When it comes to opportunity, don't ask yourself ‘why?’
Instead, “Ask yourself ‘What?’” said Jacob Bleacher, a 2000 Franklin & Marshall College alumnus, addressing Class of 2023 graduates at their May 13 Commencement.
”What can I do with this opportunity?” asked Bleacher, chief exploration scientist in NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.
Like many of the 518 graduates sitting before him in the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center, Bleacher entered his first year at F&M full of uncertainty. But with faculty guidance – and a knack for recalibrating both opportunity and lunar equipment – he transformed a degree in geology into a pivotal role at NASA.
“Land on your moon, whatever that means to you,” Bleacher said.
Highlights of the ceremony included remarks from honorary degree recipients Carlos Graupera and Kathleen E. Harring ’80, Henry S. Williamson Medalist Nadezhda Ivanova, and Class of 2023 president Tracy Lin.
F&M President Barbara Altmann likened the graduating cohort’s journey to that of the lotus – a rare and resilient flower that must grow through muddy waters to bloom.
“You have flourished, dear graduates, and you will continue to flourish – not despite all the turmoil, but at least in part because of the turmoil,” she said, recalling the pandemic that clouded many of the graduates’ first full year on campus.
With the traditional passing of the torch, cheers erupted as students turned tassels to signify the close of their undergraduate chapters.
“What I see before me here is nothing less than a whole field of lotus flowers, strengthened and beautified by the lived experience that led you here today,” Altmann said.
Relive the Memories
For downloadable images of the ceremony and events leading up to Commencement, see our full photo gallery.
Commencement Speeches
Nadezhda Ivanova ’23, Henry S. Williamson Medalist
Jacob Bleacher ’00, Commencement Speaker
Citations
Jacob Bleacher ’00, Honorary Degree Recipient
Carlos Graupera, Honorary Degree Recipient
Kathleen E. Harring ’80, Honorary Degree Recipient
Nadezhda Ivanova '23, Henry S. Williamson Medalist
Professor of Government Susan Dicklitch-Nelson, Dewey Award Recipient
Professor of Spanish & Linguistics Kim Armstrong, Faculty Distinguished Service Award
Associate Professor of German Curtis C. Bentzel, Socrates Citation Recipient
Associate Professor of Mathematics Alan Levine, Socrates Citation Recipient
Professor of Chemistry Richard Moog, Socrates Citation Recipient
Professor of English Judith C. Mueller, Socrates Citation Recipient
Associate Professor of Biology Timothy W. Sipe, Socrates Citation Recipient
Professor of History and American Studies Louise L. Stevenson, Socrates Citation Recipient