Commencement Weekend 2022
A weekend packed with graduation ceremonies and alumni reunions offered a return to normalcy and a chance to experience Commencement and Reunion in-person, for both first-timers and graduates from across generations.
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News and Events
Student voices shine as Brown commemorates Class of 2022
In a sunny, spirited celebration, three Brown graduating seniors addressed Class of 2022 members, encouraging their fellow graduates to honor their roots while forging new paths ahead.
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In addresses at Brown’s Commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 29, student speakers entreated their peers to make a positive impact using lessons they had learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Brown University welcomed back its 2020 graduates, who missed their in-person Commencement when COVID-19 arrived their senior year, for the full, traditional experience of Commencement and Reunion Weekend.
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Video Highlights
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On Saturday, May 28, 2022, part of Brown’s 254th Commencement Weekend, the University honored returning undergraduate and graduate members of the Class of 2020 with a Procession, Commencement ceremonies and receptions. Graduating 2022 seniors gathered for the Baccalaureate Service and other graduation ceremonies and activities.
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Revisit all the exciting moments of Brown’s 254th Commencement celebrations on Sunday, May 29, 2022, including the Procession and the ceremonies of the College, the Graduate School, the Warren Alpert Medical School and the University. Congratulations, Class of 2022 and Class of 2020!
Commencement Addresses
Class of 2020 Ph.D. graduate Miroslava Nikolaeva Nikolova delivered her speech, “Reflections on a Pandemic and the Strength of the Saguaro,” at the Class of 2020 Graduate School Ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Class of 2020 master’s of public health graduate Abdullah Shihipar delivered his speech, “A Better World is Possible: Using Our Platforms to Imagine New Possibilities,” at the Class of 2020 Graduate School Ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Class of 2020 graduate Dhruv Singh delivered his speech, “Finding Our People,” at the Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Class of 2020 graduate Sydney Lo delivered her speech, “Opening Our Hearts,” at the Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Reggae artist and 2022 honorary degree recipient Orville Shaggy Burrell spoke to members of the Class of 2020 at their Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 28, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Dr. Seth Berkley, a physician and public health leader who earned his bachelor’s degree and M.D. from Brown, delivered the Baccalaureate address to the undergraduate Class of 2022. A pioneer in global public health, Berkley is both a champion of equitable access to vaccines, and a driving force for improving the way the world prevents and responds to infectious disease.
Class of 2022 Ph.D. graduate Jiuyang Bai delivered his speech, “Don't Be Afraid of Being Vulnerable,” at the Doctoral Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Class of 2022 master’s graduate Amelia Spalter delivered her speech, “Google It,” at the Master’s Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Professor of Medicine and Medical Science Dr. Allan R. Tunkel addressed Class of 2022 and Class of 2020 M.D. graduates at the Warren Alpert Medical School Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement. Tunkel, whose speech was titled “Lessons Learned from My Life as a Physician,” was introduced by 2022 M.D. graduate Gisel Bello.
Class of 2022 M.D. graduate Adriel Barrios-Anderson ’17 delivered his speech, “Experts in Uncertainty,” at the Warren Alpert Medical School Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement. Julian Medina ’17 and M.D. Class of 2022, introduced Barrios-Anderson.
Seniors Kaitlan Bui and Alexandra Ali Martinez delivered their speech, “We Are the Bearers of Many Stories,” at the University Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Senior Michelle Liu delivered her speech, “Take a Moment,” at the University Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson addressed graduates from the College, the Graduate School and the Warren Alpert Medical School at the University Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi addressed the graduates at the University Ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022, as part of Brown’s 254th Commencement.
Scenes from the Weekend
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Brown University welcomed back its 2020 graduates, who missed their in-person Commencement when COVID-19 arrived their senior year, for the full, traditional experience of Commencement and Reunion Weekend.
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As part of the weekend’s celebrations, alumni from 2020 who received doctoral and master’s degrees joined a procession that led the graduates out of the Van Wickle Gates, symbolizing the end of their academic journey at Brown.
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After delivering an honorary degree oration, reggae icon Shaggy puts his talent on full display, grabbing a mic and offering a medley of his hits, from “Boombastic,” to “Angel” to “It Wasn’t Me.”
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Cheering crowds greeted alumni who earned their doctoral and master’s degrees in 2020 as they passed through the Van Wickle Gates as part of a truly one-of-a-kind Commencement and Reunion Weekend.
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The Baccalaureate began with a procession from the heart of College Hill to the church, led by Class Coordinating Board co-presidents Bree Zhang and Melissa Cui.
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In the annual procession, graduates pass through the Van Wickle Gates to mark the end of their academic journey at Brown, and then to their respective ceremonies; Brown alumni from across many generations join in the fun, welcoming new graduates.
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Gendo Taiko, a student-run Japanese drumming group, received a thundering standing ovation after its performance.
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Class of 2022 graduate Zuhal Saljooki (center) shared a hug with Zenab Youssef (left), a Class of 2020 graduate she hadn’t seen in two years, and other graduating friends.
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In the annual procession, graduates pass through the Van Wickle Gates to mark the end of their academic journey at Brown, and then to their respective ceremonies; Brown alumni from across many generations join in the fun, welcoming new graduates.
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Members of the master’s degree program processed through the Van Wickle Gates.
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Bachelor’s degree recipients from 2022 gathered on the lawn of the First Baptist Church in America for the College Ceremony, a location that has hosted portions of all but three Brown Commencements since 1776.
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Sherenté Harris, a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, shared the University’s newly adopted land acknowledgement at the start of the University Ceremony in recognition that Brown is located on lands within ancestral homelands of the Narragansett tribe.
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Kaitlan Bui, left, and Alexandra Ali Martínez delivered a joint address encouraging their fellow graduates to use their platform to uplift the communities most dear to them.
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In the annual procession, graduates pass through the Van Wickle Gates to mark the end of their academic journey at Brown, and then to their respective ceremonies; Brown alumni from across many generations join in the fun, welcoming new graduates.
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Medical school graduates from the Class of 2022 as well as 12 graduates from the Class of 2020 were individually recognized and hooded by Dr. Allan Tunkel and Dr. Roxanne Vrees.
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U.S. Speaker of the House and honorary degree recipient Nancy Pelosi urged the Class of 2022 to bring a spirit of unity to whatever they choose to do, saying they are graduating into a country deeply divided socially, politically and culturally.
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Brown President Christina H. Paxson welcomed members of the Class of 2020 back to campus as they processed through the Van Wickle Gates and to the First Baptist Church in America, in Brown tradition.
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Class of 2022 graduates gather on the Main Green for the University Ceremony.
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One of Brown’s best-loved traditions, Campus Dance brought more than 15,000 people to dance the night away on Friday under a sky lit with paper lanterns.
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The Campus Dance bash concluded with a festive Senior Sing at midnight on the steps of Sayles Hall.
More News
News and Events
Brown confers nine honorary doctorates
During Commencement and Reunion Weekend, the University bestowed honorary degrees on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Seth Berkley of the Vaccine Alliance, recording artist Shaggy and six other accomplished leaders.
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The Class of 2022 celebrated the Baccalaureate with joyful performances, reflective remarks and prayers from faith traditions across the globe — holding space for both celebration and sorrow.
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Alumni who received their doctoral and master’s degrees in 2020 experienced Commencement and Reunion the way they’d long hoped to — across multiple days, in-person and surrounded by loved ones on College Hill.
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News and Events
Brown to confer 2,788 degrees at 254th Commencement
On Sunday, May 29, the University will confer a total of 2,788 degrees in all categories — undergraduate, graduate, medical and honorary.
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The University will celebrate its Class of 2022 graduates, members of the Class of 2020 who missed their in-person Commencement experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and alumni from across the generations.
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Mira Nikolova and Abdullah Shihipar, who respectively earned a Ph.D. and master’s from Brown in 2020, will return to campus to address their fellow alumni during a dedicated Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 28.
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As Brown celebrates Commencement 2022, Jiuyang Bai and Amelia Spalter will address their peers in separate Ph.D. and master’s ceremonies on College Hill on Sunday, May 29.
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Adriel Barrios-Anderson, who served as a student orator upon earning his bachelor’s degree from Brown in 2017, hopes to inspire newly minted M.D.s to feel confident about embracing the uncertainty of the future.
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Brown alumni Sydney Lo and Dhruv Singh will return to campus to deliver Commencement speeches to the Class of 2020 on Saturday, May 28, with a focus on the importance of community.
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In keeping with a Brown tradition that dates back more than two and a half centuries, seniors Kaitlan Bui, Alexandra Ali Martínez and Michelle Liu will address their fellow graduates during Commencement 2022.
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The University will bestow honorary degrees on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Seth Berkley of the Vaccine Alliance, recording artist Shaggy and six other accomplished leaders.
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