'Dream the world you want to see'

With charges to use the lessons of a liberal arts education to make positive change in the world, Skidmore College conferred 634 degrees to the Class of 2023 during the College’s 112th Commencement Exercises.   

Family, friends, trustees, alumni, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate the graduates’ achievements at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on Saturday, May 20. 

Skidmore’s Class of 2023, who hail from 50 countries, 34 U.S. states, and Puerto Rico, were conferred 435 Bachelor of Arts and 199 Bachelor of Science degrees. The class includes more than 100 first-generation college graduates.  

Renowned academic, author, and art historian Mary Schmidt Campbell and accomplished scholar, teacher, and civil rights attorney Frederick M. Lawrence both received honorary degrees and addressed the graduates during the program.  

Nancy W. Hamilton ’77, chair of the Board of Trustees, spoke about the obstacles the graduates had already overcome — including the COVID-19 pandemic, which started during their second semester at Skidmore, and coming challenges — including new technology such as artificial intelligence — that they would now need to confront.  

Nancy W. Hamilton '77

“You, the Class of 2023, have already proven yourselves ready to face the future and its unexpected challenges ... Continue to challenge yourselves to engage, question, and research the facts … Be open to other points of view and to change, and keep an eye out for opportunity … You have the gift and, yes, the privilege of your Skidmore education. Be proud of it. Your Skidmore experience has prepared you to meet the world head on.” 

President Marc C. Conner praised the endurance, grit, tenacity, and creativity that brought the Class of 2023 through the pandemic and, most of all, the culture of care and commitment to community that they demonstrated to one another. 

Marc C. Conner

“When we celebrate, we signal to the world what we most value: We value education and the opportunities it will provide; we value the liberal arts and the perspectives and possibilities it gives; we value this College, which has been impacting young persons’ lives for over a century; and most of all, we value you, the Class of 2023.”   

Mary Schmidt Campbell, president emerita of Spelman College and a former commissioner of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs, spoke about the challenges she faced in her work expanding professional development opportunities for people of color in the arts in New York City. She charged graduates to reach across political, cultural, racial, and geographic differences and to find a similar sense of common purpose at the national level.  

Mary Schmidt Campbell

“Graduates, there is work to be done, but our history tells us that it can be done. Don’t believe the doomsayers. You have the power to see and create what has not yet been invented. The gift of a Skidmore education is that you leave with a sense of the ‘power of the possible.’ Skidmore honed your critical-thinking skills, your ability to solve problems and to work collaboratively. It gifted you with the fearlessness of your imagination …"

After receiving his honorary degree, Frederick M. Lawrence, one of the nation’s leading experts on civil rights, free expression, and bias crimes, and the current secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, encouraged the graduates to be active agents for positive change.  

Frederick M. Lawrence

“Embrace change and draw on the habits of heart and mind that you have developed here at Skidmore to see change not as threatening but as promising, not as something happening to you but as something you participate in creating.” 

Joowon Park, assistant professor of anthropology and an affiliate faculty member in Skidmore's Asian Studies and International Affairs programs, addressed the graduates on behalf of Skidmore’s faculty. A Korean who grew up in East Africa, Park encouraged the graduates to define their generational mission in an increasingly globalized world. But most of all, he encouraged graduates to dream. 

Joowon Park

“Your generation has a choice to make in how you define yourselves, not simply by your nationality but as an individual living in this global world. You can deny our global interconnections and erect borders, or you can recognize that our greater concern is the whole of humanity … We must set our aim high — not simply for that next promotion or that next job. But dream the life you want to live. Dream the world you want to see.” 

Class of 2023 President Issy Mejia, a member of Skidmore's 50th graduating Opportunity Program class whose family is from the Dominican Republic, delivered part of their speech in Spanish. A first-generation college graduate, Mejia emphasized the importance of community in overcoming the pandemic and the enduring significance of love.  

Issy Mejia ’23

“We are not who we were when we first arrived on campus in 2019. But of all the things that contributed to our growth, I find myself returning to love ... Skidmore’s love comforted me during the challenging transition from a New York City public school … I felt it on sunny days at Case Green, in the company of close friends, when we were all just happy that finals were over and the sun was out ... "  

Robert F. Resnick '88, president of the Skidmore College Alumni Association, officially welcomed the graduates as members of Skidmore's alumni community.   

Robert F. Resnick ’88

“You will leave here armed with the greatest weapon there is — a Skidmore education. You have the information and skills given to you by professors and staff, your experiences, your friendships, and — of course — your families.”  

Graduates Alexander Lewis ’23 and Iti Singh ’23, senior gift co-chairs, presented a gift of more than $6,300 to support the Opportunity Program; diversity, equity, and inclusion; sustainability; athletics; and scholarships and financial aid. In total, 64% of this year’s graduates contributed, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.   
   
The ceremony included all the traditional elements, such as processionals led by the Schenectady Pipe Band, a colorful display of stoles and cords symbolizing the graduates' many achievements, and a moving performance by Skidmore students of Skidmore’s Alma Mater.

Commencement capped a series of celebrations on campus for the Class of 2023, including ceremonies hosted by the Office of Student Diversity Programs, Periclean Honors Forum, and Phi Beta Kappa. It also followed a yearlong celebration of Skidmore’s Centennial. Skidmore’s collegiate status was officially recognized on May 25, 1922.  
  
On Friday, students and their families also participated in the Brick Dedication Ceremony for the Class of 2023 brick pathway in the heart of campus, bearing the names of each recent graduate.