Live Updates: Harvard’s Class Days

The Harvard Corporation rejected an effort from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to confer degrees on 13 undergraduates who were suspended or placed on probation by the Harvard College Administrative Board for their involvement in the pro-Palestine encampment of Harvard Yard.

The decision by the Corporation to overrule the faculty comes amid Harvard’s Class Day celebrations, where many speakers spoke in support of the students facing disciplinary sanctions.

Tarina K. Ahuja ’24 and Shruthi S. Kumar ’24, the two program marshalls for the Class of 2024 read the first names of the 15 College seniors disciplined by the Ad Board for their participation in the 20-day encampment, calling the Class of 2024 “incomplete” without them.

“We want to recognize that they have been unable to celebrate their senior week and Commencement and participate in graduation in the same way as the rest of us,” Kumar said. (Of the 15 seniors, two were slated to graduate in December.)

As they spoke, College Dean Rakesh Khurana sat silently similing on the stage. Khurana serves as the chair of the Ad Board.

Tarina K. Ahuja '24 and Shruthi S. Kumar '24 read the first names of the 15 College seniors disciplined by the Ad Board for their participation in the 20-day encampment. By Julian J. Giordano

At the Harvard Kennedy School, Ali Mirza, a master’s in public policy student, slammed the Ad Board over its decision to discipline undergraduate students for their participation in the encampment during the HKS Class Day.

“While we celebrate our graduation, Harvard University — threatened by the student uprising for Palestinian liberation — has chosen to withhold degrees from our peers, who have not only fulfilled every graduation requirement, but more importantly, who have exemplified veritas through their dissent,” Mirza said.

During his address, Khurana did not address the sanctions, which were widely condemned by both faculty and students. Instead, he touted the importance of his intellectual vitality initiative amid fierce campus divisions stemming over the war in Israel and Gaza.

Khurana described the present as “a pivotal moment in history” of determining “whether an institution devoted to the pursuit of truth, veritas, can remain free from internal or external coercion.”

“We have to find common ground, and we have to remain open to changing our minds,” he concluded.

Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine Releases Statement on Corporation Vote — 8:04 p.m.

Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine slammed the Harvard Corporation’s decision not to confer degrees on 13 seniors who were disciplined for participating in the pro-Palestine Harvard Yard encampment in an Instagram post Wednesday evening, threatening to disrupt the University’s Thursday Commencement ceremonies.

The group wrote that the Corporation “disregarded” the Faculty of Arts and Sciences vote to allow the students to graduate and called the decision “the latest iteration of Harvard’s Palestine exception.”

A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The Corporation has shown itself to be an illegitimate body that continues to lose the confidence of Harvard students, faculty, workers, and alumni,” HOOP wrote. “Your repression only makes us stronger.”

“Collective punishment will now slow us down. There can be no peace during genocide, and we will not rest until Harvard divests,” HOOP added. “See you at Commencement.”

Large Police Response at Harvard Graduate School of Education After 2 People Fall Off Balcony — 5:54 p.m

Two people fell approximately 20 feet after leaning on a railing that gave way outside the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Larsen Hall, according to Cambridge Police Department spokesperson Robert Goulston.

A crowd of more than 300 was gathered on Appian Way, in the center of the Ed School’s campus, for a block party that followed HGSE’s Class Day ceremonies in Radcliffe Yard. The incident prompted an ambulance, four Cambridge fire trucks, and several Harvard University Police Department and Cambridge Police Department cars to respond to the scene.

HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano wrote in a statement that first responders were “dealing with a medical situation resulting from injuries.”

The extent of the injuries were not immediately clear, but Goulston wrote in an email that both individuals were conscious when they were taken from the scene.

Goulston wrote that CPD “helped with a medical assist report” but that HUPD was handling the situation, which took place on Harvard property.

Following the incident, Securitas and HGSE staff directed the crowds toward Gutman Hall, away from the DJ booth and food stations initially set up outside Larsen Hall.

Two people at the HGSE celebrations said they heard screams and a commotion, though there was no formal announcement about the incident and the festivities continued largely undisturbed after the crowd shifted away from Larsen Hall.

The railing that gave way was laying on the ground level of the building along with shards of glass from a broken window panel on the side of the building.

Graduate School of Design Class Speaker Says Grads Must ‘Design Anew’ Amid Climate Crisis — 5:19 p.m.

Karenna Gore '95, the founder of the Center for Earth Ethics at the Union Theological Seminary, discussed the climate crisis during a keynote address at the Harvard Graduate School of Design Class Day on Wednesday afternoon.

In her speech, Gore said humans have “become so powerful and so confused” that they now “threaten the web of life overall.”

“Most of what drives ecological destruction is not only perfectly legal, but also socially encouraged,” Gore said.

“It is not the earth that needs fixing,” Gore added. “It is us.”

Throughout her address, Gore — the daughter of former U.S. President and environmental activist Al Gore — said that a country's carbon emissions should be weighed more heavily when evaluating its political and social standing.

Gore also urged GSD graduates to dedicate their careers after graduation to helping develop “creative” solutions to climate change.

“We urgently need to design anew in order to address the problems that we are causing to our own,” she said.

“We need you — we need your energy, your insights, your work ethic, and especially your creativity,” Gore added.

U.S. Ambassador to China Calls on HKS Grads to Combat Global Challenges — 4:45 p.m.

Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China, delivered the Harvard Kennedy School graduation speech on Wednesday afternoon in which he called on HKS graduates to face global challenges ranging from climate change to assaults on democracy to the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

“Use your HKS network around the world, across borders to coalesce to fight these challenges,” Burns said. “As the Kennedy School network you have that opportunity, but you also have the obligation as a Kennedy School graduate to be that change agent.”

During his speech, Burns also addressed the war in Gaza and the ensuing protests that have sprung up across American university campuses and featured in several Class Day ceremonies across Harvard, calling the issue “the elephant in the room.”

“Find the humanity of the person that you’re arguing, debating with, maybe shouting at — there’s a human being in there,” Burns said.

Bill Oliverio, Beloved Currier House Employee, Calls on Graduates to Appreciate Each Other in Keynote Speech — 3:58 p.m.

Uche ushered in the second keynote speaker — Bill Oliverio, a Securitas employee at Currier House — and described him “the mayor of Currier.”

Oliverio took the stage to loud applause, cheers, and chants of “Bill! Bill! Bill!” He began his speech by recognizing his colleagues working the event, including guards and Harvard University Police Department officers.

“You guys have a lot of faith in me — it means a lot to me,” Oliverio said, referencing the unconventional choice to enlist a Harvard employee to serve as the Class Day speaker.

Oliverio continued to thank his family, faculty, and students, before briefly putting on a “I <3 Currier” cap.

Oliverio also joked about the Senior Class Committee’s wishlist of speakers to give the keynote address at Class Day. The Senior Class Committee turned to Oliverio and Dean of Financial Aid and Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 to serve as speakers after they did not manage to attract a more high-profile candidate.

“Notable candidates for speaker at the 2024 Harvard Class Day ceremony. Matt Damon, Drake. Who’s Drake, by the way? I’m more of a Kendrick kind of guy,” Oliverio said, in reference to the ongoing viral feud between the two performers, drawing laughter from the crowd.

“Shaquille O’Neal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who do they think they are passing up on this opportunity?” he added.

Oliverio then recalled his own beginning at Harvard in Adams House, where he thought he was “going to be watching spoiled rich kids.”

However, he recalled an early experience in Currier House where he was approached by three football players who told Oliverio to go to them if anyone gave Oliverio any trouble. Oliverio said after this interaction “the stigma which you guys are all cursed with as spoiled rich kids disappeared” from his mind.

Bill Oliverio, a Securitas employee at Currier House, received a standing ovation for his speech at Class Day. By Julian J. Giordano

Oliverio called back to the 2011 Occupy Harvard movement, which called for the University to address economic inequality, and referenced the encampment in the Yard this semester.

“Thank you to those who aborted their personal important mission so that these kids here can have their big day,” he said. The encampment, which ended just over a week before Commencement celebrations began, drew concerns from administrators who briefly considered relocating it to Harvard Stadium.

Oliverio then reminded graduates to seize the present opportunity and appreciate those around them.

“If you have something to say to someone, just say it because you may not get another chance,” he said.

“Although the past four years, you have gone through the most difficult transitions of your life,” he said, “These people are your family, your friends. You have been by each others’ side.”

Oliverio called on the audience to rise and hug the person next to them. Students perched on stage joined Oliverio in a group hug.

“You guys are the greatest kids in the world,” Oliverio said, ending his speech to a standing ovation.

Dean of Admissions Fitzsimmons Praises Financial Aid Program in Keynote Address — 3:31 p.m.

Class Committee Program Marshall Chelsea P. Baker ’24 introduced Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons ’67, the first featured guest speaker.

Fitzsimmons began his address by joking about the unconventional — and apparently last-minute — choice to land him as the speaker,

“You might wonder, what am I doing here?” he said.

Fitzsimmons said he was in New York trying to raise money for financial aid when he got the call asking him to be Class Day speaker.

“Yeah, I’ve been following the drama in The Crimson,” he said.

“There are lots of high-profile names — I don’t even have an album or a tour to announce,” Fitzsimmons added, in reference to the Senior Class Committee’s star-studded speaker wishlist, which included Canadian rapper Drake and actor and Harvard dropout Matt Damon.

“I’m not Matt Damon, nor am I Ben Affleck,” he joked, before recalling the people he grew up around in Massachusetts, whom he called “wicked smaht” — a reference to the pair’s 1997 film “Good Will Hunting.”

“You can’t always be young but you can always be immature,” Fitzsimmons said. “That's the only wisdom I have to offer the graduating class.”

William R. Fitzsimmons '67 is the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard College. By Julian J. Giordano

Fitzsimmons recounted Harvard’s progress since the past — when women were not allowed in Lamont Librarry and fewer students were on financial aid or came from diverse backgrounds — and noted 2008 as a point of financial crisis for Harvard.

“To me, it turned out to be one of the proudest and happiest moments I've ever seen at Harvard,” he said, before commending the expanded financial aid program.

“If you are going to get excellence from everywhere — from every corner of the United States, every part of the world — you need financial aid to do it,” Fitzsimmons added.

He celebrated the diversity of the incoming class, as well as The Crimson’s reporting on Harvard’s admissions processes. Fitzsimmons also praised the selection of 10 Rhodes scholars — of the 32 total — from the Class of 2024.

Fitzsimmons said he “felt like the Titanic going down” on March 18, 2020, when Covid struck and sent the world in lockdown and he was admitting the last students to the Class of 2024.

“Gen Z is tough,” he noted, adding “thank God he came here,” referencing Zafar, the first senior class marshal who addressed the crowd about 90 minutes before.

“In 12 years we’re going to celebrate Harvard's 400th year, and we have limitless possibilities sitting in front of us,” Fitzsimmons said. “Higher ed is coming back after the pandemic. There is so much to think about — what we have done here, what we can do.”

Fitzsimmons also praised Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra and interim President Alan M. Garber ’76 — who he called “wicked smaht.”

“Congratulations again to the Class of 2024,” he said. “It’s going to be a very, very exciting 12 years — only 12 years — to celebrate the 400th.”

“So you guys, I’ll see you there,” Fitzsimmons concluded.

Harvard Divinity School Class Day Begins — 3:30 p.m.

Graduating Harvard Divinity School students processed into the school’s campus green as the crowd cheered them on.

As students filed into their seats, a band played a rendition of “Let It Shine” — frequently changing the words to sing “Free Palestine.”

Harvard Orator Spoofs Class Day Speaker Struggles — 3:20 p.m.

Madison Pankey ’24 introduced student speaker Matthew W. Cole ’24, who delivered a speech titled “Anyone Hiring Comedians?”

Cole, who worked as a tour guide for Harvard Student Agencies, gave a mock tour to the audience, inserting sex jokes that elicited chuckles from the crowd of seniors and their families.

“Next I’ll hand the stage to our class day speaker: TBD,” Cole joked, before backtracking — a reference to the Harvard Alumni Association’s struggle to find a Class Day keynote speaker.

Though the speaker is typically a celebrity or public figure, two Harvard affiliates — Harvard Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 and Securitas employee Bill Oliverio — were tapped to address graduating seniors on Wednesday.

Jeremy Ornstein ’24 Delivers Special Remarks — 3:05 p.m.

Jeremy Ornstein ’24 — who was introduced by Ahuja and Kumar — praised seniors who “speak out against injustices even when it is unpopular” during his speech, “Unlikely Inseperables.”

He urged students to engage in “face to face” discussions around difficult subjects instead of resorting to Sidechat, an anonymous social media platform.

“Harvard University, I invite you to embrace public conversations on the thorny subjects,” Ornstein added.

Jeremy Ornstein '24 delivered special remarks to the Class of 2024 at the Harvard College Class Day. By Frank S. Zhou

Class Marshals Recognize 15 Disciplined Seniors — 3:00 p.m.

Program Marshalls Tarina K. Ahuja ’24 and Shruthi S. Kumar ’24 honored the 15 seniors — two of whom were slated to graduate in the winter — who were barred from graduating at Commencement by the Harvard College Administrative Board for their participation in the pro-Palestine encampment in the Yard.

“Fifteen of our peers — intelligent, kind, and giving members of the Class of 2024 — have been disciplined for exercising their right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest,” Ahuja.

As they spoke, College Dean Rakesh Khurana, who chairs the Ad Board, smiled silently behind them.

The pair described the seniors as “members of our class like the rest of us” and called the Class of 2024 “incomplete” without them.

“We want to recognize that they have been unable to celebrate their senior week and Commencement and participate in graduation in the same way as the rest of us,” Kumar said.

Ahuja and Kumar concluded by sharing the first names of the 15 seniors who were willing to be named. The names were met with cheers and applause from the audience.

Harvard Orator Ben T. Elwy ’23-’24 Delivers Address — 2:45 p.m.

Harvard Orator Ben T. Elwy ’23-’24 — who was introduced by Shikoh M. Hirabayashi ’24, the former co-president of the Harvard Undergraduate Association — delivered their speech, “The Stars within Tears.”

“With Commencement, I have to walk a road I can’t see to a destination I don’t know,” Elwy said. “But here at Harvard, I found knowledge even more valuable than where I should go. Here, among you all. Here, which familiarity has made our home.”

Ben T. Elwy '23-'24, the Harvard Orator for the Class of 2024, delivers their address at the Class Day ceremony. By Julian J. Giordano

Elwy recognized the sense of loss some graduates may feel, but urged them to look ahead to possibilities.

“Such a loss comes with the closing of any chapter, and it is a loss of more than time. It is a loss of comfort and stability. It is a loss of the very people we used to be. It is a loss of those who are no longer with us. It is a loss of the places we know,” they said.

Still, Elwy called on their fellow classmates to “deny and reject the desire for a never-changing present.”

“These stars within tears remind us that life is never so free and vast with possibilities as when it erodes,” they said. “The power to make that reality belongs to you. The ability to choose that direction remains yours.”

“Let’s be among those who rip this world apart and rebuild it together, as often as it takes,” they added. “Disobey fate, Disobey power. Disobey uncertainty. There are so many ways in which we forget that every world needs an end. Beginnings cannot otherwise emerge.”

Harvard Law School Class Day Begins — 2:40 p.m.

Interim Dean of Harvard Law School John C.P. Goldberg opened Harvard Law School’s Class Day ceremony after an introduction from Class Marshall Travis F. Cabbell.

“I want to express my admiration and gratitude for all you’ve done to get to this moment,” Goldberg said.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb A. Haaland is set to address the graduates later this afternoon.

Incoming Harvard Alumni Association President Takes the Stage — 2:30 p.m.

Moitri Chowdhury ’93, Incoming President of the Harvard Alumni Association and the first South Asian person to assume the role, addressed College graduates.

Chowdhury recalled her own Class Day speech from 1993 when she was a class marshal and described her “big dreams and even bigger hair.”

Chowdhury added that the network of over 400,000 Harvard Alumni throughout the world can serve as a “rock” for graduates.

“Class of 2024 as you go out into the world, know that you are not alone,” Chowdhury said. “You have your rock, don’t worry if you don’t yet have a life plan and you see that your classmates have figured it all out.”

“Success doesn’t require a straightforward path, but the curves and the curveballs in your life will need support and we will be here for you,” she added.

Chowdhury then recalled the past “challenging year in the world and on campus.”

“We have to be able to simultaneously hold multiple truths and come together as a society to coalesce our many shared values,” she said. “Mutual respect in disagreement is essential.”

Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana Talks Intellectual Vitality in Class Day Speech — 2:14 p.m.

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana took the stage following Zafar’s speech, urging the importance of intellectual vitality and resisting binary thinking.

Khurana opened his speech by noting the Class of 2024’s virtual high school graduation and freshman year during the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘We are so lucky to be here together on this gorgeous, beautiful day to celebrate all that you have accomplished and the people you will become,” Khurana said. “Your class has had to adapt to Harvard in ways different than any others, and you had to make up for lost time, which you did.”

Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana addresses the senior class in Tercentenary Theater. By Frank S. Zhou

Khurana celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2024 — including numerous Ivy league championships, prizes, and research accomplishments.

“I have so much hope for what you’re going to accomplish when you leave Harvard,” he said.

Khurana then urged graduates to think deeply about complex problems and “break free from binaries,” though he added that it “will not be an easy task.”

“Diversity is only our strength if we can view difference as a positive not a negative,” he said. “When we see diversity as a binary, us versus them, we are not realizing the full potential of our society”.

“We have been struggling for some time to break out of binary thinking, of organizing the world to those who are guilty and innocent, right or wrong,” Khurana added.

Khurana described the present as “a pivotal moment in history” of determining “whether an institution devoted to the pursuit of truth, veritas, can remain free from internal or external coercion.”

“We have to find common ground, and we have to remain open to changing our minds,” he concluded.

Khurana speech — around 15 minutes in duration — passed without any disruptions from the crowd.

Harvard College Class Day Starts — 2:06 p.m.

Graduates and their families packed Tercentenary Theater as Fez S. Zafar ’24, First Marshal of the Class of 2024, opened the ceremony. Zafar recounted the Class of 2024’s “unconventional Harvard experience” alongside Second Marshal Chibuikem C. Uche ’24.

“Our time at Harvard has been interesting to say the least,” Zafar said.

First Marshal Fez S. Zafar '24 addressed the senior class at the Harvard College Class of 2024 Class Day. By Frank S. Zhou

The duo recalled entering Harvard during the Covid-19 pandemic, requiring daily Covid-19 tests, restrictions on social gatherings, and meeting his blocking group on Zoom — all in their freshman year.

The Class of 2024’s sophomore year was marked by the fall of the Undergraduate Council — the predecessor to the Harvard Undergraduate Association — and their junior year was marked by student movements in support of race-conscious admissions which the Supreme Court ultimately decided to overturn.

“And then, Senior Year began. As we entered Harvard for the final time, how could we make sense of what was to come?” Zafar asked, adding that the seniors faced “unprecedented controversy, a presidential resignation, and campus turmoil unlike any you know.”

Zafar then presented the Class of 2024’s mission statement, which focused on creating a senior year full of fun and connection.

“It’s gonna be electric,” he said. “And what an electric senior year it was.”

“As campuses across the country were rocked with discord, we came together,” Zafar added.

Before he left the stage, Zafar reflected on the legacy of his class.

“The class of 2024 will depart from Cambridge having created an enduring and unforgettable impact,” he said.

Zafar led the audience in a call and response activity, encouraging the audience to move their arms in a roller-coaster motion, cheer, and stomp their feet, before welcoming Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana to the stage.

Graduates and Families Gather in the Yard for Lunch —1:30 p.m.

As the sun beats down relentlessly and temperatures reach 88 degrees Fahrenheit, College graduates and their families flocked to Old Yard sitting in newly-laid patches of grass — where no traces of the encampment, which had been there just days ago, remain.

Graduates are sitting at tables with friends and family, while others mull about and grab lunch, which is handed out in cooler bags. The menu includes Halal chicken sandwiches, gluten-free vegetarian salads, and turkey sandwiches. Students and families eat as they chat and reconnect.

A number of tents strewn across the perimeter of the Yard provide lunch, sell Harvard merchandise, or provide shade to passersby.

The trees dapple the Yard with shade, providing refuge for students and families in the heat. Some families carry parasols while others lounge in the shade, fanning themselves as they await Class Day — which is scheduled to begin in just minutes.

Harvard’s Governing Boards Meet as Students Celebrate Graduation — 11:52 a.m.

As Harvard College celebrated Class Day, the Harvard Corporation met in Loeb House to decide whether to confer degrees on 13 seniors who were disciplined for participating in the pro-Palestine Harvard Yard encampment. By Frank S. Zhou

A billboard truck criticizing Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker ’81 circled Harvard Yard as the Corporation meets today to decide whether to overturn a Harvard College Administrative Board Decision to prevent 13 seniors from graduating.

Pritzker’s picture in a keffiyeh was accompanied by the words “They Broke the Rules. Why is Penny giving them Harvard degrees?” in reference to students who have been either suspended or placed on probation for their involvement in the pro-Palestine encampment that occupied Harvard Yard for 20 days.

A billboard truck with a photo of Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker '81 circled Harvard Yard Wednesday morning. By Julian J. Giordano

The billboard truck is likely to put additional pressure on the members of the Corporation ahead of the degree conferral meeting, a reminder that rebuking the Ad Board will have its own set of public consequences especially as Harvard faces increased pressure from Congress.

The billboard did not include information about who organized and funded it.

Members of the Corporation, including Pritzker, were seen entering Loeb House around 7 pm Tuesday and did not emerge until 10:30 pm. Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 left Loeb House shortly before 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

11:19 – Public Health School Begins Class Day

BOSTON — After graduates of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health processed into the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center mid-morning, HSPH Dean Andrea A. Baccarelli delivered the opening speech.

In his address, Baccarelli described his journey through the field of public health, asking graduates to consider the questions a teacher asked him when he was 16.

“What are your dreams? What are your skills? What does the world need?” Baccarelli said.

Baccarelli also noted the diversity of HSPH graduates, with 666 students from 38 U.S. states and 66 countries worldwide.

“The world needs a lot of things, and this is why the world needs you,” Baccarelli added.

Dean Andrea A. Baccarelli speaks at the School of Public Health Convocation. By Jina H. Choe

HKS Students Condemn Ad Board Sanctions — 10:10 a.m.

Several students speaking at the Harvard Kennedy School Class Day slammed the Harvard College Administrative Board’s decision to bar more than a dozen College students from graduating over their participation in the encampment in Harvard Yard.

“While we celebrate our graduation, Harvard University — threatened by the student uprising for Palestinian liberation — has chosen to withhold degrees from our peers, who have not only fulfilled every graduation requirement, but more importantly, who have exemplified veritas through their dissent,” said Ali Mirza, a graduating master’s in public policy student.

Mirza left the stage with a standing ovation from fellow graduates, several of whom were waving Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs, a traditional Palestinian scarf.

Ali Mirza, a graduating master's in public policy student, slammed the Harvard College Administrative Board's decision to bar more than a dozen College students from graduating over their participation in the encampment in Harvard Yard. By Frank S. Zhou

Pallavi Deshpande, the class marshal for graduating MPP students, also condemned the disciplinary action taken by the College.

“Claiming Harvard — the university that will not let 15 Harvard College seniors graduate for their protesting against one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes, crises of our times, a genocide in Gaza — leaves a very sour taste in my mouth,” Deshpande said.

“Hoverer, having said that, I am eternally grateful for the one thing this place has given me — the people and community,” she added.

Harvard spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kennedy School Class Day Begins — 9:04 a.m.

The Harvard Kennedy School began its class day early Wednesday morning, kicking off a day of celebrations across the University. In an opening speech, Samriddhi Vij, a graduating master’s in public policy student, applauded the international diversity at HKS, saying that the graduating class of HKS represents 87 countries.

“This number does not just represent our nationalities, but it also represents the unique perspective we bring to any conversation,” Vij said.

In an interview before the ceremony, Alibek Konkakov, a graduating mid-career master’s in public administration student, said it was “great to be graduating from Harvard.”

“It’s exciting, this is such a great ceremony. We have a star speaker today — the U.S. Ambassador to China — and tomorrow will be even more exciting,” Konkakov said.

Mirza left the stage with a standing ovation from fellow graduates, several of whom were waving Palestinian flags. By Frank S. Zhou

When Does Class Day Begin? — 7:46 a.m.

The College Class Day picnic will begin at noon in the Old Yard.

At 2:00 p.m., graduating seniors and their families will move across the Yard to attend the official Class Day Exercises.

The ceremony will also be livestreamed on Harvard’s official YouTube channel.

‘Unconventional’ Class Day Speakers — 7:30 a.m.

Harvard Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 and Securitas employee Bill Oliverio will serve as the two speakers at Harvard College’s Class Day ceremony later this afternoon.

The 2024 Senior Class Committee and the Harvard Alumni Association asked Fitzsimmons and Oliverio to speak at the ceremony after they could not manage to find a more high-profile candidate to deliver the Class Day address.

The Senior Class Committee’s speaker wishlist featured Harvard dropout Matt Damon, a former member of the Class of 1992, 15-time NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal, former U.S. president Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Canadian rapper Drake.

Read more about this year’s unique struggles in the search for a celebrity Class Day speaker.

—Staff writers Joyce E. Kim, Emma H. Haidar, S. Mac Healey, Madeleine A. Hung, Cam E. Kettles, Jo B. Lemann, Azusa M. Lippit, William C. Mao, Asher J. Montgomery, Dhruv T. Patel, Veronica H. Paulus, Akshaya Ravi, and Cam N. Srivastava contributed reporting.