Congratulations to the newest Cornell alumni — the Class of 2025!
As you don black gowns and shoulder tassels representing your collegiate communities and accomplishments, graduation may feel like a decisive ending. Your long chapter of trudging up the slope to classes, searching for an empty seat in the Olin stacks and scribbling through prelims in Barton is coming to a close.
But though you may no longer stroll past gorges each day, the responsibility to carry on the mission of Cornell lives on with you. Ezra Cornell etched the phrase “to do the greatest good,” in his notes before discussing the founding of the University with the New York State Legislature in 1865.
This call to action is not confined to the bubble of Cornell’s Ithaca campus. It is most defined by the actions of its alumni.
Toni Morrison ’31 used literature to transform discussions about civil rights, earning a Nobel Prize. Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54 championed racial and gender equality, unafraid to dissent on major issues as a justice on the Supreme Court. Bill Nye ’77 “The Science Guy” democratized science education, inspiring children to be curious about how the world works.
Their decades away from the Hill illustrate the mission of Cornell, and so can yours. In a time defined by threats to research funding and constitutional rights, it has never been more important “to do the greatest good.”
Through your time at Cornell, you have practiced persisting through challenges, respecting others across divisions and asking essential questions. The lessons you learned in classrooms live on in your embodiment of advocating for “good” in the world.
Commit to small acts of kindness. Introduce yourself to someone you have never met before as your peers trickle off campus. Look for common ground with those you disagree with, as you did in classroom debates. Question both the purpose of your work and what is left undone. Look to the Cornell community to connect with those in the places you want to be and those with the shared values you want to embody.
Whatever your pursuit of “good” looks like, I know you are ready for it. As editor-in-chief of The Sun, I have seen your class define the pages of our paper and the walls of our campus. Whether you studied, danced, researched, volunteered, sang, wrote or protested across campus, your time on the Hill demonstrates your unbreakable drive and ability to move your community. Keep this spark alive as you blaze on in new pursuits.
And when you visit the campus in one year or 10 or 50, you will feel right at home, understanding that Cornell was not just the place you lived and studied for a few years, but a driving force of your character. Your time on campus may be closing, but your Cornell story is just beginning.
— Julia Senzon
Julia Senzon is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is the editor-in-chief of the 143rd Editorial Board and was the managing editor of the 142nd Editorial Board. She can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com or 908-672-3047.
