Commencement 2015
Graduates in Tercentary Theatre
New and soon-to-be graduates sit in Tercentary Theatre during Commencement on May 28.
Faust Speaks at Afternoon Exercises
University President Drew G. Faust speaks at Commencement in 2015. Faust said she is excited to sing the updated lyrics to Harvard's alma mater at this year's Commencement.
Female Athlete of the Year: Amanda Sobhy, a Four-Time Champion
If the life of Amanda Sobhy appears to be hectic, that is because it is. But with a packed schedule has come impressive results.
The Place of Club Sports at Harvard
From aikikai to archery, water polo to wushu, Harvard club sports run the gamut of interests, experience, and athletic skill levels found across campus.
Taking Their Talents to the Next Level
Following graduation, Harvard students disperse into the world on a diverse range of paths. Many pursue full-time employment. Some immediately enroll in graduate school. Others travel abroad. However, a select few follow their dreams of becoming professional athletes.
Comeback Player of the Year: Blackwell Returns for ECAC Tournament Run
During the 2012-2013 season, Blackwell sustained two major concussions within a span of four months. Returning in 2015, Blackwell scored five goals in seven games during the ECAC tournament.
Gaming as Sport: eSports on the Rise
When asked to identify Harvard athletes, you might think of the football team taking the field at Harvard Stadium for The Game, the men’s basketball squad suiting up at Lavietes Pavilion, or the heavyweight crew team racing down the Charles River. A crowd of 50 people gathering in Pierce Hall 301 to play competitive video games might not be the first group that comes to mind.
If You Want to Make a Difference, There's No Place Like Home
Harvard is a place that rewards ambition and exploration. From our first days on campus, we’re encouraged to act boldly, think globally, and travel far. Those are worthwhile traits, and we should hold onto them. And for some of us the boldest and bravest way to have an impact is to go where we are needed most: home
Coach of the Year: Murphy Pushes Football to Perfect Season
Every four-year athlete Murphy has recruited has won an Ancient Eight title. While team success may seem as consistent as a Cambridge winter, Murphy reached new heights in 2014.
A Losing Legacy
The advantage afforded to children of alumni flies in the face of fairness and only contributes to the College’s culture of valuing familial connections over individual achievement.
Female Breakout Athlete of the Year; Female Athlete of the Year, Runner-Up: Okwelogu the Record Breaker
First it was a school-record 15.33 meter throw, then a 16.09 mark, followed by a 16.39 meter and Ancient Eight record-setting follow-up. Then it became a weekly series of record-breaking revisions—16.51, 17.12, 17.22, and, most recently, 17.32.
From Athletics to the Field of Finance
While there is no single route to securing a finance job, there are a number of built-in advantages that make the pipeline from the athletic field to the finance field a large and established one.
The Unsafe Marketplace
There must be no safe spaces in the classroom or auditorium that protect members of the university community from dangerous, disturbing or even emotionally unsettling ideas.
Congratulations, Class of 2015!
If the legacy of the Class of 2015 is a culture of service informed by Harvard’s wisdom, the graduates will have done well indeed.
Truth, Beauty, and Bullshit
All this is to say that when you hear Polonius’s advice—and at a college commencement, I don’t see how you couldn’t—don’t think about yourself.
Paying the Price
The University remains opposed to divesting its $35.9 billion endowment from fossil fuels, steadfast in the face of numerous sit-ins and demonstrations by students, alumni, and faculty affiliated with the activist group Divest Harvard.
Parting Shot: My Failure as a Varsity Athlete
Immediately after our last college finals ended, while camping in the woods, my Senior Outdoor Reflection Trip [SORT] of 11 people sat around in a circle, each person reflecting on their time at Harvard. By the time it got to me, it was pouring rain and pitch-black outside, but still, everyone turned to listen to my deep, thoughtful ruminations on the last four years.
Serious Adult Advice From a Real Adult
One of the creeping signs of adulthood (other than that your year of birth slides gradually farther and farther out of reach on online forms) is the increasingly persistent worry that you missed orientation.
Parting Shot: The Owen Room in Winthrop G
Since I can remember I’ve argued with my friends about sports.
Male Rookie of the Year, Runner-Up: Johnson Challenges Records from the Start
Freshman Malcolm Johnson was a highly recruited sprinter coming out of high school and a centerpiece of a strong incoming recruiting class for the Harvard men’s track and field team and had little trouble finding success in his first year of collegiate competition.
Making the Jump From Juniors
In a season that saw the Harvard men’s ice hockey team return to national prominence, the Crimson offense tallied 3.27 goals per game, the highest mark in the ECAC. In addition to having an eye for the back of the net, Harvard’s five highest-scoring forwards all shared another thing in common: They all played junior hockey prior to arriving in Cambridge.
Returning to High Returns
High expectations await Stephen Blyth, Harvard Management Company’s new CEO.
Male Athlete of the Year: Jimmy Vesey Revives Men's Ice Hockey
Junior men's ice hockey forward Jimmy Vesey notched 32 goals to top all Division I scorers, leading him to a stage inside Northeastern’s Matthews Arena as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award at season’s end.