Commencement 2017

A collection of stories covering Harvard University’s 366th Commencement.

All from this series

  • A call to do justice

    A graduate of West Point, David E. White Jr., J.D. ’17, came to Harvard Law School after a tour in Afghanistan as a lieutenant and platoon leader. At the Law School, he honed his passions for leadership, public service, and justice.

  • Being ‘smart’ about her education

    Amanda Rich found the Harvard Extension School a perfect landing spot for her third degree.

  • He set the stage for change

    David Coletti is a peer adviser, a PBHA volunteer, and international traveler who says conversations have broken down barriers and fostered connections key to his time at Harvard.

  • Facing future with hands-on empathy for others

    Surgeries transformed Elaine Dong’s face and her future, freeing her to mix visual arts with the art of medicine.

  • Making sense of climate costs

    Ph.D. graduate Jisung Park focuses on the natural environment’s effects on society—a boyhood interest that grew first in Kansas, then sharpened in Seoul.

  • His music pierces the darkness

    Childhood cancer survivor Taylor Carol found hope through music and turned it into his thesis.

  • New degree of difficulty challenges performers

    Aislinn Brophy was one of the first to study Theater, Dance & Media when the concentration launched two years ago, and believes her pioneering experience bodes well for the future.

  • The language of learning

    With the odds against her, Eni Dervishi saw beyond her small town in Albania and used languages as her stepping stones.

  • Funny how the brain works

    Brooke Bourgeois has evolved from a science newbie into a senior about to graduate with a degree in neurobiology and her sights set on medical school. Funny thing, though, she’s also a performer and an artist.

  • For her, home is the heart of the matter

    Dana McKinney, M.Arch ’17, M.UP ’17, hopes to use design creativity to affect social change.

  • Biden named Class Day speaker

    Joe Biden, recent vice president and six-term U.S. senator, will deliver the annual Class Day address to the graduating Class of 2017 at Harvard.

  • Art of combining chemistry and architecture

    Maille Radford, the first student to graduate with joint degrees in chemistry and history of art and architecture, has her sights set on a museum career.

  • Maura Healey named 2017 chief marshal

    Maura Healey ’92, attorney general for the commonwealth of Massachusetts, has been elected by her Harvard and Radcliffe College classmates to serve as chief marshal at Harvard’s 366th Commencement ceremony on May 25.

  • Zuckerberg named Commencement speaker

    Internet leader and philanthropist Mark Zuckerberg is the featured speaker at Harvard’s 366th Commencement on May 25.

  • Guidelines for Harvard’s 366th Commencement Exercises

    To accommodate the increasing number of those wishing to attend Harvard University’s Commencement Exercises, new guidelines are being proposed to facilitate admission into Tercentenary Theatre.