Commencement

“Great change is also a time of great opportunity,” Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont told members of the Trinity College Class of 2025. “Every generation has its challenges. I want you to take on those challenges with optimism, because optimism is an energizer, and not fear, because fear is a tranquilizer.”

Lamont addressed those assembled for Trinity’s 199th Commencement on Sunday, May 18, on the Main Quad, where 511 students were honored. Among the undergraduates, 281 received a B.A. and 215 received a B.S. Five of the undergraduate degree recipients were Individualized Degree Program (IDP) students. Fifteen graduate students received an M.A.

Trinity bestowed an honorary doctor of laws degree on Lamont in recognition of his lifelong dedication to public service, an unfaltering commitment to education, and his leadership of the State of Connecticut. The College awarded two additional honorary degrees: a doctor of humane letters degree to Shabana Basij-Rasikh, in recognition of her work as co-founder and president of the School of Leadership Afghanistan, the world’s first and only Afghan-led boarding school for Afghan girls, and an honorary doctor of science degree to Joseph M. Connors ’69, in recognition of his dedication to healing and his groundbreaking research efforts in understanding and treating lymphoid cancers.

As this Commencement marked President Joanne Berger-Sweeney’s last at Trinity after leading the College for 11 years before retiring on June 30, she looked back on the time she spent ’neath the elms, referencing a song for each year—“the soundtrack of my presidency.” Berger-Sweeney named-checked Pharrell Williams, Adele, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Beyoncé, and Michael Jackson before concluding with “For Good,” from the musical Wicked.

“ ‘And you’ll be with me,’ my final class of Trinity graduates, ‘like a handprint on my heart,’ ” she said. “ ‘I do believe I have been changed for the better.’ For good, we have grown together and created a community that will continue to flourish well beyond our time here—we are the handprints on Trinity’s and one another’s hearts.”

Student speaker Theodora Tatsi ’25 noted that a Trinity education isn’t just a personal achievement but also a responsibility. “Our degrees hold power. Our education holds power. Our whole Trinity experience holds power. And the world needs us to use that power in a meaningful way,” Tatsi said. “If all we do is use this privilege to succeed on our own, then we’ve missed the point. Let’s use it to build, open doors, and create space for those who come after us and, most importantly, for those who were never given a seat at this table.”

Jacob Kaplan, of Connecticut, who earned a B.S., summa cum laude, in neuroscience, was named valedictorian, and Jacob Loor, of Texas, who earned a B.A., summa cum laude, with honors in political science, was named salutatorian.

As the ceremony came to an end, Trinity College Alumni Association President Amy McGill Dilatush ’94 welcomed the Class of 2025 into the company of Trinity’s 30,000 alumni.

Accolades

Trustee Award for Faculty Excellence: Professor of History Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre; Staff Excellence: Director of Admissions Anthony T. Berry; Student Excellence: Ava C. Caudle ’25, Venghour Than ’25

The Thomas Church Brownell Prize for Teaching Excellence: Principal Lecturer in the Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric Irene Papoulis

The Dean Arthur H. Hughes Award for Achievement in Teaching: Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Chemistry Arianne A. Bazilio; Assistant Professor of Economics Brianna Halladay

The Charles A. Dana Research Professorship Award: Professor of History and International Studies Zayde G. Antrim

The Charles A. Dana Research Associate Professorship Award: Associate Professor of Language and Culture Studies Rosario Hubert, Associate Professor of Computer Science Ewa Syta