The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), City University of New York (CUNY), on June 5 showcased a cultural package, recognized exemplary achievements and exhibited sheer jubilation for more than 2,600 graduates from the classes of August 2023, January 2024 and June 2024.
BMCC said the arena at the Barclays Center, downtown Brooklyn, was filled to capacity as the college in lower Manhattan celebrated its 59th Commencement Exercises.
It said the program blended tradition — Provost Erwin Wong carrying the College Mace, a ceremonial baton symbolizing the college’s authority to confer degrees — and modern elements like a spectacular multicultural performance with dancers from Mexico, China, the Dominican Republic, India, New York City, among others, directed by Prof. Quentin Angus.
BMCC said its Graduation Ensemble, featuring some of the music program’s best jazz and pop student musicians, and conducted by Prof. Can Olgun, “kept the energy high.”
“The speaker program was punctuated with swells of applause from the graduates and from their family and friends, filling the tiers around them,” BMCC said.
The Jamaican-American President Dr. Anthony E. Munroe and college leaders congratulated the graduates. BMCC president’s parents are from Jamaica but he was born in the US.
“Graduation day is a culmination of years of dedication, hard work and resilience,” Dr. Munroe said. “It is a testament to your tenacity and determination. Today, we celebrate each of you.”
Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Marva Craig told the graduates, “Your graduation is a momentous occasion, made even more significant as it coincides with the 60th anniversary of the opening of Borough of Manhattan Community College.
“Today, we gather to celebrate the achievements of our graduates and honor the unwavering spirit of diversity,” she added.
Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Erwin Wong said, “This is a joyous occasion for all of us, especially for our graduating class of 2024,” and thanked the dance performers, “for embracing the spirit of unity, and for highlighting our vibrant, diverse community.”
Student Government Association (SGA) President Djibrilla Hamani told the audience, “In New York City, we face unique challenges that shape our resilience and adaptability. Balancing academics, work and personal responsibility, we are emerging strong and more resourceful with each passing season.”
Valedictorian Sally Weitzner told the graduating class of 2024, “I have been constantly inspired by your resilience, your passion and drive. I was inspired every time you showed up to class completely exhausted after a day at work, a night studying and taking care of your families.”
Weitzner shared that her grandmother was the only literate person in her village in China, and that her mother is a first-generation immigrant, the first person in her family to graduate from college—and her first degree was earned at BMCC.
“I grew up in my parent’s laundry business and saw how they worked to support us, but they always told me to do what I loved,” she said, adding that after a period of tough times, “BMCC is where I first sought out community and connection again.
“Something as small as raising my hand in class at least expanded my reach by an arm’s length,” Weitzner added. “I learned how important it was to remove the emotional armor I had created for myself.”
She said that college graduates today are entering a world in which much is demanded of them.
“Still, I hope we can hold on to an openness to new experiences, without fear of failure,” she said. “I hope we all find ways to push ourselves, just an inch further away from our routines, until we find ourselves miles farther than we imagined we could go.
“I hope we can recognize the powers of our communities, because it is our voice, our actions, our collective movement that will shape the world we live in,” Weitzner added.
The President’s Medal was presented by Dr. Munroe and CUNY Trustee Brian Obergfell to two “steadfast friends” of BMCC.
These included the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, represented by Executive Director Cass Conrad, and BMCC Foundation Chair Anthony Portannese, managing director, Human Resources, Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation.
As the Commencement neared its close, two music majors, Jaime André Díaz Granados Almanza and Jasmina Madison, sang the stirring Italian song, “Time to Say Goodbye,” and were “wildly cheered by the Commencement audience,” BMCC said.
“As graduates moved their tassel from the right side of their mortarboard to the left, confetti cannons blasted the air with a blizzard of color,” it added.
