At Sunday鈥檚 commencement on the Green, Emmy-nominated writer, actor, producer, and comedy star Mindy Kaling 鈥�01 urged members of the graduating class to be their own champions.
鈥淚鈥檓 giving you permission to root for yourself,鈥� said Kaling, who is best known for her roles in The Office and The Mindy Project. 鈥淎nd while you鈥檙e at it, root for those around you, too. It took me a long time to realize that success isn鈥檛 a zero-sum game.鈥�
It was a beautiful morning鈥攃lear, warm, and sunny鈥攁s a crowd of 12,000 parents, family, and friends gathered to celebrate the Class of 2018. President Phil Hanlon 鈥�77 conferred 1,972 bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, and doctoral degrees in undergraduate and graduate programs from the , , , and the .
In her address, Kaling took lighthearted aim at, among other things, Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel 鈥�25), the New Hampshire state motto, Dartmouth鈥檚 new logo, and the general forgettability of graduation speeches.
鈥淢adeline Albright was my commencement speaker, and while I don鈥檛 remember any specific quotes she said, or even a general gist of what she was talking about, I do remember thinking: 鈥業 wonder what it will be like to have my own cell phone?鈥� How things have changed.鈥�
But Kaling鈥檚 underlying message to graduates was in earnest: Believe in yourself and one another.
Speaking specifically to the women of the Class of 2018, she said, 鈥淗ey girls, we need to do a better job of supporting each other. I know I鈥檓 guilty of it too. We live in a world where it seems like there鈥檚 only room for one of us at the table. So when another woman shows up, we think, 鈥極h my god, she鈥檚 going to take the one woman spot! That was supposed to be mine!鈥� But that鈥檚 just what certain men want us to do! Wouldn鈥檛 it be better if we worked together to dismantle a system that makes us feel like there鈥檚 limited room for us? Because when women work together, we can accomplish anything.鈥�
She concluded with words of encouragement for everyone. 鈥淚鈥檝e covered a lot of ground today, not all of it serious, but I wanted to leave you with this: I was not someone who should have the life I have now, and yet I do. I was sitting in the chair you are literally sitting in right now and I just whispered, 鈥榃hy not me?鈥� And I kept whispering that to myself for 17 years, and here I am, someone this school deemed worthy enough to speak to you at your commencement.
鈥淒on鈥檛 let anyone tell you you can鈥檛 do something, but especially not yourself. Go conquer the world. Just remember this: Why not you? You鈥檝e made it this far.鈥�
In his address, President Hanlon urged the graduates to look to the example of this year鈥檚 honorary degree recipients, each of whom, he said, 鈥渉as embraced their global citizenship as both a gift and a responsibility.鈥�
He continued: 鈥淎s you leave Dartmouth today, remember the lessons you鈥檝e learned through your global engagements, and take inspiration from today鈥檚 honorary degree recipients. Understand the importance of cultural awareness and humility. Recognize the rich pool of talent that exists across the globe, and harness the power of partnership in your work. Remember that better solutions arise when diverse perspectives are applied to the complex challenges you鈥檒l face.鈥�
When valedictorian Nicholas Norwitz 鈥�18, a biology major from Newton, Mass., told the crowd, 鈥淐oming to Dartmouth was one of the best decisions I ever made,鈥� it was evident from his classmates鈥� applause that he wasn鈥檛 alone in that sentiment.
Speaking on the theme of making good decisions, Nortwitz said, 鈥淵ou need to be given the opportunities to make those decisions. That鈥檚 the real privilege of being at an elite Ivy league school like Dartmouth: It opens doors you never knew existed and provides opportunities that you could only dream of.鈥�
Norwitz is one of four undergraduate valedictorians, recognized for having earned a 4.0 grade-point average. The others are Hae Lin Cho 鈥�17, Katherine Clayton 鈥�18, and Jean Zhou 鈥�18.
and read about this year鈥檚 .)
Hanlon conferred honorary degrees on Kaling and five other recipients. They are:
- Peter M. Fahey 鈥�68, Dartmouth trustee, president of the Class of 1968, and a retired partner of Goldman Sachs
- Frank J. Guarini 鈥�46, former U.S. congressman and representative to the United Nations
- William H. Holmes 鈥�79, surgeon and global public health leader involved with more than 20 humanitarian aid organizations
- Sylvia Kaaya, psychiatrist, researcher, and dean of the School of Medicine at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of the Carlyle Group and supporter of The Giving Pledge
Sunday鈥檚 ceremony began with an academic procession to the Green led by bagpiper Joshua Marks 鈥�96 and featured music throughout by the Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble and the Dartmouth College Glee Club. Brooke Hadley 鈥�18, president of Native Americans at Dartmouth, welcomed attendees to the day鈥檚 formal proceedings.
鈥淲e gather here today on these historic grounds, the original homeland of the Abenaki people, to celebrate the 248th year of the college founded for the education of Native youth,鈥� Hadley said. She briefly outlined the history of Native American students at Dartmouth, noting that since Dartmouth rededicated itself to its original charter in the 1970s, it has 鈥渕atriculated almost 1,000 Native American students鈥攎ore than all of the other Ivy Leagues combined.鈥�
鈥淪tudents today have shown that our culture and continuity as indigenous people has strengthened us,鈥� Hadley said. 鈥淚t is this diversity of thought and background which truly makes Dartmouth unique.鈥�
The three-hour commencement ended with students, guests, faculty, and staff shaking Kaling鈥檚 hand as she and Hanlon led the honorary degree recipients and faculty from the Green. Kaling lingered in front of the Hopkins Center for the Arts as eager fans asked her to pose for selfies, hugged her, and thanked her for returning to Dartmouth.
The rest of the weekend was also filled with events, including, on Saturday, a multifaith baccalaureate service where immigration attorney Allegra Love 鈥�03 spoke to the graduating class and their families. Love directs the Santa Fe Dreamers Project in Santa Fe, N.M., which provides free legal representation to New Mexico鈥檚 immigrant community. Saturday also saw investiture ceremonies at the Geisel School of Medicine, the Guarini School of 麻豆视频 and Advanced Studies, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.
Hannah Silverstein can be reached at hannah.silverstein@dartmouth.edu.
