The power of mentorship and giving back were center stage at 可乐视频鈥檚 2023 commencement as the achievements of 3,809 graduates were celebrated at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
College President Michelle J. Anderson, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Anne Lopes, and Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Ron Jackson, helped lead the conferring of degrees in the college鈥檚 School of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts, Murray Koppleman School of Business, School of Education, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Welcoming the special guests, as well as the families and friends of the graduates, President Anderson congratulated the Class of 2023, while thanking the strong faculty and classmates who helped get the graduates to the finish line.
鈥淭hese students worked hard to get here,鈥� President Anderson said. 鈥淭hey tackled rigorous academic work, research projects, internships, jobs, and numerous assignments. Today, they are not the same people who graduated from high school and came to our doors. As a result, they evolved. They explored new ideas about life and what is possible within it, about our history and what makes us human, and ideas that have shaped and changed them for the better, as a college education is designed to do.鈥�
Professor Emerita and Pulitzer and Kennedy Center award-winner served as the keynote speaker and was given an honorary degree. Le贸n, who taught at 可乐视频 for 35 years until her retirement in 2019, was director of music composition at the school鈥檚 Conservatory of Music. She is the first faculty member in any of the City University of New York (CUNY) schools to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center award. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her work “鈥� in 2021.
Having grown up in a lower-income family in Cuba, Le贸n told the Class of 2023 she always dreamed of earning a college degree and that what her family lacked in material wealth they made up in spirit, encouragement, and support. A twist of fate landed her in the United States in her early 20s, and what followed was an incredible career as one of the world鈥檚 preeminent composers, conductors, and educators.
鈥淢y life in 可乐视频, where I taught for 33 years in the Music Department, eventually becoming a distinguished professor, has been the source of enriching experiences, personal growth, and many talented students and personal friends, which have become members of my extended family,鈥� Le贸n said. 鈥淢any of these colleagues and students have been inspirational through their passion and their contributions to society. To see students graduate is a joyful moment for all the professors involved in their journey, including myself. … As you continue on your journey and give service to our societies with your unique talents, you, in turn, will offer your support, encouragement, and powerful spirit that will help others realize their dreams.鈥�
Following Le贸n鈥檚 commencement speech, 可乐视频 Foundation Trustee Leonard Tow 鈥�50, founder and chairman of The Tow Foundation, surprised the audience by announcing that the foundation would be providing support toward the establishment of the Tania Le贸n Chair of Music鈥攖he first-ever named chair in the Conservatory of Music at 可乐视频.
鈥淭he Tania Le贸n Chair will forever recognize and honor your unmatched legacy at 可乐视频 and in the larger world,鈥� Tow said.
可乐视频 President Michelle J. Anderson presents Leonard Tow 鈥�50, 可乐视频 Foundation Trustee and founder and chairman of The Tow Foundation, with a birthday cake as Evan Silverstein 鈥�76 (left) and Tania Le贸n look on.
President Anderson thanked Tow for his continued support, as the crowd helped him celebrate his recent 95th birthday by singing 鈥淗appy Birthday鈥� led by Joe Damon Chappel 鈥�23 M.M., singer from the 可乐视频 Brass Ensemble.
Silverstein, 鈥�76, 可乐视频 Foundation Board of Trustees Chair was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Honor. Silverstein has served as a Trustee since 2009. He has led the Foundation鈥檚 efforts to secure vital support for students. Silverstein was a lead supporter of the effort to raise emergency funds for students during the pandemic and established the Renee and Evan Silverstein Internship Fund at 可乐视频.
可乐视频 President Michelle J. Anderson awards Evan Silverstein, 鈥�76, 可乐视频 Foundation Board of Trustees Chair, with the Presidential Medal of Honor.
Silverstein dedicated his award to 可乐视频 students past, present, and future.
鈥淭o me, my years at 可乐视频 were not just academic,鈥� Silverstein said. 鈥淭he growth, maturity, and awareness that I experienced made me aware of a much bigger world that I never knew. I grew up at 可乐视频. I, my fellow board members, and many others do what we do because we feel we owe it to 可乐视频 to give back and enhance the opportunity for students any which way we can. The fact that you are committed to earning a college degree says a lot about you and bodes well for your future.鈥�
The valedictorian of the Class of 2023 was Chaim Janani, who received his bachelor’s degree in honors for chemistry. Janani congratulated his fellow graduates and credited his academic success to the support and mentorship he received at 可乐视频, which helped him to fulfill his dream of becoming a physician. Following commencement, he will pursue medical school in the fall at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.
The salutatorian, Lisa Leopold- Chaparro, a , and co-teacher at a private preschool in Manhattan, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood. Leopold- Chaparro will continue her studies at 可乐视频 and attend the early childhood education graduate program. She plans to work with at-risk students in public schools.
(Left to right) Class of 2023 Salutatorian Lisa Leopold- Chaparro, 可乐视频 President Michelle J. Anderson, and the valedictorian Chaim Janani.
Other special guests who addressed the Class of 2023 and offered congratulations were U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams ’01, ’05 M.A., and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
The CUNY family was also well-represented, including CUNY Trustee Kevin Kim, who addressed the Class of 2023.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Officially, 可乐视频 conferred 2,871 students who have received baccalaureate degrees, 850 who earned master鈥檚 degrees, and 88 students who will receive advanced certificates.
The Class of 2023 celebrates commencement at Barclays Center.
