On Saturday, May 29, the College held its 183rd Commencement. But it was a ceremony unlike any other. It marked the College’s first large, in-person campus event in well over a year, was held on the cricket field (to maximize distancing), was livestreamed across the globe for the first time ever, and took place outside in the pouring rain.
But even rain couldn’t dampen the good spirits of the resilient Class of 2021, who finished their college careers during a global pandemic. The graduates carried cheerful red-and-white-striped Haverford umbrellas as they processed onto Cope Field and walked across the stage to get their diplomas from President Wendy Raymond.
With the focus firmly on the 325 graduates and their accomplishments, there were no honorary degrees given at this Commencement ceremony. All of the speakers were members of the Bi-Co community. In addition to Raymond and Bryn Mawr President Kim Cassidy, the Class of 2021 selected Assistant Director of Admission Praxedes Quintana ’18, Lourdes Taylor ’21, and Associate Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing Asali Solomon to speak.
In her speech, Solomon doled out advice from her 11-year-old son, who wanted the graduates to know, “Whatever career you choose, you’ll do great. And even if you don’t get famous, some people will remember you when you die.” She also encouraged the Class of 2021 to, “maybe instead of ‘the good life,’ use your education and the struggles of the last four years to figure out what constitutes A good life.”
Photos by Holden Blanco ’17, Dan Z. Johnson, and Patrick Montero.