Celebrating Class of ’24 with Mother’s Day Commencement
Mother’s Day will be extra special for the moms of Cornell College graduates as the college celebrates the Class of 2024 at its Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 12.
The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. in the Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center (SAW) Arena. Tickets are not needed to attend and the ceremony will be live-streamed on YouTube. An American Sign Language interpreter will sign at Commencement and at the 3 p.m. Saturday Baccalaureate service.
The three Commencement speakers—two seniors and a faculty member—are nominated by the senior class.
Donivan Jones will represent the class as the first senior speaker. He is from Geraldine, Alabama, and will receive a bachelor of arts degree in sociology. His next step is graduate school at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, where he will study for a master of art’s degree in higher education and student affairs. Jones served their peers at Cornell through their active involvement in Student Senate as Chair of Student Life and Student Body President. He was a sociology peer tutor, manager of the college’s Social Media Team, and much more at Cornell.
Isabella Schmidt will be the second senior speaker. She is from Nerstrand, Minnesota, and will receive a business management degree with a minor in chemistry. Schmidt has been an active member of the Cornell community as a leader for The Performing Arts and Activities Council, Student Senate, Greek Council, The Cornellian, Phi Omega sorority, and The Big Event. She’s also a member of the Steel Pans Band and was the 2023 Resident Assistant of the Year.
Author and Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Katie Sagal is the faculty speaker. She is an active member of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and published her first book, “Botanical Entanglements: Women, Natural Science, and the Arts in Eighteenth-Century England,” in 2022.
Two faculty will receive emeritus status after teaching for a combined 69 years: Professor of Psychology William Dragon, who joined the faculty in 1987, and Professor of English Leslie Kathleen Hankins, who has taught at Cornell since 1992.
An inter-spiritual Baccalaureate ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 11, also in the SAW Arena. This Cornell tradition features playful and meaningful words of gratitude by graduating seniors on behalf of their faculty, family, staff, and friends; readings by members of the Class of 2024; and wisdom for the life journey, which includes a message by College Chaplain Melea White.
Other events are also scheduled throughout the weekend. Follow the events on social media with #CornellCGrad.
