BRYN MAWR一After classes, students of the Bryn Mawr Class of 2025 made their way down Taylor Drive in their graduation robes in preparation for this year’s Convocation Ceremony. Following the students were faculty and other members of Bryn Mawr College Administration, also wearing their ceremonial wear for the annual occasion.
Held on Tuesday, September 3, the traditional Convocation Ceremony marked the first day of class for undergraduate students and faculty at Bryn Mawr College. Proceedings began with Welcoming Comments by Chair of the Board of Trustees, Cynthia Archer ‘75. Her remarks focused on her appreciation for time as an undergraduate student and served as a touching tribute to her former roommate from her time on campus. Her message to students encouraged them to cherish their time here at the college and also appreciate their friends and the contributions they make in one another’s lives.
SGA president Cole Churchill ‘25 followed Archer’s remarks with words of her own that followed a theme of community. Cole expressed the importance of friendships at Bryn Mawr that kept her grounded. Along with a message of holding your friends tight, Churchill emphasized the importance of students expanding their communities and not staying within their own immediate circles. Churchill also made reference to student protests from last spring. She emphasized the importance of students to continue the culture of activism within our community, while wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf which has become a symbol of anti-war protests in support of Palestine.
Serena Rose Gaskin, a student of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, spoke to the transition and transformation students of all walks of life will undergo this fall as they begin new stages of life. She emphasized, “Transitions not only bring in new seasons, but also an opportunity for transformation.”
Next, Professor Sylvia Houghteling spoke on behalf of faculty as their representative. Her speech focused on memory in reference to her work in Art History, examining textiles and material legacies as it relates to South Asia and European colonialism. She spoke on the consequences of institutional memory and how past wrongs are remedied in reference to the ARCH project. In addition to this, she commented on the memories from prior classes carried in each robe worn by the seniors of the class 2025. Continuing to speak on behalf of faculty, Houghteling said that she was, “awed by [the] student activism” that took place last semester, stating that it marked a reshaping of history by Bryn Mawr students.
“Stories of common ground as a starting place for disagreement model some of what we do best in the liberal arts. We teach and learn. We think and communicate. We engage rigorously with texts, data, knowledge and experiences. Through our deep engagement with each other.”
President Wendy Cadge followed Professor Houghteling with her own remarks. Her speech revolved around a feeling of “magic” in the air at the start of the school year, repeating the refrain, “Welcome to the Magic” many time throughout her speech. Like her preceding speakers, Cadge made reference to the activism on campus last semester. In her remarks, she emphasized the value of finding common ground with those you disagree with. She used the example of Narrative 4, a nonprofit organization that uses story exchange to create empathy across belief spectrums. She also talked about the book, Beautiful and Terrible Things by Pastor Amy Butler and finding compassion in difference. Concluding her speech, she summed up the importance of finding common ground as the “magic we make together.” She quoted famous intersectional feminist Audre Lorde, saying, “Without community, there is no liberation.”
Dean of the Undergraduate College, Karlene Burrell-McRae, concluded the ceremony with a reading out of awards that students had achieved over the past semester.
