Attorney General Andrea Campbell Calls on Class of 2025 to Lead with Courage, Conviction in Uncertain Times
University confers degrees to 2,635 undergraduates at harborside ceremony
In a world gripped by conflict, crisis, and division, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell challenged UMass Boston’s Class of 2025 to meet the moment with the same courage and conviction that brought them to commencement day.
As the university celebrated its 57th undergraduate commencement Thursday morning, Campbell looked out on a sea of students on the Campus Center Lawn and reminded them that their presence in those seats was no small accomplishment — it was proof of their power to persevere.
“You had to deal with a pandemic, you're graduating at a time with economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, ongoing political divisions, traumatic wars overseas, and so much more. Yet despite those challenges you exercised courage, you believed in yourself, and you took action every day to accomplish what you accomplished today,” Campbell said. “So when I say it's an honor and privilege to be here with you, it is indeed an honor and privilege to be here because we all recognize what it took to sit in that chair is not an easy feat.”
UMass Boston graduates hail from 130 countries around the world and speak more than 70 different languages. Nearly 60 percent of UMass Boston students are first-generation college students.
“This is a class representing not just the Commonwealth, not just our country, but the entire world. … I want to acknowledge the gifts that you are representing from these various countries and contributions that you have made and will continue to make in the Commonwealth, which I and everyone on the stage will not take for granted,” she said.
Watch UMass Boston's 2025 commencement ceremony.
Campbell, the first Black woman to hold the office of Massachusetts Attorney General, has been actively challenging the Trump administration through numerous lawsuits and legal actions on topics including cuts to education and public health funding, efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, threats to student visas, and attempts to end birthright citizenship.
“I will do everything in my power to fight not only to protect our values, but to protect our residents and our people, our state economy, and the incredible institution that the UMass system is,” she said.
This year, UMass Boston conferred 3,835 degrees (2,635 undergraduate; 1,066 master’s; and 134 doctoral). The university held two commencement ceremonies over two days— with a graduate ceremony taking place on Wednesday, May 28. The university also hosted a doctoral hooding ceremony that morning.
Chancellor Suárez-Orozco: Take UMass Boston With You — and Be the Change
Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco presided at the ceremony, applauding the remarkable achievements of this year’s graduating class, as they’ve earned their degrees at a challenging, uncertain time.
“Many of you began your UMass Boston journey during the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. You encountered obstacles, detours, and wicked knots, but you reached the finish line with grit, grace, and a smile on your face. It took determination and ganas to arrive at this moment. For that, I salute you,” he said. “Today, you begin a journey of possibility with hope, curiosity, and eyes wide open, even as it seems overshadowed by the mounting crises of the day.”
Chancellor Suárez-Orozco spoke of how in recent weeks the university community has witnessed unwelcome government intrusion, including the revocation of visas for its international students without warning or due process; the cancellation of millions of dollars in research funding that supports public health, public education, and scholarship; and attacks on efforts to serve our diverse communities and ensure equity.
“Higher education has long been – and must continue to be – a driving force for American progress and a catalyst for positive change. Universities are vibrant marketplaces of ideas. And we cannot sustain a functioning democracy if its foundation of academic freedom and scientific inquiry is under siege,” he said. “We cannot reach new insights, invent new devices, cultivate thoughtful public policy, or change the world if we accept everything we are told as fixed, eternal, and correct. We achieve progress through questioning, discovery, and innovation. These are the gifts of academic freedom and scientific inquiry, the sources of much good news in higher education.”
He told graduates that while they will face complicated decisions, chance encounters, and risks around every corner, these are the moments when they will be drawing on their experiences and what they learned at UMass Boston, where they zeroed in on what they love.
“Take everything UMass Boston opened for you – the academic freedom, diversity of thought, and passion for making things better – go out into the world and live fearlessly,” Chancellor Suárez-Orozco said. “In the end, I don’t want you to leave UMass Boston behind. I want you to take UMass Boston with you. Challenge yourselves. Keep learning. See where change is needed and always be that change.”
Student Speaker Tells Classmates Real Change Comes from Passion, Not Just a Diploma.
Basim Naeem, who received the John F. Kennedy Award for Academic Excellence, reminded his fellow graduates that it is not solely their degrees that will allow them to enact change—it is their passion and dedication to their causes that will.
“Let's face it: Society is going through a difficult time, and it's our generation that bears the responsibility of helping to fix it. That's why it's more important than ever to recognize the immense power we hold,” he said. “We're entering the world with more than just a degree—we bring energy, ambition, and the drive to create lasting change. We all possess the capacity to bring change, otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting here today.
“The world aches and our optimism will allow us to be the ones who show up and do something about it,” he said.
Naeem graduated from UMass Boston with a B.S. degree in Biology and with University Honors from the Honors College. After graduation, he will spend two years working in clinical research, while applying to MD and MPH programs, as his long-term career goal is to be an oncologist with a specialization in neurology. In his future career as a physician, Naeem also aims to use his public health training to address systemic inequities in the current medical system through advocating for healthcare reform.
“I fear many of us have become chronic complainers, complicit in the thought that we are powerless in enacting change. Rather than just performatively posting about it, we must find purpose in helping these causes. We are at a volatile point in time where we cannot afford to be cynical. Too many of us post Instagram stories and consider that our daily dose of activism when we can do so much more,” he said. “It does not have to be a political cause, we must strive to create positive change in all our careers and interests because that will help us remain optimistic.”