Commencement 2021
In two College ceremonies on Sunday, Brown President Christina H. Paxson and other speakers lauded graduates who, by successfully finishing their degrees during a pandemic, have proven they can handle whatever comes next.
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News and Events
Student speakers take center stage at Brown’s Commencement
George Kubai and Siddhi Nadkarni, Brown’s undergraduate student orators, encouraged classmates to work toward a better and more equitable future for themselves and those around them.
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A fully virtual Reunion Weekend, featuring longstanding traditions and unexpected twists, and a series of remote Commencement forums complemented in-person events taking place on College Hill from April 30 to May 2.
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At the University’s Commencement 2021 celebration, the Brown faculty presented their peers Vincent Mor and Julie Strandberg with Rosenberger Medals of Honor, awarded just 33 times in more than a century.
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Video Highlights
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Brown University alumni congratulate the Class of 2021 on their achievements and welcome them to a strong community of Brown graduates around the world.
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Revisit Brown University’s 253rd Commencement ceremonies for the College. Congratulations, Class of 2021!
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Revisit Brown University’s 253rd Commencement ceremonies for the Warren Alpert Medical School and the Graduate School. Congratulations, Class of 2021!
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Members of Brown’s graduating Class of 2021 shout out the moments and people that got them through the past year and made their time on campus special.
Commencement Addresses
Brown University alumnus Steven R. Jordan, Class of 1982, a business leader and former NFL player, speaks to the graduating Class of 2021 as part of Baccalaureate on April 30.
Graduate Jason Tsichlis ’21 M.D. delivers the student address to graduates at the 2021 Warren Alpert Medical School Commencement ceremony, part of Brown’s 253rd Commencement.
Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Colin Harrington, M.D., delivers the faculty address to graduates at the 2021 Warren Alpert Medical School Commencement ceremony, part of Brown’s 253rd Commencement.
Class of 2021 graduate Sonya Brooks, who earned a master’s in urban education policy, speaks during the Graduate School ceremony on Saturday, May 1, part of Brown’s 253rd Commencement.
Class of 2021 graduate Bardiya Akhbari, who earned a doctorate in biomedical engineering, speaks during the Graduate School ceremony on Saturday, May 1, part of Brown’s 253rd Commencement.
Class of 2021 graduate George Kubai, a biomedical engineering concentrator, delivers one of the senior orations during the College ceremony on Sunday, May 2, part of Brown’s 253rd Commencement.
Class of 2021 graduate Siddhi Nadkarni, who concentrated in health and human biology with a focus on global health, delivers one of the senior orations during the College ceremony on Sunday, May 2, part of Brown’s 253rd Commencement.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson speaks to graduating seniors in the Class of 2021 during the College ceremony on Sunday, May 2, part of Brown’s 253rd Commencement.
Scenes from the Weekend
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A triumphant graduate celebrates after the afternoon ceremony.
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Warren Alpert Medical School graduates recite the Physician’s Oath during their Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 1. Brown’s oath was written by the medical Class of 1975 and has been used by each succeeding class.
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Warren Alpert Medical School graduate Sydney Tan introduces Class of 2021 Commencement speaker Jason Tsichlis.
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In his Commencement address for the medical school, Class of 2021 member Jason Tsichlis urged his fellow graduates to embrace their roles as scholars of the human condition.
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Professor Colin Harrington delivers his faculty address remotely during the May 1 medical school ceremony.
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Warren Alpert Medical School Dean Jack A. Elias presides over the 2021 Commencement ceremony.
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Addressing Brown’s newest medical school graduates, President Christina H. Paxson acknowledged the challenges students faced this year and commended them on their accomplishments.
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New M.D. Cari Hampton celebrates after the Warren Alpert Medical School Commencement ceremony.
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Brown’s newest medical graduates process following the ceremony. The May 1 ceremony took place live and in-person, with social distancing and masks, under a tent on Ruth J. Simmons Quadrangle.
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Medical school graduate Soumitri Barua processes jubilantly through the Van Wickle Gates following the Saturday morning ceremony.
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Graduate students celebrate their 2021 Commencement safely by processing through Brown’s Van Wickle Gates with masks on.
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A Brown staff member sprays down seats between events, part of Brown’s efforts to keep participants in this year’s Commencement ceremonies safe and healthy.
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Students present at Commencement call and text loved ones, who watch from afar because of the pandemic.
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Sonya Brooks, a master's graduate in urban education policy, speaks to her peers remotely from her home in Oakland, Calif.
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Bardiya Akhbari, a Ph.D. graduate in biomedical engineering, urges fellow graduates to "show up" in an in-person Commencement speech.
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Socially distanced graduates listen to speakers during the May 1 Graduate School ceremony.
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Dean of the Graduate School Andrew Campbell welcomes and congratulates Brown’s 763 master’s and Ph.D. graduates.
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University President Christina H. Paxson addresses master’s and doctoral students directly during the Graduate School Commencement ceremony — an opportunity usually not afforded given simultaneous ceremonies.
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Graduates leave through the Van Wickle Gates following the afternoon ceremony on May 1.
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Faculty applaud the master’s and doctoral graduates as the exit following the ceremony.
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A graduate gives the thumbs up during the morning College Commencement ceremony, held on the College Green.
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President Christina H. Paxson presides over the first of two College ceremonies honoring the graduating Class of 2021.
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Class of 2021 graduate George Kubai, a biomedical engineering concentrator, delivers a speech titled “Dare To Dream.”
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Class of 2021 graduate Siddhi Nadkarni, a health and human biology concentrator, addresses her class in a speech titled “From Problems to Progress.”
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NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Class of 1999, listens as she is presented with an honorary Doctor of Science as part of the 2021 College Commencement ceremony on May 2.
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Maud Mandel, a former Brown professor and dean of the College and current president of Williams College, is presented with her honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the 2021 College Commencement ceremony.
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Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson, Class of 1973, accepts her honorary Doctor of Laws during the College Commencement ceremony. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, Thompson is the first African American and second woman to serve as a judge on the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Class of 2021 graduates applaud a speaker during the morning College ceremony. All of the events throughout Commencement Weekend followed all state and University health protocols, including masking and social distancing.
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Brown percussionists lead the recessional to the Van Wickle Gates following the College ceremony.
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Class of 2021 graduates Maria Guerrero Martinez, Carlyn Chrabaszcz, Greyson Gerhard-Young, Kiley Kellum and Garret Kern carry their class banner during the afternoon ceremony.
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Graduates exit through the Van Wickles Gates following the afternoon College ceremony.
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Faculty applaud graduates as they carry out the Commencement tradition of leaving through the Van Wickles Gates following the afternoon ceremony.
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Graduates wave as they walk in the recessional following the College ceremony.
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Along with Commencement, Brown held Reunion events over the weekend, inviting nearly 30,000 alumni to come together for a weekend of virtual activities from April 30 to May 2.
Honorary Degree Recipients
Brown University alumnus Norman Atkins, Class of 1984, accepts his honorary Doctor of Humane Letters as part of the 2021 College Commencement ceremony on May 2. Atkins, a nationally recognized education innovator, leads the nonprofit Together Education.
Brown University alumnus Steven R. Jordan, Class of 1982, accepts his honorary Doctor of Humane Letters as part of the 2021 College Commencement ceremony on May 2. Jordan is a human resources director at Ryan Companies and a former NFL athlete with the Minnesota Vikings.
Brown University alumnus David Lobell, Class of 2000, accepts his honorary Doctor of Science as part of the 2021 College Commencement ceremony on May 2. Lobell is an agricultural ecologist and environmental scientist and a professor at Stanford University.
Former Brown professor and dean of the College Maud S. Mandel accepts her honorary Doctor of Humane Letters as part of the 2021 College Commencement ceremony. Mandel is the 18th president of Williams College.
Brown alumna Jessica U. Meir, Class of 1999, accepts her honorary Doctor of Science as part of the 2021 College Commencement ceremony on May 2. Meir is a marine biologist and NASA astronaut who made history during her 2019-20 space mission when she conducted the first three all-woman spacewalks.
Brown alumna Ojetta Rogeriee Thompson, Class of 1973, accepts her honorary Doctor of Laws as part of the 2021 College Commencement ceremony on May 2. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, Thompson is the first African American and second woman to serve as a judge on the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals.
More News
News and Events
Brown awards six honorary doctorates during Commencement
During its 253rd Commencement on Sunday, May 2, Brown University bestowed honorary degrees on a diverse group of business leaders, educators, scholars and scientists.
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At Brown’s medical school Commencement ceremony, the 119 graduates in the Warren Alpert Medical School’s Class of 2021 marked four years of intense academic and clinical training in joyous, jubilant solidarity.
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With an eye toward lives and careers that make an enduring and positive impact, 763 master’s and Ph.D. graduates earned Brown degrees in a Saturday afternoon Commencement ceremony on the College Green.
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In a virtual address during the annual celebration of cultures and traditions, former NFL player, business leader and Brown alumnus Steven Jordan urged graduates to uncover their purposes in life by examining their passions.
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News and Events
Brown to confer 2,505 degrees at its 253rd Commencement
At its 253rd Commencement — which will take place across two days of ceremonies on May 1 and 2, 2021 — Brown University will confer a total of 2,505 undergraduate, graduate, medical and honorary degrees.
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In the days leading up to their Commencement ceremonies, members of the Class of 2021 attended campus events preparing them for graduation day and celebrating their academic accomplishments at Brown.
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As part of a virtual celebration for the School of Public Health’s soon-to-be Class of 2021 graduates, Dr. Vivek Murthy drew on his experience as a public health leader to offer advice for the challenges ahead.
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A series of in-person, socially distanced Commencement ceremonies for graduates and a wide range of virtual events for students, families and Brown alumni will take place from April 30 to May 2 — here is what to expect.
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News and Events
Brown to confer six honorary degrees at Commencement 2021
Brown will bestow honorary degrees on a diverse group of business leaders, educators, scholars and scientists during its Commencement and Reunion Weekend celebration from April 30 to May 2.
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In keeping with a Brown tradition of elevating student voices at Commencement, seniors George Kubai and Siddhi Nadkarni will encourage their classmates to strengthen communities and remove barriers.
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Bardiya Akhbari, a Ph.D. graduate in biomedical engineering, and Sonya Brooks, a master’s graduate in urban education policy, will speak about the power of human connection, especially in the midst of a global pandemic.
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#brown2021 on Social
#Brown2021 and #BrownU
Find videos, photos and messages of congratulations to Brown’s Commencement social feed using the hashtags #Brown2021 and #BrownU.