As prepared for delivery at the 2025 Commencement of Franklin & Marshall College

Thank you, Vice President Drew Stelljes for your kind words. Thank you, President Altmann, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, and distinguished alumni. And, of course, thank you to my fellow classmates. I am humbled and honored to speak with you all today. 

I know each of us has a story that led us here—stories of sacrifice, hard work, resilience, and hope. If there’s one truth I’ve come to hold over these past four years, it’s that education should never be disconnected from the world we come from and the one we hope to live in. Whatever your future path is to the law, science, education, art, or business, our joint task is to use what we learned here to improve our common world, to improve how people live, work, and relate to each other. We don’t need to do this with grand gestures, but in small, deliberate choices—the kinds that shape who we are, and show us who we want to become.

For me, that purpose is deeply rooted in my own personal story.

Immigrating to the United States was a time of uncertainty. My family and I arrived with no English skills and with no financial resources to ease the transition. We moved into my uncle’s apartment in the Bronx with no plan, and uncertain about what the future would hold, but with a sense of determination to make things work.

My parents lacked a credit history and they couldn’t secure an apartment, so we spent our first months sleeping on a small couch in a friend’s living room. My parents didn’t know when—or if—they would find jobs. I remember sitting at the kitchen table, listening to relatives describe how they waited years for legal help, due to an overwhelming backlog of immigration cases. Those early experiences fueled my determination to alleviate the burdens faced by immigrant families.

Everything I’ve done at F&M stems from that determination. What I have learned here, among many things, is that the heart of immigration is not just policy—it’s people and how we choose to be with each other. It's about understanding that people like me are able to contribute because this is a country that at its best keeps its door open. That open door gave my family a chance; it gave me a chance. 

So I ask you today to reflect on the purpose of your presence here. I believe we are all here because someone believed in us. I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to be seen, to be supported, and to succeed.

For me, this happened four years ago when I was notified that I had been awarded the Posse Scholarship and I was accepted to attend F&M. All the uncertainty, the sleepless nights, the 40-hour work weeks, the fear and anxiety of how I would make my family proud—all of it disappeared. At F&M, I found professors who mentored me, peers who challenged me, and causes that fueled my passion. I worked with asylum seekers, translated during legal consultations, and supported refugee students in their college journeys. For you, it may have meant conducting research, mentoring others, starting a new club, or simply showing up when it mattered most. These activities weren’t extracurriculars. They were acts of purpose, a continuation of the promises we made to ourselves when we first arrived here.

As we graduate today, the world is asking us who we are and what we stand for. And the answer, in part, lies in how we miraculously arrived here and what we accomplished here. We are resilient. We are resourceful. We are persistent, in the face of whatever challenge or uncertainty may come, because of our individual and collective strength. We leave here today, as Diplomats, local and global.

Let’s move forward with a sense of purpose. Let’s take what F&M has taught us about having difficult conversations, about honoring our differences, and about inspiring change — and bring it with us into our careers, our communities, and our causes.

Congratulations, Class of 2025!