Our second—and, now, traditional—fall commencement ceremonies wrapped up yesterday on campus. What exuberance and excitement! The happy, joyful faces we saw from students and their loved ones coincide with the onset of the holiday season and provide the perfect antidote to the chilly, damp weather and shortened daylight hours.

Though this week’s Winter Solstice brings with it shortened daylight hours and thus plentiful darkness, our new graduates represent a bright light on the horizon, a ray of optimism and hope. 

Whether they go and however they choose to brighten their communities and our broader society, these new SJSU alums are ready to build on their education and become positive agents for change.
 
In my remarks to our new fall graduates, I quoted the great American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. He once wrote, “To the dull mind, all nature is leaden. To the illumined mind, the whole world … sparkles with light.”

Our new graduates now “sparkle with light” and are well-equipped to brighten our future: their own futures, the futures of their families and the futures of all of society. We look to them, the new graduates of San Jose State, to help us make our way out of the darkness. And I know they will do just that.

In addition to the video seen above, a “Twitter Moment” has been created and curates the “best of the best” commencement tweets that were posted throughout the week. Enjoy all the messages and wonderful imagery!

Commencement activities then immediately make way for the holidays and campus shutdown. I love this time of year and the slower pace it affords many of us as we spend time with friends and family while recharging our internal batteries for the next semester.
As the year draws to a close, I feel indebted to the student body at San Jose State, the dedicated staff and faculty on our campus who make the academic journey possible for our students and our alumni and community partners for their support.

Congratulations again to our fall graduates! Those who participated in commencement ceremonies created memories that are sure to burn brightly in their hearts and minds for years to come.
 
So, to our graduates and to every other member of the Spartan community, I wish you the happiest and most joyful of holiday. I hope you and your families experience peace, prosperity and good health throughout 2020. Thank you!

Dr. Mary A. Papazian
President