interested in staying up all night to polish the next day's assignment.

And I was surrounded by classmates with really impressive backgrounds and experiences, including in the organizations that I had dreamed of working for.

I would be lying if I said that that didn't shake my confidence and make me question some of the things that I left here believing were true.

But I selectively took several opportunities that were in front of me.

Opportunities to gain new skills in things like quantitative analysis and qualitative data analysis, opportunities to work and consult for different organizations and to expand my own lived experience.

And in doing so, I stumbled on a passion for using my skills and research to actually advance programs and policies in ways that I didn't even know was possible during my time here on campus.

It led to a postgraduate job where I was leading a division for an HIV prevention organization in Malawi in Southern Africa.

And it wasn't what I had dreamed when I sat in your shoes, but it did, for me, provide an opportunity to unlock clarity on what my real passion was.

And that was for improving the lives of marginalized young people and women all over the world.

And it gave me the confidence to go after achieving it.

So seize opportunities.

Now, my second point of transition came after that time in Malawi, and it leads to the second point, the second lesson I want to share.

In the midst of a transition, don't forget your community.

You do not have to do this journey alone.

I want you to just look around you for the next 30 seconds.

Look at the person sitting next to you, the professors on the stage, the family and friends, including those all the way in the rafters who came from all over to celebrate you today.

This is the start of a very special community that you are privileged and you have earned the right to be a part of.

This is the start of a community that wants to see your success, so develop it, use it.

After my time in Malawi, when I came back to the U.S., that was about three years after I was sitting in your shoes, I wasn't sure what would come next again.

And after a month of no success applying to all of my dream agencies, I finally took an internship that I knew I was overqualified for, but it gave me the chance to get my foot into the door for life in Washington D.C.

I eventually got a permanent position that allowed me to foray into this field called philanthropy, the people in development who hold a lot of resources, and thus, a lot of decision making power for the communities that I wanted to serve.

And during my time in D.C., one of my first roommates was actually a JMC alum.

It was someone who came through when I had no idea where I could afford to live on my salary.

My JMC community, and the Spartan community more broadly, was, and it has been the first network that I've tapped into through alumni clubs when I moved to Boston and then to D.C., and then back to Boston and later to Seattle.

It's a community that I've reached out to for referrals and job ideas.

It's a community that doesn't need to ask why I'm such a fanatic during basketball and football seasons.

It's a community that didn't bat an eye when I painted my nails green and white and wore Spartan Strong gear for weeks, while mourning with this community this past February, Few people in the world will ever understand the experiences that you all have been through over the last four years.

And so how incredible that you don't have to explain it to this community.

Through your friendships, thought partnerships, mentorships, even alumni like me, community can be the foundation for you in the midst of a transition in both your professional and your personal journeys if you let it.

This is a lifelong community if you invest in it, so build your community.

Years later, I had a third major transition, and in that moment I learned this third lesson that I want to share.

In the midst of a transition, don't forget to dream big.

Now, after my time in D.C., I went back to Harvard to pursue my doctorate in global health, graduated five years later and was preparing to start yet another job.

And I will never forget one of my research advisors, the late great Dr. Paul Farmer, global health guru, and he reminded me to tap into something that I'd cultivated here in JMC, to dream big.

I had decided to take a role at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an institution I knew had unprecedented financial resources and development, but that didn't invest in the causes that I cared the most about.

Causes like how you link global health to gender equality and adolescents and youth wellbeing.

And Dr. Farmer asked me during my dissertation defense, the big presentation where I have to share my years of research on child marriage, marriage before the age of 18, and how it impacts the lives of women and their children across African settings.

He asks me what I would tell Bill and Melinda Gates when I got to their institution, about how they could do more in that space.

I told Dr. Farmer that they, Bill and Melinda Gates, would never ask me, little old me, they would never ask me that question.

And he reminded me that it was an exam.

(audience laughing) But essentially what he did was that he pushed me to dream big.

I did, I passed.

And five years later, I am so proud to say that I led the world's largest private philanthropic organization in investing more than $30 million into ending child marriage and advancing the fight against gender-based violence.

(audience cheering) I am so proud to say that I was the first hire on a new team that I advocated for that was focused on improving adolescent health and livelihood and will, over the next few years, be investing another $70 million worth of resources towards these causes.

(audience cheering) But I share that to say that if I hadn't been reminded to dream big in that moment, 10 years after I sat in your seats, I could have missed an opportunity to change the world, in big ways and in small.

So dream big.

Now with these three lessons that I've shared, comes a responsibility and a fourth and final lesson that I want to share with you.

Know your values.

Know who you are and the causes, stay true to the causes that you hold dear.

Right now, I stand in solidarity with every single one of you because I'm in the midst of my fourth major transition.

I recently decided to leave my job.

I'm not leaving because I don't care about the work.

I do, it's my life's passion.

But I chose to leave and I realized it was time because I needed to reconnect with my values and how I do that work.

And as I was reflecting on this really difficult decision, I wrote a piece on LinkedIn just a few weeks ago and I just want to read a little passage from that for you, in case any of this rings true.

I'm often asked what it takes to become a leader.

And in the midst of my current career transition, I'm struck by how difficult it sometimes is to listen to one's self.

I always tell students, mentees, and even my younger siblings to follow their passions, to use their head and consult their personal advisory boards and to follow their hearts.

I tell them not to sacrifice their health or dignity for anyone, to bring people who aren't at the table into the fold, and to create their own spaces that honor their values when they feel they are not being valued.

Graduates, when the cost of doing business requires you to sacrifice too much of what you believe in, I hope that you will stop, reflect, remember your values and make a change.

Look, I said this at the beginning, I join the many of you who raised your hand for question three.

I have no idea what's next for me professionally.

And so I know for those of you who are in that camp, it can be a really scary place.

But because of those four lessons that I've learned, to seize opportunities, to build community, to dream big, and to know your values, I know that it will work out even better than I could have planned.

And parents, don't worry, I'm not doing nothing in this time.

I serve on a board, I volunteer, I'm reinvesting in my community and I'm taking care of my own health.

But look graduates, what I want to say is that the things that I've talked about are things that so many of you have already started to cultivate during your time here on campus at JMC.

These lessons for me have carried me this far, and so I encourage you to keep applying them in your life because I know they'll carry you as well.

Let me end.

I know I have to get off the stage.

So let me end by saying this.

I look around at you graduates and I know that you have everything that you need to be of service to any community that you choose to serve.

Your resilience in the midst of a global pandemic, earth shattering experiences here on this campus, unprecedented historic and economic turmoil, and your own personal struggles and journeys have strengthened your resilience and your grit.

You are incredible.

You're incredible, and you really have the potential to take and build on what you've learned here and to truly step into that next phase of leadership.

So hold on to that, lean into that, and embrace this crazy journey that you're about to start in the midst of this transition.

Congratulations to the James Madison College Class of 2023.

You did the damn thing.

(audience applauding) (jazz music) (audience applauding) (jazz music continues) (audience applauding) (jazz music continues) (audience applauding) (jazz music continues) (audience applauding) (jazz music continues) (audience cheering) - Hello, before I get into my official duties, I just want to brag for a second.

That was one of my classmates at JMC, so I'm just saying, so, thank you so much.

I'm Kelly Tebay, I'm with the Board of Trustees and on behalf of the Board of Trustees, I welcome all the graduates, families, and friends who are with us for this afternoon's undergraduate commencement.

Under the Michigan Constitution, the Board of Trustees is the governing body of the university by whose authority degrees are awarded.

Today's ceremony represents the culmination of discipline, intellectual work, and creative imagination, certainly no small accomplishment.

For many of you and your families here today, the sacrifices have been long and great.

The degree you have earned acknowledges your success and honors those who have encouraged it.

Our wish is that you will always be leaders who generously use your intelligence and your knowledge to improve the quality of life for your community, to advance the common good, and to renew hope in the human spirit.

Our faculty, the administrators, and the MSU trustees are all very proud of you.

Please accept our warmest congratulations and best wishes.

Lastly, we wish to pay tribute to graduates who not only completed their academic program successfully, but who have the distinction of having maintained the highest grade point average in the class, thereby meriting the Board of Trustees Award.

To be eligible for this prestigious award, at least three-fourths of the credits for the degree must be earned in residence at Michigan State University.

Will the students who are present please stand and remain standing as your names are called Hadley Lloyd, who is political theory and constitutional democracy, (audience cheering) as well as Spanish and a member of the Honors College, congratulations.

And Ishaan Modi, who's also SRP.

(audience cheering) He is also in philosophy and sociology of science, and a member of the Honors College.

And we all know how hard it is to get a four point in James Madison, so can we give 'em another round of applause?

(audience applauding) Each of you should be very proud of the outstanding academic record that honors our university.

On behalf of your classmates, the faculty, the officers, and trustees of the university, I extend sincere congratulations and best wishes.

Please join me in applause for the Class of 2023 Trustee Award recipients.

(audience applauding) Thank you.

- Good afternoon, I'm Mark Largent.

I'm the vice provost and dean of undergraduate education here at Michigan State University.

I'm very happy to be here with you, especially the person who yelled for that.

Thank you, thank you for that.

I'm really happy to be here with y'all today and to congratulate you on a really remarkable accomplishment and to congratulate your family and your friends who are here to celebrate that with you.

Like all of you, I joined Michigan State University through Case Hall.

I started here actually, with some pretty amazing students.

This one and this one, Dr. Efevbera and Dr. Tebay were both in 201 with me.

And I am sorry I taught, that was the first time I ever taught Federalist 52.

- [Participant] That's great, we remember.

I know you're still confused about it and I have learned a lot since then.

I'm sorry.

Truly amazing students.

I spent 12 years in Madison before I moved into the administration and like all of you, like my colleagues here, James Madison College has been a a truly amazing community.

One that provided me friends and colleagues, a really solid foundation and values that I still work from today.

I will forever be grateful to the students that I had, the friends and my colleagues.

I want to thank the faculty and I hope you'll join me in thanking them.

(audience applauding) So I'm here today to present the 2023 Richard Lee Featherstone Endowed Prize.

And this year the Featherstone has been awarded to a James Madison student, Lexie Milukhin, a graduating senior in Madison with a major in social relations and public policy and minors in Chicano and Latino studies and educational studies.

Lexie, would you come join me?

(audience applauding) - Just stand here while I make things awkward by talking about you like you're not here, okay?

So the Featherstone Prize seeks to identify an MSU senior who exhibits an open, curious and creative approach to education and ideas and intellectual ingenuity.

Lexie certainly embodies these qualities.

The Featherstone provides without limits or bounds of any kind, a prize of $4,000 to be used for future growth and development, for travel, for graduate study, even for just meditation and hanging out.

The point here is to recognize somebody who very clearly has invested not only in herself, but into the broader community.

In nominating her for the award, her faculty remarked on Lexie's passion for equity, for helping others, saying that she has an unobstructed vision for success and is deeply invested in giving back to her community.

Since fall semester '22, Lexie has served as president of the newly registered student organization called, Latino Leaders in Policy, which she helped establish.

The group provides support to Latinx students through networking opportunities, mentorship, career exploration, scholarship guidance and more.

And as president, she's managed their meetings, coordinated their guest speakers ensured that the group members knew when and where and how to find support.

Lexie describes education as a pathway toward upward mobility for herself, for her family, an opportunity to break generational cycles.

She's witnessed firsthand the the effects of systematic barriers on low income individuals and people of color, and how their access to world-changing opportunities can be constrained by policy.

Lexie has dedicated her academic career to studying these dynamic and engaging topics in an effort to educate others from similar backgrounds, passing on what she's learned about how to get into college and to persist once she's there.

To date, she has helped nearly 2000 students do this through an on-campus initiative, mentorship groups, off-campus opportunities, and local projects back in her hometown teaching middle and high school students about academic success.

In addition to working directly with students impacted by systemic inequities, Lexie's commitments to studying political systems has supported her in positions in the Michigan Hispanic Latino Commission, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and most recently working for Representative Paiz, the sole Latina in Michigan's House of Representatives.

After graduation, Lexie plans to continue her education by pursuing a master's degree in public policy, Michigan, right?

Yeah.

(audience laughing) - Show them, will ya?

Yeah.

Pursuing transformative change that will address the realities lived daily by those experiencing systemic oppression.

Her career aspiration is to work in a legislative capacity, serving the communities that she cares most about.

As a leader, as a generous member of her communities, as a scholar concerned with the success of others, I have no doubt that Lexie's bright Future will bring her fellow Spartans and her fellow Madisonians pride for years to come.

Congratulations, Lexie.

(audience cheering) - Good afternoon everyone.

I am here to introduce the James Madison College student commencement speaker for 2023.

The past four years have been truly unbelievable, as we know.

Students sitting here have persevered and overcome every obstacle, illness, or catastrophe put in your way.

They have shown determination, motivation, they have shown that with determination and motivation and resolve goals they set are attainable, even in the most difficult of times and in the most difficult of circumstances.

How each of you met the challenges presented may have appeared different from one person to the next, but something that applies to all of you is that you are capable of doing extraordinary things.

Look at Trustee Tebay, look at Dr. Efevbera over here.

And yes, I do remember their graduation ceremonies, but I don't know who spoke either.

(stage party laughing) But you are all capable of doing extraordinary things.

And I'm not the first person to tell you this today or this weekend or even recently, but it never hurts to hear some things multiple times.

One of them is that I am amazed by each and every one of you.

Today I'm honored to introduce the student commencement speaker for James Madison College Class of 2023.

It is a true honor to introduce Ian Earle (audience cheering) and Ian, you don't, you don't have to come up and stand next to me.

So sometimes in life we are fortunate to meet people with certain qualities that make them stand out.

I think this is a lot of you that I've met over the years and definitely, Ian.

He possesses a unique combination of intellect, compassion, humility, humor, and yes, I was the unwitting victim of one of his jokes.

He also possesses determination and all of these make him an outstanding leader student.

But most importantly, and I want to emphasize, most importantly, an outstanding person.

I think as a society we need to look and away from certain artificial things like grades or awards and look at the person.

Ian's an amazing person.

Ian's impact on James Madison College and MSU will live on long after today.

He had fun at MSU, whether it was having a late night snack at the Wilson Pasta Bar during his first year, attending MSU football games, watching MSU sports, or hanging out with his friends from Four South.

(students cheering) Ian enjoyed his time and made several lifelong friends.

In fact, recently I was having dinner with Ian and Ian Donahue and Sierra Borden.

And Ian shared his most memorable moment in college with us.

It wasn't in the classroom, but it was watching MSU beat down U of M in so many sports.

(audience cheering) - Sorry, Lexie.

- But specifically Ian remembered last year's football game, and in fact, the other Ian and Sierra also said that was memorable, but I don't remember it.

I don't know what happened, but I don't, honestly, can't remember it.

Beyond the fun times in classes, Ian is usually the first to volunteer to represent the college and his peers.

He has been a great asset to our perspective student visit programs, he's been a mentor, he served the younger students in James Madison during Welcome Week, and he's been an active member of Student Senate.

- [Audience Member] Woo!

I thought that would elicit a reply.

This semester, this semester was particularly difficult for all of us, but for me, beyond the campus tragedy, I lost two close family members.

Hearing Ian and the other senators laughing or just working down in the student senate office always reminded me of the good things in life and why I'm so grateful to work in James Madison College and in higher education.

There were some days that their laughter would actually reach my office down the hall and it lifted my spirits.

Often I hear Professor Stein-Roggenbuck's laugh and I can hear it in my office, and that lifts my spirits as well.

It's an amazing laugh and a gift, it's a gift.

But the student senators, you all gave me a gift to help during a difficult time when you were working in your office or just making jokes.

His graduation will leave a void in the Madison community, but knowing Ian, he will return often and volunteer for many Madison alum activities.

Ian always steps up when he is needed and in his quiet way, leads by example.

Ian isn't one to seek attention, awards or acclaim.

He wants to help people and promote positive change.

He wants results.

He holds people accountable.

After four years of getting to know Ian in various ways, I consider Ian a friend, and I hope the feeling is mutual.

I know Ian's future is bright, though he should probably cross detective off of his short list of career paths.

Last semester, Ian and another unknown Madison student, spent most of the time in Professor Wolf's MC341 class, trying to figure out who my son was.

(audience laughing) My son was sitting right behind Ian the whole semester.

(audience laughing) Of course, my son didn't tell Ian this and he just listened to what Ian and this other unnamed student were saying.

Nevertheless, Ian is a remarkable person.

He will make his community and our global community a better place.

Introducing Ian is an honor.

I genuinely thank Ian for asking me to introduce him.

So year 2023, James Madison College commencement speaker, Ian Earle.

(audience cheering) - Hello everyone, my name is Ian Earle and thank you Jeff for that incredibly kind introduction.

Good afternoon, friends, family, faculty, and most of all, good afternoon to the extraordinary Class of 2023.

(audience applauding) I'd first like to begin with a few acknowledgements.

I would like to begin by acknowledging my family for making the trip to East Lansing.

Your support over the past four years has truly meant the world to me.

I would like to thank all of you, my friends, especially my girlfriend, Emily, because without your love and support this past year, it's very likely I could have been the commencement speaker for the Class of 2024.

(audience laughing) Finally, I would like to thank my mom and stepdad, Ronnie and Jim, because without their sacrifices, love and support, I would not have been able to achieve all my academic and extracurricular dreams here at Michigan State.

(audience applauding) Now with that being said, wow, we really made it everyone.

Everyone please make some noise for the class of 2023.

(audience cheering) Come on, come on.

(audience cheering) So Jeff Judge knows better than anyone that I never thought this day would come, as I was constantly in his office this past year, checking to see if I was really on pace to graduate.

The time has really flown by.

I can still recall the first time we walked into Wilson Auditorium for MC201.

Looking back, it is amazing to see how much every one of us has grown and achieved over the past few years.

We've all had to do the countless essays, focus on building new friendships and walked hundreds of miles canvassing for our internships.

We've had to go through so much to get to this point, and despite what the classic Madisonian imposter syndrome may tell us, we should all be incredibly proud of ourselves to be here graduating.

There are no doubt many moments of difficulty that no class before us has had to experience.

But as Spartans, we nevertheless persisted.

During our time here, we have had to adapt to new ways of learning, while still connecting with and supporting one another.

And there has been no normal year during our time here at Michigan State, this year being no different.

Three beautiful lives, Arielle Anderson, Alex Verner, and Brian Fraser will not have the same opportunity to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, due to an act of senseless violence.

The Madison community remains in solidarity with the victim's families as we work towards a solution to end this violence.

The challenges we face in our future endeavors, will no doubt require a similar resilience in creativity, but we are Madisonians and I have no doubt that we are up to the task.

To overcome difficulties we have seen firsthand just how important a loving and caring community is.

When I first came to Case Hall four years ago, for my Meet Madison Day, I was struck, first of all by the size of the cafeteria compared to my high school's.

(audience laughing) But most importantly of all by the emphasis on community.

An emphasis that could not be matched outside of a residential college.

I knew nothing of James Madison College heading into that day.

I knew nothing of the culture, classes, and clubs that would shape my life over the next four years.

- Throughout our journey, we have had the support of advisors doing an amazing job at keeping us on track, helping with classes, easing nerves about graduation or whatever.

Our professors who go above and beyond to not only be educators, but mentors and always being a constant presence in Case Hall.

And most importantly, our friends who we could confide in and would push us to finish up that paper only minutes before the deadline.

The community here at James Madison has given me a sense of belonging, support, and motivation to be the best version of myself.

I am the man who I am today because of James Madison College.

James Madison College in East Lansing is my heart and my home.

Here I have made friends, some of the same friends who lived on the fourth floor of South Case freshman year, (students cheering) who I still call my brothers and sisters today.

In the students Senate (students cheering) in my work, I learned to be a better leader and handle greater responsibilities.

In the classroom I learned to be a better writer, a better listener, a better citizen, and a better person.

We're incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to have these shared experiences and learn from one another.

So as we go on to this world, we must continue to find our own communities and be active in it.

Be engaged and support others.

Be the person who makes a positive impact and contributes to the greater good.

I challenge each of you to carry the Madisonian spirit with you wherever you may end up.

Never be afraid to be open to building connections and relationships in the next chapter of your life.

We are so privileged and fortunate to have been able to receive an education from James Madison College.

We've had the opportunity to learn from some of the best in their respective fields and as Malcolm X once said, education is the passport to the future.

As we sit here today, adorned in our caps and gowns, you should all feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment for all your hard work, But this is just the beginning.

Our journeys of success do not end here.

The world is waiting for us and it is our responsibility as Madisonians to go out and make a difference.

Our education here at Madison has given us the power to shape the future.

Now, during our years in Case Hall, we have broadened our horizons, challenged our assumptions, and expanded our understanding of the world.

So as we embark on this next phase of our lives, remember the value of our education.

Never stop learning, never stop growing and never stop striving to make a difference in the world.

Thank you all so much for these wonderful years and as always, go Green!

(audience cheering) (students cheering) - Hello everyone.

It's difficult to take the podium after Ian, and I think it was very heartfelt what he had to share, but I shall try my best.

It's very good to be with all of you, Class of 2023, congratulations to you and your families.

(audience applauding) I am thrilled to be with you and all of us here, and especially because we are in person.

When we all were together in 2019 in Wilson Hall, in your freshman year, but soon after that we were forced to go online, we would see each other through those small screens on Zoom.

And we missed several opportunities to talk to you, meet in the corridors of Case Hall and got to know you more.

Today we are at this pivotal moment in all your lives.

This gathering, this ceremony, this moment, is all for you.

As you will walk across the stage and reach the end, that moment will mark you as a graduate.

How immensely proud we are, how immensely proud, to be with all of you together.

We have spent a good amount of time today looking ahead.

You have heard a lot of good advice and we hope that you carry that advice with you.

We, the faculty and staff of JMC believe in you and know you will be ahead of the curve wherever you go.

We look forward to following your journey and glow in your glory as you leave James Madison College and Michigan State University, and go out into the broader world.

As Khalil Gibran would say, "We are like the bows and you are like the arrows," surging ahead.

Let us take a look at where it all began.

As a scholar of development, studies and politics, I enjoyed framing the MC201 syllabus with my colleagues.

Let us reiterate a few pressing questions that shaped your learning as a student at JMC and MSU.

Let us return to some of our guiding questions from your first class at James Madison College, Introduction to Public Affairs MC201.

Hopefully you remember something.

Take a moment to think about your answers to these questions and how they evolved over the four years.

What is the tension between liberty and equality?

How do you reconcile individual liberty with the common good?

Given resources are finite, what happens when different groups claim conflicting rights and freedoms?

In what ways do universal ideals of equal citizenship overlook questions of particular cultural groups, such as social class, race, and gender?

Where do institutions like State interact with the functioning of market?

Does globalization challenge national citizenship?

Is cosmopolitan citizenship our future?

How did an interdisciplinary education inform your learning?

Throughout your time in James Madison College, we have asked you these kinds of vital questions.

The questions may have felt very different among the majors, but in many ways they were actually very, very similar.

In your unique experiences, we were asking you some very universal questions.

You received a liberal education with analytical skill and research ability.

With that education, we ask you to engage with the world as a practitioner, policy maker, development professional, social worker, lawyer, leader, professor, journalist, you are ready for these various walks of life.

JMC students are thinkers and they're doers.

- [Audience Member] That's right, woo!

- Madisonians understand U.S.-China relations, public policy, constitutional democracy, climate justice, structural inequality, Senior Sem, (students cheering) immigration and public health, that is something most JMC students know at the end of their four years.

But you have one more thing.

You have endured three very difficult years alongside the world.

You have lived the most hopeful years in your life, in worry, in despair, in a global crisis.

But as you stand here today, each of you, you bear a testimony of resilience, high spirits, and perseverance that makes you truly special.

Own that self who persisted and grew and look back at this period as one of deep learning.

During the four years, we pushed you hard to study, engage, and write.

JMC challenged you, but it prepared you to not fear tough assignments and multiple deadlines.

At each step, the College faculty and staff stood beside you and supported you.

As you move ahead always remember, we are right behind you.

My only advice, wherever you go, every once in a while, pause to think of those big questions raised in MC201 and thereafter, to reflect on the world you are going to make.

At JMC, you learned in classrooms and you learned beyond the classrooms.

We nurtured your ability to work with teams, manage your time, articulate a nuanced argument, and contribute to the larger community.

You will need these talents to decide how will you balance your individual success with the success of our society and survival of this planet.

The future is yours.

Candidates of James Madison, diplomas are waiting on the stage for you.

If you join us right now together, you'll be alumni, all candidates of James Madison, you have family that will cheer for you.

(audience cheering) If we manage to get this right, you'll be an alumni by early light.

Now, will the candidates please rise.

(audience applauding) - On behalf of the president to whom the Board of Trustees has delegated the authority of the State of Michigan vested in the Board, I confer upon all of you the degrees for which you have been recommended with all of the rights and distinctions to which they entitle you.

Jody Noll will announce the names of the graduates as they receive their diplomas.

We ask the audience to be considerate and hold your applause while graduate names are read.

The candidates may come forward to receive their degrees.

(audience member applauding) (students cheering) - Ciera Borden.

(audience cheering) Eleanor Nagel-Bennett.

(audience cheering) Julia Walters.

(audience cheering) Brooke Klasko.

(audience cheering) Tasfia Ahmed.

(audience cheering) Ian Earle.

(audience cheering) Alexie Milukhin.

(audience cheering) Noihrita Masud.

(audience cheering) Gabriel Reed Sandoval.

(audience cheering) Emily LaFrance.

(audience cheering) Emily Prescott.

(audience cheering) Madison Gladney.

(audience cheering) Kara Jade Tanski.

(audience cheering) Brooklyn Scott.

(audience cheering) Raquel Acosta.

(audience cheering) Emily Eckenroth.

(audience cheering) Victoria Perrett.

(audience cheering) Brooke Stempien.

(audience cheering) Emma Bryanne Lebarre.

(audience cheering) Mallory Grace Wellhausen.

(audience cheering) Sarah Atwood.

(audience cheering) Jeana Marquardt.

(audience cheering) Abraham Gill.

(audience cheering) Samuel Schrodt.

(audience cheering) Carl Austin Miller Grondin.

(audience cheering) Samuel Brown.

(audience cheering) Trevor Cawley.

(audience cheering) Lucas Pitser.

(audience cheering) Jill Ann Agens.

(audience cheering) Carley Brook DeRoche.

(audience cheering) Carly Sandstrom.

(audience cheering) Kaylie Ayers.

(audience cheering) Ragan Smith.

(audience cheering) Hadley Lloyd.

(audience cheering) Valerie Janet McNamara.

(audience cheering) Joy Cullen.

(audience cheering) India Everson.

(audience cheering) Zora Woodard.

(audience cheering) Beija McCarter.

(audience cheering) Sophia Sears.

(audience cheering) Daisy Brown.

(audience cheering) Gabriel Herrera.

(audience cheering) Laila Genevieve Galarsa.

(audience cheering) - Michael Rodriguez.

(audience cheering) Raven Nelson.

(audience cheering) Joy Mosley.

(audience cheering) Yasmin Alexia Bangura.

(audience cheering) Andriea Leanna Inges.

(audience cheering) Michah Lee Morris.

(audience cheering) Safia Webster.

(audience cheering) Salena Thompson.

(audience cheering) Cydney Tate.

(audience cheering) Samantha Lee.

(audience cheering) Luke Adams.

(audience cheering) Jesus Hernandez.

(audience cheering) Jacob Pepper.

(audience cheering) Grace Vanderhart.

(audience cheering) Carson Morgan.

(audience cheering) Nicole Yackel.

(audience cheering) Makayla Vivio.

(audience cheering) Hannah Haggerty.

(audience cheering) Lenise Freeman.

(audience cheering) Madeline Marie Dwyer.

(audience cheering) Maxwell Oliver.

(audience cheering) Charles Parker.

(audience cheering) Emma Frank.

(audience cheering) Alexandra Sax.

(audience cheering) Anne McIntosh.

(audience cheering) Alana Maynard.

(audience cheering) Emma McCaughtry.

(audience cheering) Natalia Sudol.

(audience cheering) Mahek Kaur Khangura.

(audience cheering) Dylan Taylor.

(audience cheering) Daniel Brennan Jr. (audience cheering) Jacob Boger.

(audience cheering) Kamryn Borton.

(audience cheering) Ashton Goodchild.

(audience cheering) Abraham Yum.

(audience cheering) John Safadi.

(audience cheering) Alex Hall.

(audience cheering) Caleb Williamson.

(audience cheering) Jacob Maly.

(audience cheering) Isabella Agrusa.

(audience cheering) Madeleine Mary Wujek.

(audience cheering) Kirbey Colella.

(audience cheering) Marlie Fraser.

(audience cheering) Katherine Loope.

(audience cheering) Natalie Anita Eighmey (audience cheering) Olyvia Grace Tremper.

(audience cheering) Anunya Preagae.

(audience cheering) Samuel Richard Klahn.

(audience cheering) Caitlin Santer.

(audience cheering) Stephanie Reid.

(audience cheering) Elizabeth Jensen.

(audience cheering) Erica Green.

(audience cheering) Megan Erskine.

(audience cheering) Taylor Enyart.

(audience cheering) Hannah Jacobsen-Harm.

(audience cheering) Madilyn Meredith.

(audience cheering) Amelia Elkins.

(audience cheering) Isabella Grace Quane.

(audience cheering) Emmah Morgan Coker.

(audience cheering) Jamison Bandivas.

(audience cheering) Marco Bogojeski.

(audience cheering) Jacob Kinley.

(audience cheering) Eric Bellman.

(audience cheering) Jack Carlson.

(audience cheering) Liam Timmerman.

(audience cheering) Asin Ural.

(audience cheering) Cooper Burton.

(audience cheering) Miranda Draminski.

(audience cheering) Rianne Linnel Malloy.

(audience cheering) Catherine Close.

(audience cheering) Jordan Marie McIntyre.

(audience cheering) Peter Hanna.

(audience cheering) Amelia Kuntzman.

(audience cheering) Madeline Herman.

(audience cheering) Justin Nyquist.

(audience cheering) Aidan Kusel-Wireman.

(audience cheering) Amelia Nevelos.

(audience cheering) Ellie Haste.

(audience cheering) Hans Vonhalla.

(audience cheering) Zachary Myers.

(audience cheering) Peyton Klochack.

(audience cheering) Diego Alberto Rivera Irizarry.

(audience cheering) Noah Doederlein.

(audience cheering) Mason Vore.

(audience cheering) Daniel Netter.

(audience cheering) Keith Feldpausch.

(audience cheering) Akasha Corjeneski.

(audience cheering) Amelia Burke.

(audience cheering) Noelle Webb.

(audience cheering) Lily Jane Dobatt.

(audience cheering) Christina Alcantar.

(audience cheering) Alayna Khristine McDonald.

(audience cheering) Korine Church-Brady.

(audience cheering) Madeline Grace Alger.

(audience cheering) Chase Anthony Attanasio.

(audience cheering) Leah Ann Collins.

(audience cheering) Clayton DeVos.

(audience cheering) Graciela Becerra.

(audience cheering) Morgan Wolf.

(audience cheering) Alice Khaltsev.

(audience cheering) David Boarman.

(audience cheering) Joseph Fortino.

(audience cheering) Benjamin Ardis.

(audience cheering) Neil Styx.

(audience cheering) Khristopher Hill.

(audience cheering) Brooke Bowman.

(audience cheering) Alana Cotter.

(audience cheering) Tomas Sergio Keck.

(audience cheering) Samantha Hendrix.

(audience cheering) James Jandro.

(audience cheering) Brandon Schmidt.

(audience cheering) Jacob Nolan.

(audience cheering) Thomas Bromell.

(audience cheering) Jalen Smith.

(audience cheering) Jordan Nye.

(audience cheering) Ishaan Khelan Modi (audience cheering) Elizabeth Bennett.

(audience cheering) Aaron Amadio Iturralde.

(audience cheering) Eamon Orion Eberhard.

(audience cheering) Caden James Felkey.

(audience cheering) Shane Miller.

(audience cheering) Paul Dillon.

(audience cheering) Gia Jasmine Toler.

(audience cheering) Jack Harrison.

(audience cheering) Nathan Bryson.

(audience cheering) Noah Peterson.

(audience cheering) Nick Beekman.

(audience cheering) Matthew Burns.

(audience cheering) Dominic Farella.

(audience cheering) Cameron Raymond McClarren.

(audience cheering) Halia Davis.

(audience cheering) Heaven Davis.

(audience cheering) Joshua Hansz.

(audience cheering) Arthur Ma.

(audience cheering) Zachary Joseph Ozamor.

(audience cheering) Samir Malik Ahmed.

(audience cheering) Siham Hassan.

(audience cheering) Caroline Thompson.

(audience cheering) Mary Carthew.

(audience cheering) Abrielle Matibag.

(audience cheering) Annie Hamaty.

(audience cheering) Laura Graham.

(audience cheering) Katherine Wills.

(audience cheering) Piper Meloche.

(audience cheering) Cody Evans.

(audience cheering) Alexia Rizor.

(audience cheering) Elyse Baden.

(audience cheering) Alberto Villarreal.

(audience cheering) Willow Krupen.

(audience cheering) Ian Donahue.

(audience cheering) Zoe McClintic.

(audience cheering) Eva Gavin.

(audience cheering) Caitlin Finerty.

(audience cheering) Jo Kovach.

(audience cheering) Nicholas Calvert Presley.

(audience cheering) Seth Robert Merryman.

(audience cheering) Zachary Cisco.

(audience cheering) Sloane Fisher.

(audience cheering) Izzy Dickinson.

(audience cheering) Rachel Peters.

(audience cheering) Rachel Sarah Vinarcik.

(audience cheering) Jacquelyn Matthews.

(audience cheering) Cassidy Johnston.

(audience cheering) Grace Hickey.

(audience cheering) Olivia Antal.

(audience cheering) Amanda Robinson.

(audience cheering) and William Kuhl.

(audience cheering) (audience applauding) - Greetings Class of 2023.

You're supposed to cheer, you just graduated.

(audience cheering) - I am happy to be celebrating this important day with all of you.

It wasn't that long ago we worried about whether or not celebratory events like this could even take place in person, and thankfully, those days are behind us.

I do not take the significance of my responsibility to you for granted is I know how much day means to you and your families.

The Class of 2023 and those immediately following have endured more than any college student should have to experience.

What should have been some of your best years was disrupted by the abrupt change to remote learning during your first year, a second year completely remote, a third year in a strange limbo-like state of hybrid existence, as we transition back to in-person residential life.

And of course this year, for most, the fourth and final year at JMC, our sense of safety and security was shattered on February 13th.

The last four years have presented all of us with one challenge after another and the last few months more so.

I want to acknowledge the incredible tenacity you've demonstrated that has brought you to this moment.

Often, we are taught to believe that it is great to do something that's never been attempted or completed previously.

That greatness is frequently attached to an impressive title.

However, I see the many different faces of greatness.

Greatness, juggles, everyday hurdles, life throws at us and still offers their best effort.

Greatness balances, rigorous coursework, employment, the expectation of others, relationships, and much more.

Sometimes it's harder than we imagine pushing forward, but we do it.

We dig deep and we put one foot in front of the other.

Each of of you has done just that.

What it looked like getting here, like anything in life, is not always pretty.

Some of us respond to adversity with grace, sometimes with humility, and some of us go into warrior mode.

Perhaps it leads you to push harder for needed change, like current graduate Ellie Baden and 2022 JMC graduate Abigail Frost did when they organized the protests in front of the state capitol on February 17th.

Since that demonstration, many of you have been finding ways to voice your concerns on campus, throughout the state and beyond.

So keep going and maintain that momentum.

And so many of you have played an integral role in initiating ways to help students heal, especially JMC's very own ASMUS President Jo Kovach, who is steadfast in their advocacy for students' mental wellness.

We are a community invested in making a difference.

Your decision to pursue an education in public affairs reveals your commitment to learning about systems of governance and how these systems impact society.

Through your studies and experiences these last few years, you have built a foundation that can be the springboard for any number of passions and pursuits.

Some of you know the next steps you'll take, while some are still searching for the path to blaze.

It's okay if you don't have your plan figured out, as our keynote speaker told us, right?

I know the more I am tested, the more I realize I don't have all the answers.

But you know what, it's okay not to have all the answers.

Just make sure that you're asking the important questions and never stop asking those questions.

Use the knowledge you continue to acquire, the skills you have honed, and the insights you've gained, for good.

And remember to act with integrity and always practice empathy.

Now, according to custom, you may now move your tassels from the right side of your caps to the left.

(audience cheering) This act represents the conclusion of a great achievement and marks the beginning of a lifetime of dedicated service.

Congratulations, MSU alumni.

(audience cheering) Please rise if you're able, and sing the Alma Mater with the help of MSU College of Music's jazz Orchestra.

(orchestra playing dramatic intro) ♪ MSU we love thy shadows ♪ ♪ When twilight silence falls ♪ ♪ Flushing deep and softly paling ♪ ♪ Over ivy covered halls ♪ ♪ Beneath the pines we'll gather ♪ ♪ To give our faith so true ♪ ♪ Sing our love for Alma Mater ♪ ♪ And thy praises MSU ♪ (audience cheering) - Please be seated.

- This concludes our ceremony.

You are all welcome to attend JMC's reception at Case Hall immediately following the ceremony.

To avoid congestion in the main lobby, families and graduates should try to meet up outside.

The faculty will now rise and recess through the Great Hall on the inside of the pillars followed by the graduates audience, could you please remain seated through the entire recessional until the last graduate has exited through the back.

Thank you.

(audience applauding) (jazzy recessional music)