The Class of 2021 — and the entire College — are currently counting down the days until Commencement 2021 takes place on April 29. As we lead up to graduation, we are highlighting some of the most memorable moments from the past four years to celebrate our soon-to-be graduates.
Barnard launched the new academic year with traditional fanfare, bringing together first-years, continuing students, and alumnae to mark new beginnings. Nearly 70 alumnae class officers marched in the ceremonial procession dressed in academic regalia and carrying class flags, cheered on by new and returning students. Convocation 2017 was also special, as it was President Sian Leah Beilock’s first as the College’s new leader. President Beilock was officially inaugurated on February 9, 2018.
Students from first-years to seniors wore special T-shirts for the occasion. Class of 2021 student Ellie Harrison said, “I have sisters who have gone to Barnard, and it’s a tradition in our family that you go to Barnard and you come out totally ready to go, a fired-up woman, and that’s the image I associate with Barnard. Convocation is a really cool way to start the year and a really cool way to get everyone ready to go.”
Watch videos of comments from keynote speaker Carol Dweck ’67 and students (below), alumnae memories, and the full Convocation ceremony.
Keynote speaker Carol Dweck ’67, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation, discussed the process of becoming and how to develop one’s potential. “Please keep asking yourself,” Dweck encouraged students, “Who do I want to become? What role do I want to play in the world of today and tomorrow? And then think about the great resources and opportunities at Barnard that can help you become that person, slowly but surely, over time.”
Read how Barnard celebrated the start of the academic year here.
