Penn salutes graduates at University’s 269th Commencement

Mother Nature gifted the Class of 2025 clear, blue skies and low humidity on Monday, May 19, for Penn’s 269th Commencement at Franklin Field.

Prior to the ceremony, a sea of graduates decked out in caps and regalia convened at Penn Park to socialize, reconnect, celebrate, and line up for their procession to Franklin Field.

One graduating duo, Albert Jang, from Atlanta, Georgia, and Will Kranenburg, from Medford, Oregon, reflected on reaching this milestone.

“It was a dream to attend a school like this ever since I was 14,” said Kranenburg, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from the College of Arts and Sciences and planning to attend law school. “I’m so excited to be here today after working so hard for so long.”

Jang and Kranenburg met as first-years, playing soccer at Penn Park on St. Patrick’s Day. Sharing the same field at Commencement marked a full circle moment for their friendship.

“I was like, this guy’s got to be awesome,” recalled Jang, who is graduating with a degree in science, technology &society from the College and preparing to enter the executive search field. “Since then, we hit it off. [We] became brothers. He’ll be the uncle for my kids.”

The ceremony began with the customary graduate and academic processions, an introduction by Ramanan Raghavendran, chair of the Board of Trustees, and an inspiring rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” from Carlee Reid, a Wharton School graduate.

University Chaplain Charles “Chaz” Howard referenced the national anthem in his invocation, comparing the “perilous fight” mentioned by Francis Scott Key to students enduring during difficult times.

“May we remember that despite the challenges, you, we, are still here,” said Howard, also vice president for social equity and community.

Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. recognized the many academic honors bestowed upon the Class of 2025 and Kathleen Brown, chair of the Faculty Senate and David Boies Professor of History in the School of Arts & Sciences, asked graduates to reflect on their Penn education, invoking the words of poet Mary Oliver: “’Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’”

Delivering remarks to graduates and families, friends, and loved ones in the stands, President J. Larry Jameson said the Class of 2025 is historic for many reasons.

“For example, you’ve done something that only two classes in our entire history can claim: You’re graduating the same year that the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl,” he said, to resounding cheers.

“You have other claims to history, too,” added Jameson. “Many of you finished high school and started college during the pandemic. You persisted with graduate and professional studies through the twists and the turns of COVID. You have persevered and advanced in a world that is only changing faster.”

With the world shifting, Jameson said graduates can find footing by adapting quickly and creatively, pointing to firefighters adapting to fight the Los Angeles wildfires, Carl June’s CAR T-cell breakthroughs, and Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman’s foundational mRNA discoveries as examples.

“From wildfires to wild innovations, the lessons are clear: in volatile times, when the pressure is on, the odds are long, the stakes are high, adapting creatively can make a huge difference. You, the graduates, are well prepared. Your professors, your peers, your coaches, and countless communities have been helping you to hone your skills.”

He cited three characteristics—traits of Penn founder Benjamin Franklin—in Penn’s values: curiosity, creativity, and self-improvement.

“These are Penn values. These are your values,” Jameson said. “Use them often, keep them sharp, and they will serve you well. It is by adapting that you will help to shape the future.”

Honorary degrees were conferred to actor, director, and producer Elizabeth Banks; historian, educator, curator, and author Lonnie G. Bunch III; physicist Lene Vestergaard Hau, a pioneer in quantum optics; and historian Barbara D. Savage, former chair of the Department of Africana Studies in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences.

Banks, the keynote speaker and a 1996 alumna of the College, was introduced by Jackson. In an engaging, sometimes funny, address, she described herself as a first-generation “scholarship kid” from a working-class family who was “loaded up with Pell grants.”

She said she came to Penn to use what she said is the “best tool for class migration that has ever existed: higher education.”

“Some of you know this already, but for those who don’t, today represents an amazing achievement, for sure,” said Banks. “But what you’re all getting today is not just a diploma, but a safety net—and I don’t just mean the Ivy League degree. Nobody here, not a single one of you, got to this ceremony alone, me included. Somebody encouraged you, loved you, bandaged your skinned knee, fed you, talked to you. All of that support, that’s your safety net, too. And your job from here on out is to pursue anything and everything with absolute vigor because you have that safety net.”

Approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students were expected to walk in Monday’s University-wide Commencement ceremony, including Sarah Curry and Christian Butts, who graduated from the Weitzman School of Design with degrees in the Master of City Planning (MCP) program. They met through the Black Designers Society of Penn and spent much of their MCP program immersed in fieldwork across the City of Philadelphia.

For Butts, whose MCP studies were focused on transportation and infrastructure, the most exciting part of graduation is “being aware that I’m prepared and confident to add value in my profession and give back to the world.”

Curry, who helped organize volunteers from both Weitzman and the Wharton School for Rebuilding Together Philadelphia’s April Block Build, looks forward to staying in the city after graduation.

“To train and learn in the city that you want to make an impact on, I think just almost exponentially increases the value of what we were learning,” she said.

Zhang Jiang, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wharton, plans to launch a startup business with an eye for merging entrepreneurship with innovation.

“My No. 1 reason for coming to Penn was for the connections and the history behind the institution,” Jiang said, describing how he is “proud to be part of that legacy now.”

Ibnat Meah and Alexandra Venth, roommates, sorority sisters, and both originally from Pennsylvania, were thrilled about reaching Commencement after years of dedication, uncertainty, and growth.

“College was always this mythical thing that I didn’t think I would reach for some reason. And now that we’re here at Commencement. It feels really surreal,” said Meah, a biology graduate in the College.

Venth, an international relations graduate in the College, noted how interacting with numerous Penn alumni made her feel even more connected to the University.

“It’s been nice to hear from Penn graduates and see what they are doing now—and hear about their time at Penn, and how that shaped them,” she said.

Howard, a 2000 alumnus, said he asked his classmates over Alumni Weekend what advice he would give to graduates, and offered their words as the dismissal, including being kind, curious, and one’s best self.

“Savor life every day,” said Howard, “because you blink and you’re suddenly at your 25th reunion.”

After the ceremony, Michael Delarosa, who is from Youngsville, Louisiana, and earned a master’s degree in data science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, mentioned how much he enjoyed Banks’ speech. Spending the afternoon with his family, Delarosa reflected on first visiting the University while his brother was touring seven years earlier.

“I didn’t think I would end up here,” Delarosa said, adding how “seven years later, I’m graduating on Franklin Field. It’s kind of an honor.”

Among thousands of families taking celebratory photos and selfies together were Austin Corley, a graduate in the College majoring in economics, and his mother, Gloria Fleming-Corley.

“I give the utmost respect [and] credit to my family, especially my mother here,” said Corley, as the two exchanged a heartfelt smile. “She’s always been my No. 1 supporter.”

Fleming-Corley, who described the occasion as “vibrant” and “amazing,” expressed pride in her son and noted how the ceremony made her feel a sense of fulfillment, joy, and optimism—both for Corley and for the future of society.

“It’s so encouraging to see all the talent that’s grown from here and the amazing structure that [Penn] has provided to give way to the future of our country and the world,” Fleming-Corley said.

View the entire Commencement photo album on Flickr.