Finale ends, fireworks explode and the recession begins

Chief Marshal Christopher Bosso thanks the performers and again congratulates the graduates. He then removes the ceremonial mace and signals all to rise.

The Northeastern pep band plays “All Hail Northeastern” as the recession begins. 

Graduates wave to friends and family in the stands, friends and family cheer, and the stands begin to clear. 

Thank you for following our live updates from today’s commencement.

Beanpots make an appearance

Men and women’s hockey players arrive with their Beanpots in tow, soliciting a cheer from graduates and attendees.

Both teams won Beanpot titles this year. The men’s team defeated Boston University in the final, while the women’s team also defeated the Terriers.

Finale begins as graduates celebrate

The Nor’easters kick off the finale with a rendition of the Northeastern alma mater.

Groups included in the finale are: 

• The Nor’easters
• Commencement Rock Band, under the direction of Junauro Landgrebe
• Northeastern University Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Allen Feinstein
• Northeastern University Pep Band, under the direction of Allison Betsold
• Kinematix Dance Troupe
• Revolve Dance Crew
• Kaliente Dance Group
• NakhRAAS
• New England Bhangra Club
• Rangila
• NUDANCO
• Stepping On Another Level
• Northeastern University Cheerleading

The performance is produced by Shams Ahmed, a 2013 graduate of the D’Amore-McKim School of Business and an Emmy Award-winning producer.

Graduates shift their tassels, symbolizing their conferred degrees

Senior Vice President for University Advancement Diane Nishigaya MacGillivray and Stella Klingebiel, a graduating student in the College of Engineering, officially welcome the graduates as alumni.

“As alumni, we are joining a powerful network of more than 300,000 graduates in nearly 200 countries,” says Klingbiel, a Senior Year Experience board member. “That means almost anywhere we go in the world, we can find other Huskies who share the unique experience that only Northeastern alumni can fully appreciate.”

Provost announces that the degrees will be conferred on the students

Provost David Madigan invites college deans to confer degrees on their respective graduates: 

“Mr. President, it is my privilege to report to you that the candidates assembled here have qualified in all respects for the degrees in course,” Madigan says. “They have successfully completed curricula offered by the several schools and colleges of Northeastern University and have been recommended by the faculty and the council of deans to be awarded appropriate degrees in recognition of their academic accomplishments.”

The deans are coming up one-by-one and greet their students and confer their degrees

The deans are: 

• Gregory Abowd, Dean of the College of Engineering
• David De Cremer, Dunton Family Dean of the D’Amore-Mckim School of Business
• Carmen Sceppa, Dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences
• Elizabeth Mynatt, Dean of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences
• Elizabeth Hudson, Dean of the College of Arts, Media, and Design
• Hazel Sive, Dean of the College of Science
• Kellee Tsai, Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities

Aoun closes by speaking of the ‘incredibly precious’ Northeastern community

Aoun advises graduates to “nurture,” “build on” and “treasure” connections in your “incredibly precious” Northeastern community.

“Northeastern will help you realize your dreams,” Aoun says in closing.

Aoun draws inspiration from Taylor Swift and talks about the promise of AI

President Aoun quotes Taylor Swift – “How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22” – and reminds graduates how Northeastern has prepared them both technologically and socially for the “AI world.”

“It’s clear that technological literacy and a facility with the tools of AI will be necessary for success in just about every field,” Aoun says. “It is also clear that at a time of unprecedented challenges, no algorithm can solve the seemingly intractable problems that confound our world. “Human connection, grounded in respect, patience and empathy, is necessary if we are to find genuine and sustainable solutions.”

Aoun begins speech by addressing the ‘stars’ of our celebration

President Joseph E. Aoun begins his speech by addressing the “stars of our celebration” – 4,000 graduates who “reflect 4,000 personal journeys, 4,000 individual dreams, endless aspirations and unlimited possibilities.”

Aoun notes that the pandemic prevented many students from celebrating their high school graduation, required that many students had to choose college before ever seeing it, and had their lives revolve around COVID testing and quarantines.

“You took a bet on Northeastern,” he said. “And Northeastern took a bet on you.”

David Thomas: I’m proud to be a member of your class

“To the graduates, let me say that I’m proud to be a member of your class, the great class of 2024,” Thomas said. “And I’m especially glad to become a Northeastern alum — because that means I have something in common with my daughter, Somer, who graduated from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business five years ago.”

Morehouse and Northeastern have something in common, he said.

“It may not seem obvious at first. But both institutions are unique. Both are distinct at what they do best,” he said. “Morehouse is the nation’s leading college for the education of Black men at scale.

“Northeastern is the world leader in experiential learning. As each of you know firsthand, education is amplified when you combine it with real-world experience. Northeastern has been honing its leadership in experiential education for more than a century. Like Morehouse, there’s no place quite like it.”

Rebecca Bamidele: She urges students to look backwards and forwards 

“Today is not a day only for looking back – it is a time to look forward,” Bamidele says. 

She mentions graduation signals an end, and commencement “signals the dawn of an exciting new era: the rest of our lives.”

Rebecca Bamidele: ‘Somewhere along the road, Northeastern was shaping me’

Bamidele is talking about how Northeastern changed her: 

“As much as I was worried about shaping Northeastern, somewhere along the road, Northeastern was shaping me. Its people and places were joining forces to craft the person that I am today.”

Bamidele gets applause for her line about walking “around Boston in bedazzled knee-high boots on a Tuesday, just for the sake of turning heads.”

Rebecca Bamidele: ‘For better or for worse, for co-op salaries richer or for poorer’

Rebecca Bamidele, a College of Science graduate, evokes the marriage vows in addressing her classmates.

“For better or for worse, for co-op salaries richer or for poorer, in Cabot COVID testing sickness and in health, we took Northeastern to be ours from day 1 and never looked back,” she says. “And even in the face of obstacles, each of our paths have led us here to May 5, 2024. Commencement.”

Chancellor introduces student commencement speaker

Chancellor Ken Henderson is introducing 2024 student commencement speaker Rebecca Bamidele, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology and political science, with minors in global health and design, and innovation in engineering.

She is interested in medicine, public health and health policy. 

Her experiences reflect those interests.

She served as a medical assistant at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where she cared for more than 80 patients a day.  

She worked alongside scientists and engineers to help create novel gene therapies for neurodegenerative diseases at Voyager Therapeutics

Most recently, she worked with a virtual reality developer on building platforms for scientific collaboration.

Bamidele is also a founding member of the Health Humanities Club at Northeastern, a student organization focused on thinking creatively about healthcare.

Provost David Madigan recognizes class marshals from each college

Every year, one student from each college is recognized for their academic excellence. Each student stands as their name is called

This year’s students are:

• Nicole Marie Aronson, Bouvé College of Health Sciences
• Andrew Seth Briasco-Stewart, College of Engineering
• Cynthia Maria El Choueiri, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
• Cyrus Joseph Kurd, College of Science
• Luke Liu, D’Amore-McKim School of Business
• Erica Rachel Sammarco, Khoury College of Computer Sciences
• Valentina Segura, College of Arts, Media and Design

Multi-faith invocations by seven graduates

Chief Marshal Christopher Bosso introduces Alex Levering Kern, director of the Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service to introduce multi-faith Invocations by seven graduates.

• From the university’s Protestant Community – Ruth Stuart
• From the university’s Muslim Community – Shoyaib Shaik,
• From the university’s Jewish Community – Julia Gilinsky
• From the university’s Hindu Community – Aakash Zaveri
• From the university’s Buddhist Community – Sophie Esteves Varvella Vicente
• From the university’s Sikh Community – Sharan Sekhon
• From the university’s Roman Catholic Community –  Daniel Kelkay

Color guard, national anthem and Center for Spirituality

All graduates are now seated, and the faculty Cadre of marshals will lead the college flag bearers as they process up the center aisle.  

The university’s Reserve Officers Training Corps is presenting the colors for Khoury College graduate Aarshiya Sachdeva, who is singing the national anthem.

The faculty process followed by President Joseph E. Aoun 

The faculty are now entering the field, to be followed by President Joseph E. Aoun

The field includes Northeastern touches. A Northeastern seal covers home plate, while the pitcher’s mound features a Northeastern logo. 

In addition, Northeastern banners offering congratulations to graduates and the hashtag #Like A Husky beam down from the stands.

Flag bearers include representatives from different colleges

The flag bearers include representatives of the university’s different colleges:

• Carolina Aguilera Barraza  – College of Engineering
• Arnav Shah – D’Amore-McKim School of Business
• Salima Amiji – Bouvé College of Health Sciences
• TaeYoon (Kevin) Jin – Khoury College of Computer Sciences
• Donovan Holt – College of Arts, Media and Design
• Caitlin Lourenco – College of Science
• Xinyu Wu – College of Social Sciences and Humanities

Welcome to Fenway, America’s oldest ballpark

Did you know that Fenway Park opened in 1912, one week after the sinking of the Titanic? Ever since then it has served as the home field of the Boston Red Sox (as well as the host of a variety of concerts as well as myriad sporting and cultural events).

The park has been refurbished and updated countless times while retaining the eccentric charm of its famed left-field wall (known as the Green Monster) and the jutting angles of its walls — all part of a ballpark that was squeezed into an urban neighborhood.

Prior to 2022, Northeastern held commencement at TD Garden before moving to the open-air environment of Fenway — which enables a larger number of guests to celebrate graduation.

Challenges are not an obligation, Carter tells graduate students

Also at this morning’s graduate commencement, women’s ice hockey captain Megan Carter told her fellow students to build a team to lean on and view challenges as something you “get to do” instead of an obligation.

“Putting in the work is something we get to do, not something we have to do,” said Carter, captain of the Northeastern women’s ice hockey team who graduated with a master’s degree in human movement and rehabilitation science.

Panchanathan tells grad students, ‘You are all the fortunate ones’

At this morning’s graduate commencement, National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan challenged students to commit to mentoring at least 25 people as they left Fenway Park.

“You are all the fortunate ones. Your parents believed in you. Your teachers believed in you. Here you are, successful, ready to take on the world,” said Panchanathan, a computer scientist and engineer who became head of the NSF in June 2020.

Every mortarboard has a story. Check out these…

As is often the tradition, seniors celebrate commencement by showcasing their individuality and creativity on their mortarboards.

In anticipation of today’s big day, we caught up with a few students as they customized their caps.

One grad even evoked the words of the new queen of pop herself, Taylor Swift.

Mascots, selfies, high-fives and the best seats in the park

Students are waving at the livestream cameras as they enter the ballpark. Many are carrying flags. The mascots, Paws and Wally, are high-fiving grads and posing for selfies with them. 

On their way to their seats many grads are turning to point to their guests in the red seats of the Fenway grandstands. The most popular seats appear to be near the foul poles on each side of the ballpark. 

After the ceremony, the graduates will leave Fenway Park and gather with their many “fans” on Jersey Street.

Here come the graduates!

Live Music is now being performed by three groups: Majestic Brass is a Boston quintet founded in 1988 at the New England Conservatory of Music, Northeastern’s neighbor. The Northeastern Wind Ensemble and the Northeastern Pep Band are student groups on campus.

Chief Marshal Christopher Bosso, a political science professor in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and director of the Nanotechnology and Society Research Group, is leading the graduates onto the field. He is carrying the University mace.

Commencements also planned for our global campuses

Over 50,000 people are expected to fill Fenway Park for today’s graduate and undergraduate ceremonies. Commencements are also planned for Northeastern’s global campuses, including Seattle, Silicon Valley and Vancouver this week.

The Oakland campus held its commencement last week with graduating senior Samantha Onate addressing her fellow graduates.

“The pandemic introduced unprecedented obstacles to our college experience, yet through resilience and perseverance, we prevailed,” she said, adding “That’s a clapping moment.”

Undergraduate student speaker preparing for medical school

Rebecca Bamidele is the student speaker for this afternoon’s undergraduate ceremony.

A standout science student with plans for medical school, Bamidele is a combined major in biology and political science.

She also has a passion for writing, deep experience in student government and a knack for trivia.

David A. Thomas is the undergraduate speaker

David A. Thomas, president of Morehouse College, is the speaker for this afternoon’s undergraduate commencement.

Prior to taking the helm at Morehouse — a historically Black, men’s college in Atlanta — Thomas was a professor and dean at Harvard, Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania. He’s led successful capital campaigns and consulted for corporations, nonprofits and governments around the world.

The pre-show is underway

Early arriving guests are being entertained by a pre-show, which is being emceed by Sebastian Chavez Da Silva and Kelsey Hanle, both 2024 College of Engineering graduates.

Northeastern’s Kinematix Dance Troupe and Revolve Dance Crew are joined on the field by the New England Bhangra Club, Rangila & NakhRAAS and Kaliente Dance Group.

The concession stands are also open.

Fenway Park is open and guests are arriving for the undergraduate ceremony

The gates to Fenway Park are open and the countdown to the 4 p.m. undergraduate commencement ceremony has begun.

Northeastern Global News will be providing live updates throughout the afternoon.

Inside Fenway, commencement week photos are being displayed on the New Balance Board in center field.