Video: Harvard Divinity School 2023 Commencement Diploma Awarding Ceremony
Harvard Divinity School awarded 149 degrees during the 2023 Commencement Diploma Awarding Ceremony on May 25, 2023. The student speaker was MTS candidate Breana Norris.
This event took place on May 25, 2023.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER 1: Harvard Divinity School.
SPEAKER 2: Diploma Awarding Ceremony Harvard Divinity School, May 25, 2023.
[BAGPIPES PLAYING]
[CHEERING]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE, WHISTLING]
DAVID HEMPTON: You may be seated. [CHUCKLES]
I just want to take a moment to say how wonderful it is to hear the bagpipes played really well.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Little known fact, I grew up in a family of bagpipers, so that noise is very familiar, sometimes to familiar. So, dear graduates, faculty, families, guests, staff, friends, welcome to the campus green. How wonderful to have you all here with us for this Harvard Divinity School Diploma Awarding Ceremony.
I'd just to take a moment to say thank you to parents, families, and friends on behalf of our students for your crucial support throughout our graduate studies here. We celebrate with you today as well. And ask our graduates, if you would please to rise up, and to express your thanks. Turn around and express your thanks to your parents and families and friends. Thank you.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
So I'm delighted to announce that the student speaker this year, selected by competition, is Breana Norris, who is receiving her MTS from HDS today. Breana--
AUDIENCE: Let's go!
DAVID HEMPTON: --over to you.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[INAUDIBLE]
Congratulations.
BREANA NORRIS: Thank you. Good afternoon.
AUDIENCE: That's my roommate!
[LAUGHTER]
BREANA NORRIS: I am. Good afternoon, everyone.
AUDIENCE: Good afternoon.
BREANA NORRIS: Good afternoon. You guys look good.
[CHATTER]
AUDIENCE: You, too.
BREANA NORRIS: Thank you. Seeking words for this momentous occasion has been a daunting task. There have been many iterations of this address over the centuries. Words to mark every tangle of history our university has seen.
Fortunately, I come from a legacy that is equally persistent. Like our university, my family's history in this nation goes back to the beginning. From rural Alabama and Texas, to Los Angeles, the city I call home, the Norris' and the Heflins--
[CHEERING]
--the Parkers and the Smiths have endured. Standing at the unlikely intersection of these parallel histories, I sought words for this moment, a means of tethering ourselves to this time. It was then I remembered my grandmother, who knows exactly what it feels like to fumble for a foothold in time.
My grandmother has dementia. She knows vividly what we can all feel at times, bombarded by moments, caught up in the spins of news cycles, our attention fragmented, struggling to make sense of the world around us. Today, I invite us all to follow her example.
For whenever she's overwhelmed or lost and confused, we can always bring her back to us with love. Our love for her grounds her in any moment, at any place in time, regardless of the chaos of the world around or within. Love grounds us. Love surpasses understanding.
The late Bell Hooks reminds us that if you lead with love, you cannot go wrong. In life and in her scholarship, she brought emotion and heart into the clinical halls of the academy. And I'll seek to follow her example today as well.
Here, on this joyous day of celebration with our loved ones, I can think of no more fitting a message for the occasion. If you all will indulge me, I have a story to share about how I found this principle of love best embodied in a friend I made here at HDS. I arrived here in September of 2020, the heart of the pandemic.
It was the time of weekly COVID tests in Northwest labs and eking out connections in the private messages of Zoom. It was a time when I was forced to ask, what is Harvard? Prestige with no people, immense buildings, crumbling cemeteries, the lengthy syllabi of my classes, a Cambridge without community could not be Harvard.
The following year, a new era of in personhood was ushered in. And the community we built together breathed life into this city and the Harvard experience. What each and every one of you did during this time, how we reached for each other, the conversations in commons, the knitting clubs, the kayaking trips, it was in this sea of newness that I met Vandan and began a friendship that would changed my life.
AUDIENCE: Aw!
BREANA NORRIS: Vandan was a visiting Hindu monastic student here on exchange from India for one year as part of a new program at HDS. We had a morning class together. And he quickly discovered I was always hungry, stomach audibly growling because I skipped breakfast to arrive on time.
Over our year together, we bonded over many similarities, like struggling to feel comfortable in our own skin. Vandan wore his sadhak, the robes of a person in training to become a monk. In one conversation, he said everyone back home had dressed like him, so he didn't feel his difference until he got here.
Missing my own colorful city and family back home, I shared with him how my very skin could make me feel out of place in classrooms and on campus. In addition to our similarities, we had a fair share of differences that cannot be overstated. Vandan was strictly vegetarian. I'm an omnivore with no food allergies.
[CHUCKLING]
Kayaking on the Charles is my favorite activity. And I only learned he couldn't swim after we were in the boat together.
[LAUGHTER]
I'm Christian, he was Hindu. I was his first Black friend. He was my first monastic one. At the end of our year together, like we are all here to do today, we bid farewell. But this goodbye was different.
To ascend in his tradition, Vandan would enter a period of renunciation, taking vows that meant cutting off contact with the outside world, his family, and his new American friend. Only in his 20s, Vandan knew exactly what the rest of his life would look on. On this point, we could not have been more different.
I want to read a selection from the card that he wrote me to say goodbye. "Thanks so much for everything, for a warm and welcoming attitude that made me feel at home and made my Harvard time worthwhile. I'm so very grateful and thankful for your friendship, and you'll be missed.
Breana, keep me in your prayers as I seek to pursue an ambitious path of monasticism and renunciation. I'll pray for you. Take care, my dear friend. Good memories are a pleasant way to keep the person alive and with you. Thanks for those. Farewell, Breana."
Our friendship is the most unique one I've had at HDS and in life. I believe it could only have happened at a place like Harvard Divinity School, at this moment in its history, a moment of open doors and people with open hearts. The lesson I learned from Vandan is love, a love that goes beyond a shared worldview or corner of the world, love beyond networking, love beyond self-centered interest.
People here at Harvard, maybe subconsciously, are taught to constantly network, to expect great things from the great people we meet and befriend, maybe even to anticipate how they can benefit us later. Amongst our university's esteemed future doctors and lawyers, politicians and business people, educators, engineers, and dentists, we, at the Divinity School, are often saddled with a discomfort in the ambiguity of our degree. Sometimes stumped when people ask, what's next?
Grounded in love, I find that these questions change. Not what will you do after here, but how will you do it? Not what will you do after here, but why? Not what, but with whom by your side?
Once I knew our separation was coming, I tried to just enjoy getting to know Vandan, to cherish each and every memory we made in this moment where we left our vastly different corners of the world to share this Cambridge zip code for four seasons. Though I may never see him again in this life, I know that this is not the end for the bonds of our experiences will live on, just as our love will live on. Just as my love will live on for my grandmother, even when she no longer recognizes my face.
Love grounds us. Love surpasses understanding. On this joyous day, surrounded by your loved ones, I hope and pray this is the love that will propel you forward, through your certainties and your uncertainties for the rest of our lives. I may not know all of you. We may not see eye to eye.
You might have a lunch reservation you're actively waiting for, I'm almost done. But I can still love you. It is custom on occasions like this to take a text. This one is not from my tradition but Vandan's. He inscribed it on the back of the card.
"In the joy of others lies our own." So whether today is goodbye or just goodbye for now, I pray that you go forward grounded in love and share your joy with others. Congratulations Class of 2023.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KATIE CAPONERA: Thank you, Breana, for your moving words. I'd like us all to take a moment now to remember a classmate, who should be graduating today with us-- with you all. Judith Giller Leinwohl, who died this past August. Judith was a treasured friend and a shining light to so many in this class and in classes before her.
And as such, as she should be graduating today, we have a seat reserved for her amongst our graduates. I'd like us to all take a moment of silence to hold Judith in our minds and in our hearts. May her memory be a blessing.
DAVID HEMPTON: This morning in Tercentenary Theater, 149 degrees were conferred on the Graduating Class of 2023 of the Divinity School, as well as 11 degrees for Graduates of the Committee on the Study of Religion through the Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The conferral is inclusive of degrees earned in November, March, and May. And the Divinity School degrees were comprised of the following-- 19 Masters of Theological Studies, 49 Masters of Divinity, 7 Masters of Religion and Public Life, 1 Master of Theology, and 2 Doctors of Theology.
So, today, we have the opportunity, in a more intimate setting, to celebrate these degrees and the individual attainments that they represent. Each graduate will be presented by associate Dean for Enrollment and Student Services, Tim Whelsky. And as each person comes forward to receive their degree, if the graduate has indicated a desire for us to do so, a brief statement about their plans will be read by Katie Caponera, our Director of Student Life. So we will award diplomas by degree beginning now with the MTS candidates.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Thank you, all. So as the Dean mentioned, we have a tradition here of reading the personal statements from each graduate if they've chosen to provide one. So as Katie and I read them, we invite you to hoot and holler and clap as loud as you'd like. But just for the flow, it's probably going to be a little better if you wait for me to read the name and for Katie to read the statement, and then you can go at it.
[LAUGHTER]
So now I'd like to present the Graduates for the Degree of Master of Theological Studies. Please stand.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[SERENE MUSIC]
Ishani Agarwal.
KATIE CAPONERA: Ishani studied religion, literature, and culture at the intersection of medieval religion and art history. She will work in Cambridge this year and hopes to return to academia. She thanks her family and friends for their support through everything.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Jorge Manuel Arredondo.
KATIE CAPONERA: Jorge will continue on to a PhD program at Notre Dame and thanks his wife Luz Marie, his family, Jorge, Laura, Alejandro, Jose, Angel, Pablo, the HBS faculty, especially professors Carrasco, Patton, Holland, and finally the Virgin Mary and the advocation of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Sana Aslam.
KATIE CAPONERA: Sana is most grateful for the beautiful souls who inspire her in life. She gives a shout-out to her incredible mom and dad, her brother Nabil, her best friend, Supreya, many beloved friends and mentors, old and new, and Prabhroop and Emily, the best grad school friends one could ask for.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Madeleine Awon.
KATIE CAPONERA: Madeleine thanks her parents, her grandparents, and Grace, William, Frank, and Jan. She's grateful to Joel and Jen for recommending that she apply to HDS and to her friends at Harvard, who have made the last two years so special.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kayla Blythe Bach is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Kayla thanks her husband for his enthusiastic support, parents for their loving guidance, her grandparents for teaching her to dream big, and extended family and friends for their endless encouragement. You all make the journey more meaningful.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Sarah Yen Bai.
KATIE CAPONERA: Sarah is grateful for the multi-disciplinary learning experience at HDS. And after graduation, she will be working in sustainable transportation at a company in downtown Boston.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Haley McRae Barker is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Haley would like to extend her gratitude to the HDS faculty for their exceptional instruction and for consistently pushing her to be the best version of herself.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Bobby Pigott.
KATIE CAPONERA: Bobby is grateful to HDS professors for their patient mentorship and to her family and friends for their support, encouragement, and prayers. She will begin doctoral studies in religion at the University of Chicago this fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Amanda Josephine Campbell.
KATIE CAPONERA: Mandy would like to thank her family for their love and support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Cade Campbell.
AUDIENCE: Aw!
DAVID HEMPTON: [CHUCKLES]
[APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Emily Chaudhury is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Emily thanked her parents for encouraging her to follow her dev school dreams, her husband Rushek, for eagerly moving across the country to support her, and her friends, Sana and Prabhroop for being by her side since day one.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Prabhroop Kaur Chawla is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Prabhroop thanks her mother, Rina Chawla, her brother, Himmat, and sister, Basant, who have supported and guided her throughout her entire life and academic career with love, enthusiasm, and patience. She also thanks her friends from home and Emily and Sana, her soul sisters at HDS.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Cole Brent Cloyd.
KATIE CAPONERA: Cole will pursue his PhD in religion, violence, and extremism at Arizona State University's historical, philosophical, and religious studies.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Toby Ann Cox.
KATIE CAPONERA: Toby thanks her mom and dad for all they've done, Tabby for her laughter and wisdom, Kurtis for his unwavering support, and Deb, Christina, Chris, and Evren for being here today. She loves you all.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Justin Lewis Cox.
KATIE CAPONERA: Justin thanks his amazing wife Jessica for her constant support through his education and his Lord Jesus Christ for sustaining him through this process.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Morgan Hodgson Curtis.
KATIE CAPONERA: With gratitude for her time here in Massachusetts territory, Morgan is leaving HDS ever more committed to the intergenerational work of reparations, the spiritual and material work needed to address legacies of colonization and slavery.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Charles Di.
KATIE CAPONERA: Charles would like to thank his family, friends, and professors for supporting him. He will be attending Harvard Medical School in the fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Alyjan Mahmoud Daya.
KATIE CAPONERA: Alyjon thanks his parents and brothers for all of their patience and encouragement, as well as his spiritual father and mother, Hazir Amom, whose boundless love and unending spiritual support continues to strengthen him in all of his endeavors.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Anna Eisenstat.
KATIE CAPONERA: Anna is immensely grateful for the opportunity to find her home these past two years in a community of spiritually present, curious, and open-hearted scholar-practitioners. She will continue her path as a rabbinic candidate at Yeshivat Maharat before pursuing a further degree.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kingsley O. Enaboakpe.
KATIE CAPONERA: Passionate about sharing knowledge, Kingsley continues to inspire and aims to further impact minds through classroom teaching, church sermons, and engaging social media content.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: M. Ertel.
KATIE CAPONERA: M would like to thank their sister, friends, and the staff and faculty, who have offered immense support, kindness, and joy during their time at HDS.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Mashal Farrukh.
KATIE CAPONERA: Mashal is grateful for all love and wisdom she received at HDS through her incredible friends and wonderful teachers. She will relocate to the UK, where she plans to work in educational development and policy-making.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Naomi Fastovsky is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Andres Frischeisen.
KATIE CAPONERA: Andres thanks his family, especially mom and sister. He will move to Jerusalem in two weeks to begin a master's in archaeology.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Michael Thomas Freud.
KATIE CAPONERA: Michael will begin a PhD in religion at Syracuse University this fall. He would like to thank his mother, Amy, who made this possible, and also his friends, teachers, and Bob Dylan records.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Laren Gow.
KATIE CAPONERA: Laren expresses her gratitude to her family, friends, and mentors for their unwavering support. She is excited to pursue her academic journey further and will be continuing her studies at the committee on the study of religion in the fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Margaret Rose Goldberger.
KATIE CAPONERA: Margaret will begin a doctoral program in religion at the University of Chicago this fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Eleanor Katharine Grahms.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Camilla Anne Gray is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Camilla is thankful to her parents, who came all the way from Australia for today, and to her friends and the HDS faculty for their support over the past two years. She will return to Bangladesh to continue her work in the Rohingya camps with the Asia University for Women and UNICEF.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Ellie Campbell Green.
AUDIENCE: Aw!
KATIE CAPONERA: Ellie thanks her parents for their unending support, her husband for encouraging her to apply to HDS and for helping her every step of the way, and her daughter for being a daily inspiration. Ellie will begin a PhD at NYU in Jewish Studies in the fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Haley Griese.
KATIE CAPONERA: Focusing on technology, ethics, and faith, Haley will begin her doctoral studies at Harvard in the fall. None of this would be possible without the relentless support of her loved ones, teachers, and especially her parents. She extends her gratitude to all who have accompanied her on this journey.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Gabrielle Heinen.
KATIE CAPONERA: Gabrielle will begin her PhD program in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She would like to thank all of her professors, who provided guidance and wisdom to make all of this possible.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Maggie Helmick.
KATIE CAPONERA: Maggie expresses her heartfelt gratitude to her parents, Colleen and Brian, her partner, Bailey, and her siblings and grandparents for their unwavering support throughout this experience.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Marwan [INAUDIBLE].
KATIE CAPONERA: Marwan is immensely grateful to his Sufi Sheikh Al Kakari and his guidance. He is indebted to his parents and family for their encouragement. Marwan will embark on a PhD in religious studies at Yale University in order to further the academic study of religion and Islam.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE, ULULATING]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Hal Juster.
KATIE CAPONERA: Hal would like to thank his family, particularly his parents, Ann and Joe.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Luvay Carlson.
KATIE CAPONERA: Luvay would like to thank God, his family, friends, and mentors for their support. He will now return to Sweden, where he will continue exploring the intersecting histories of Christianity and socialism.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kevin Keystone is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Kevin thanks all who made this possible-- faculty, staff, colleagues, friends, family, and his partner, Aaron. Thank you for all of your love and support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Sana Raheem Khan.
KATIE CAPONERA: Sana is deeply grateful to her parents, her friends at HDS, Nick, Jenna, and Ariella, and her mentor, Professor Mohsen Goudarzi. She will be headed to Princeton University for her PhD this fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Riku Kohatsu.
KATIE CAPONERA: Riku studied religions in Japan during the MTS program. He gave special thanks to his family, friends, and faculty members for their care and kind support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Mayank Dev Kumar is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Mayank expresses his deepest gratitude for and is reflecting on the moments that he considers most fundamental to flourishing during his studies at HDS and in life so far. Moments of joy, moments of hope, moments of growth, moments of solidarity, and, most of all, moments of magic.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Elsa Koons is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Elsa is grateful to her classmates, teachers, HDS support staff, and housemates for their kindness and generosity.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Emma Louise Lagnome.
KATIE CAPONERA: Emma would like to thank her mom, dad, Marissa, Paul, Ali, and all of her friends for their constant love and support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Monique Lanier.
KATIE CAPONERA: Monique dedicates this degree to her daughter, Julianne Moon. She loves you more than you will ever know.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Jonathan Josue Lorach.
KATIE CAPONERA: Jonathan thanks his family, friends, and mentors for their support during these two years at HDS. Without them, this day would have never become a reality. This accomplishment is theirs just as it is his.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Clovis Leilu.
KATIE CAPONERA: Clovis is deeply thankful for the help, love, and guidance he received throughout his journey from his mother, brother, friends, mentors, and professors, who he will seek to honor in his life after Harvard.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Maya Ronit Levine.
KATIE CAPONERA: Maya is grateful to the students and professors, who have made the past two years so rich and wonderful. She is so happy to be staying at the Divinity School for another year as a special student, where she will continue to have silly conversations in the commons and endlessly debate ancient grammar.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Alberto Limona Salverado.
KATIE CAPONERA: Alberto gives thanks to HDS for welcoming him and a special thank you to his partner, Tyler, mother, Norma, father, Jose, and his two brothers, Carlos and Cesar.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Isi Lio.
KATIE CAPONERA: Isi will pursue a doctoral degree in art history at the University of Chicago focusing on Buddhist art. He thanks his HDS family and friends for their education and support throughout his academic journey.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Owen Felix Lyons is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Owen shares gratitude for his family, friends, the faculty, and staff, who have supported him throughout his journey and shares this Gaelic message, [NON-ENGLISH]. Thanks a million. Sorry.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Michael Amos Meeks.
KATIE CAPONERA: Michael returns to his Native Los Angeles with aspirations to teach high school history this fall. He considers himself changed by the love and learning he received here.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE, ULULATING]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: [INAUDIBLE]
KATIE CAPONERA: [INAUDIBLE] thanks her parents for their unwavering trust and support, even when she has never told them very clearly what she is doing or studying.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Siana B. Monet.
KATIE CAPONERA: Siana is immensely grateful to her incredible family, lovely friends, and wonderful partner. She is especially indebted to the fabulous monks of SSJE for serving as a surrogate family. Following graduation, she will move to Thimphu, Bhutan with her partner and work as teachers at a K through 12 school.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Htaywai Naing is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Htaywai thanks his family in supporting him in coming to the US, the Robert HN Ho Family Foundation for the scholarship, Professor Hallisey for kindly helping him during the difficult time, Suzy for showing him a path for a future career in the humanitarian world, and, finally, thanks to everyone he met at HDS.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Chris Newton.
KATIE CAPONERA: Chris will pursue his master of fine arts in creative writing at New York University this fall. He thanks his dad, mom, brother, Richie, and Tobey.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Breana Jenay Norris.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KATIE CAPONERA: Breana will be a Bloomberg City Hall fellow in Birmingham, Alabama. She'd like to thank God, her family, and friends for their support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: Go, Breana,
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Maya Elizabeth Howe Pace.
KATIE CAPONERA: Maya expresses gratitude to the people, who have sustained her, challenged her, and held her throughout this time. Her community reminds her that it is through relationships that we are brought back again and again to our own divinity and the divinity of the world.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: Go, Maya!
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Phyllis Bronwyn Pawa.
KATIE CAPONERA: Phyllis will move to Los Angeles to pursue her career. She thanks her parents, her boyfriend, Josh, and her friends for all their support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Denise Kristine Penizzotto.
KATIE CAPONERA: Denise, visual artist and student of the historical transformations of religion as seen through the sacred arts, will begin teaching a religion and the arts course at Hunter College in NYC. With gratitude to HDS for the guided education and friends and family for their tremendous support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Christian Anthony Piazetta.
KATIE CAPONERA: Christian is grateful to his professors and classmates for his incredible time at HDS. He also thanks his wife, Tasia, and daughter, Isabella, for their immense love and support. Christian will start his PhD program in New Testament and early Christianity here at Harvard this fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Danielle Sheila Raider.
KATIE CAPONERA: Danny has taken great joy in her studies of Jewish texts and feminist theology and found meaning and inspiration and a vibrant community. She thanks her family, friends, professors, clergy, and colleagues for their support throughout this journey.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Christina Marie Lydia Ranoth.
AUDIENCE: Christina!
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KATIE CAPONERA: Christina will continue her work with artists and residents in Everglades, as well as her art practice in Austin, Texas. She would like to thank her mom, dad, family, and friends for their constant care and support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Jenna [INAUDIBLE].
KATIE CAPONERA: Jenna thanks her beloved mama and baba for their constant love and support. She is deeply grateful for her siblings, friends, professors, and mentors. Jenna will continue at Harvard Law School as a JD candidate this fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE, ULULATING]
AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]
[LAUGHTER]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Catherine Elizabeth Scheidt.
KATIE CAPONERA: Catherine is ever grateful to God for His guidance and blessings. And would like to thank her loving family, friends, and encouraging professors for their support while she studied at HDS. Catherine will begin an MPhil degree at the University of Cambridge in Celtic studies this fall.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Edward Raymond Scrymgour.
KATIE CAPONERA: Edward will attend the University of Toronto in the fall to begin his PhD in the anthropology of religion.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Christina Maria Seely.
KATIE CAPONERA: Professor Seely receives this degree with deepest gratitude for the Divinity School community and leaves with a galvanized commitment as an artist scholar to tend to and shed light on our complex relationship with the natural world during this time of great ecological urgency.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Flow Sharp.
KATIE CAPONERA: Flow thanks her friends and family, not the least among them Maggie, for being a constant source of counsel, comfort, and coordinating outfits.
[CHUCKLING]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Melin Arturo Sotiriou Droz.
KATIE CAPONERA: Melin returns to Puerto Rico to reshape the conversation in the upcoming election, drawing upon the lessons learned in leading with a moral imagination. She is grateful for the unwavering support from mentors and loved ones, who believed in her throughout the transformative journey.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Riley Scott Speeler.
KATIE CAPONERA: Riley will move to Vienna as a US teaching assistant with Fulbright Austria and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education Science and Research. He thanks his family, friends, and Pinocchio's pizza.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Archie Stapleton.
KATIE CAPONERA: Thanks mom, dad, and grandparents for your continued support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Maggie Thielens is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Maggie thanks her friends and family, not the least among them Flo, for being a constant source of counsel, comfort, and coordinating outfits.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Asadullah [INAUDIBLE].
KATIE CAPONERA: Asadullah will begin a PhD at George Washington University. He is extremely grateful to his mother, Ma Porat, and his father, Ablat, who are currently in East Turkestan and sadly could not attend his graduation due to the ongoing genocide by CCP.
ASADULLAH: Love you mom and dad.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: [INAUDIBLE]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Maeve Ward.
KATIE CAPONERA: Maeve thanks her husband, Andre, her mom, Michelle, and dad, John, her advisors, professors, friends, family, and community. Her success is yours also.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Jackson James Washburn.
KATIE CAPONERA: Jackson's immense gratitude goes to his dear mother, Jessica, and his late father, Kimball, who passed away from cancer last spring. His dreams have come true through their unceasing encouragement, love, and support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Julia Mason Wedgel.
KATIE CAPONERA: Julia will pursue a PhD at UNC Chapel Hill. She thanks her dad and her friends. More than anything she wishes her mom could be here today.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Chloe Elizabeth Wetzel.
KATIE CAPONERA: Chloe expresses her sincere gratitude to her fiance, Bennett Landon, for his unwavering support during this journey. She also thanks her advisor Dr. Catherine Brekus for her invaluable mentorship.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Ashlyn Elizabeth Wimbley.
KATIE CAPONERA: Ashlyn will pursue a PhD in religion at Baylor University. She would like to thank her family for their unwavering support and 83 Beacon Street for all the joyful chaos of the past two years.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: Go Ashlyn!
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Alexandria Helen Woodward.
KATIE CAPONERA: Alex thanks her family, friends, and professors for all their support over these past two years. She is eternally grateful for all of the love she has received.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Owen Yager.
KATIE CAPONERA: Owen will be working with a land trust in Colorado. He is deeply grateful for the family and friends, who supported him on his journey here and who made HDS what it was.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Daphne [INAUDIBLE].
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
OK. Joy Zhang--
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
--is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Ryan Patrick Zoellner.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KATIE CAPONERA: Ryan will continue his study of Arabic with the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Foundation in Oman.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: If I could have the MTS graduates rise, please? Dean Hempton, members of the faculty, family, and friends, I present to you the Master of Theological Studies Graduates of 2023.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE, ULULATING]
You may be seated. We will now present the Graduates for the Degree of Master of Divinity.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[SERENE MUSIC]
Eliza Joy Abolafia.
KATIE CAPONERA: Eliza studied contemplative literature while at HDS and will serve as the Associate Director of Teen Empowerment at the Haider Institute in New York City. Eliza would like to thank Ima, Aba, and Sid for supporting her today and always.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kyung Mi Bae.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KATIE CAPONERA: Kyung Mi is grateful to her family and friends for supporting her throughout her time at HDS.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Attia Joseph Baie.
KATIE CAPONERA: Attia is grateful for all the people who have encouraged, taught, and inspired him on this journey.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Carl Bernthal.
KATIE CAPONERA: Carl thanks many teachers. Kerry Maloney, Stephanie Purcell, Cheryl Giles, Chris Berlin, Beatrice Chrystall, and Charles Hallisey, as well as his wife, Farley, and their kids that wonder what he has been doing at div school all these years.
[CHUCKLING]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Judith Ellen Beals.
KATIE CAPONERA: Judy offers deep gratitude to teachers and mentors, dear family, beloved friends and colleagues, and to patients, families, and communities, who have all been such a rich part of learning at HDS.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Fernando Jose Benetti.
KATIE CAPONERA: Fernando is grateful for the consistent support of his academic advisor, Professor Kimberly Patton and his friends Chantal and Xavier. Fernando would also like to thank his parents, who have witnessed his process at HDS and offered endless love and encouragement.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Cheyenne Nicole Boon.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Maria Guadalupe Castaneda Soria.
KATIE CAPONERA: Maria thanks her friends and family, who have held her these last three years, and sends a special shout out to her partner Danny, who has supported her every step of the way. Without his support, this degree would not have been possible.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Aliyah Simon Collins is also graduating with a certificate in religion and public life.
KATIE CAPONERA: Aliyah thanks her family and friends for being her rock throughout this journey. Aliyah will continue to build her climate project for HBCUs called The Echo Healing Project.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Andres Felipe De Arco.
KATIE CAPONERA: Andreas gives thanks to his mother, Soraya, and his father, Edison. He will continue expanding his specialty coffee business and will seek new ways to uplift young students through education.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Rosemary Spaulding Dodd.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE, ULULATING]
KATIE CAPONERA: Rosemary is a candidate for ordination as a Unitarian Universalist Minister and will serve her intern ministry in Sacramento, California next year.
AUDIENCE: Yeah!
KATIE CAPONERA: She is grateful to her family, friends, faith communities, and partner for their love and support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Martha Wren Durkee-Neuman,
KATIE CAPONERA: Martha has accepted a ministerial internship at the Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Congregation to continue her path toward ordination. She extends deepest gratitude to her family, chosen family, and community for their enduring support.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Phoebe Gene Eckart-Lee.
KATIE CAPONERA: Phoebe is a candidate for Unitarian Universalist Ministry and currently serves as the Intern Minister at Follen Community Church in Lexington, Massachusetts.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Keila Franks.
KATIE CAPONERA: Keila wishes to express deep appreciation for all the love and support she's received from her family, her Harvard Buddhist Community, and Joyous Noise friends, her fiance, Hersh, and her cats, Rafael and Sage.
DAVID HEMPTON: [CHUCKLES]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Courtney Anne Godwin.
[ULULATING]
KATIE CAPONERA: Courtney is moving to Atlanta to continue her work with the Society of Biblical Literature. She would like to thank her family, friends, and roommates.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: Well done, Courtney!
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Brittany Grady.
AUDIENCE: Brittany!
KATIE CAPONERA: Brittany plans to take a good, long rest after this program.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
She hopes to pursue work with children, whether as a teacher, a grief counselor, a hospital chaplain, or some combination thereof.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: That's a popular idea.
KATIE CAPONERA: Mm-hmm.
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Michael Youssef Helmy.
KATIE CAPONERA: Michael dedicates his diploma to his parents, Youssef and Nermeen; fiancee, Nardine; sister, Sarah; and host family without whom he wouldn't have succeeded in his journey at Harvard. Thanks for everything. [NON-ENGLISH]
MICHAEL: That's right!
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Hiram Eric Jackson III.
KATIE CAPONERA: Hiram will study at Middlebury College's Arabic School this summer, while also planning to attend the Sijal Institute for Arabic language and culture this fall in Amman, Jordan.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Justin Junesko.
KATIE CAPONERA: Deep gratitude to the DS Community for these past three years.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Byron Jones II.
KATIE CAPONERA: Byron would like to say thank you to all of the students and faculty, especially Professor John Brown for all of his "Come to Jesus" meetings.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Daniel Roy Lapides.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
James Arnold Lewis.
KATIE CAPONERA: An inaugural member of the Harvard Student Well-Being Council, James is dedicated to improving the emotional well-being of all Harvard students. He is deeply grateful to his family for their undying support during his three years at HDS and will go on to provide leadership and congregational care at his home church.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
JAMES: [EXCLAMATION]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Ningen Annabel Li,
KATIE CAPONERA: Annabel focused on contemporary inter-faith chaplaincy, where she is interested in innovative ways of community building and interfaith dialogue. She is forever grateful to her family, friends, and academic advisor Charles Hallisay, who have supported her throughout her HDS journey.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Meghan Ann Murphy.
KATIE CAPONERA: Much thanks to many people.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Rebecca Mendoza Nunziato.
KATIE CAPONERA: Rebecca thanks her ancestors and mentors, who have gone before her and all who walk alongside her. She will now be pursuing her PhD in religion here at Harvard.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Susanna Almanook.
KATIE CAPONERA: Susanna has had the time of her life here. Her love and gratitude remain with everyone, who walked this journey with her. She now goes out into the rest of the world to fulfill her lifelong quest of cultivating more goodness, justice, and mercy in the cosmos.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Maya Jennifer Peers Nitzberg.
KATIE CAPONERA: Many thank you's to the Harvard Buddhist Community, Jews 4 Liberation, and Joyous Noise for being Maya's true classrooms.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: We love you, Maya!
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Mac Perkins-High.
KATIE CAPONERA: Mac is grateful to his family and neighbors, especially the river, trees, the flowers, and the turkeys. He hopes that you are truly having a truly lovely day.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Sophia Yvonne Rainer Dosher.
KATIE CAPONERA: Sophia offers deep gratitude for the loving support from so many people and communities over the past three years, especially HUMS, Joyous Noise, James, Mom, and ancestral guides, and animal companions of past and present.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Nathan C. Rubright.
KATIE CAPONERA: Nathan will continue working in Christian hospitality ministry at Bread Coffeehouse in Somerville. He also plans to continue his research into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Christian churches in efforts to rebuild faith communities.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Nicholas Constantine Ruvekas.
KATIE CAPONERA: Nicholas is a reader in the Greek Orthodox Church and plans to use the experience, knowledge, and training he has received at HDS and through his field education to pursue ordination in the diaconate and teach in higher education.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Nathan Keith Samayo.
KATIE CAPONERA: Nathan expresses his love to his family, mentors, and loved ones in Washington, Guam, and Boston for their support in his life and into his next journey getting his PhD in religion and society at Princeton Theological Seminary.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[ULULATING]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Chantal Chanti Sanchez.
KATIE CAPONERA: Chanti would like to thank the Harvard Buddhist Community, her Poor People's Campaign family, Channing and Betworth, all her great friends and mentors, and Betty Sar for being essential aspects of her growth here at HDS.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Xavier Isaiah Sayeed.
KATIE CAPONERA: Xavier thanks his family and community for their guidance and love.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Virginia Schilder.
KATIE CAPONERA: Virginia thanks her family, partner, friends, and mentors, who teach and sustain her with their love, support, and humor and who make each day a wild blessing.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Laurie Sedgwick.
KATIE CAPONERA: Laurie expresses boundless gratitude and love for her son Andrew, who means more to her than he can ever know. In remembrance of her mother and father, who will remain ever present in her heart and from beyond.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Amelia Margaret Shenstone.
KATIE CAPONERA: Mel is overwhelmed with gratitude for family, friends, colleagues, and mentors, human and otherwise. Next on her path of Unitarian Universalist Ministry is chaplain residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Joelle Alice Mallows Te Paske.
DAVID HEMPTON: Congratulations.
KATIE CAPONERA: Joelle wishes to thank her family, friends, classmates, and mentors.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kenashia Shantrell Thompson.
DAVID HEMPTON: Congratulations.
KATIE CAPONERA: Kenashia would like to thank God, her family, her ancestors, and fruit roll-ups for getting her through this program. She will work with A Way Home America as a policy analyst, a national organization that transforms systems through public policy to end homelessness for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
AUDIENCE: We love you! Let's go! Let's go! Come on.
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Joe Welker.
KATIE CAPONERA: Joe would like to thank God, his family, his friends, his mentors, and the Communion of Sinners and Saints helping him to discern a call to Ministry in the Presbyterian Church.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Daniel Bartlett Wells.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dan would like to thank everybody who has shared the study of our relationship with the world beyond the human. Dan McKanan, Terry Tempest Williams, John Elder, Charley Stang, the Plant Consciousness Reading Group, Animism Group, CSWR, Eco Theology Fellowship, and the natural world itself.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Ebony Cassandra West.
DAVID HEMPTON: Congratulations, Ebony.
KATIE CAPONERA: Ebony has studied heavily in minority religions and queer theology and looks forward to applying these through her calling as an army chaplain. She thanks her mentors for guidance and loved ones for their support and money sent when she was hungry.
DAVID HEMPTON: [LAUGHS]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Peyton Eldridge White.
KATIE CAPONERA: Peyton thanks his family for everything.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kira Yan.
KATIE CAPONERA: Kira expresses her gratitude to the dedicated and inspiring faculty members, who have guided her throughout her time at HDS and her fellow students in this diverse and vibrant community. She's honored to be a part of HDS and eager to carry what she has learned into her future endeavors.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Tianyi Yuan.
KATIE CAPONERA: Tianyi wishes to thank y'all and say for those of us who are clear about our future, be confident in our love and choice for those of us who are still figuring it out. Have faith in our courage and diligence.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: If I could have our MDiv graduates please rise. Dean Hempton, members of the faculty, family, and friends, I present to you the Master of Divinity Graduates of 2023.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE, ULULATING]
You may be seated. We now present the Graduates for the Degree of Master of Religion and Public Life.
[SERENE MUSIC]
Austin Brett Bogues.
KATIE CAPONERA: Austin is a journalist at USA Today. He would like to thank his family, especially his parents. Anything is possible one day at a time.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Barbara Jean Dugan.
KATIE CAPONERA: Barbara thanks her partner Chris and daughters, Anna and Lily, for their love and support. Thank you to Jean for traveling to Cambridge to share the special occasion with us. Thanks also to Professor Diane Moore and the 2023 MRPL cohort. Congratulations, we did it.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Christian Merritt Johnson.
KATIE CAPONERA: Chris thanks Barbara and their two daughters, Anna and Lily, for their unconditional love and support, and professors Diane Moore and Dan McKinnon for putting up with him.
[LAUGHTER]
He dedicates this degree to his mom, who is here today and his dad, who is proudly watching from heaven.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Jennifer Sun Fay Louie.
KATIE CAPONERA: Jenn thanks are professors and HDS family. Her startups, the Moral Innovation Lab and the Spiritual Care Project, will continue to be incubated at Harvard's Innovation Lab with fellow HDS students. This summer, she is working on AI law and policy research at Harvard Law school's Berkman Klein Center.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kevin Kitrell Ross.
KATIE CAPONERA: Rev. Kev expresses his love and gratitude to his mom and dad, his wife and three children, Unity of Sacramento, his beloved Boston, Harvard, MRPL, DIB, and Spade University colleagues--
KEVIN: Spade University!
KATIE CAPONERA: --colleagues, professors, staff, and friends who have made this experience unforgettable. Let's build something good and lead with love.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Saura James Sahu.
KATIE CAPONERA: Saura would like to thank his family Dama Li, Sandra, Elena, Priya, and Zahra. While continuing his law practice and work in Democratic politics, Saura will join a fast-growing tactical fitness equipment company as its chief of staff, where he hopes to discuss religious literacy while lounging around with professional athletes, politicos, and high-ranking military officers, preferably somewhere with a view.
[LAUGHTER]
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Zachary Zumwalt.
KATIE CAPONERA: Zach will be returning to the Navy this summer to serve as the command chaplain of Task Force 73 in Singapore. He wishes to thank the Navy Chaplain Corps for allowing him to study at HDS this year, as well as his supportive family and the incredible faculty, staff, and cohort of the MRPL program.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: MRPL graduates, please rise.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Dean Hempton, members of the faculty, family, and friends, we present the Master of Religion in Public Life Graduates of 2023.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
You may be seated. We now present the Graduate for the Degree of Master of Theology. Since we have one we're going to have him stay up on stage at the end.
[SERENE MUSIC]
[LAUGHTER]
Steve Walker.
KATIE CAPONERA: Steve wishes to thank his wife Claire and children for their support this year. Steve is a Navy chaplain and will return to duty in Washington, DC.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Dean Hempton, members of the faculty, family, and friends, I present to you the Master of Theology Graduate for 2023.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
We now welcome the Graduates for the Doctor of Philosophy for our local hooding ceremony. As we read the names and dissertation titles for each graduate, they will shake the hand of Dean Hempton and remain at center stage as the academic, Dean Janet Gyatso, and the student's advisor take the hood from the graduates arm and then, together, hood the graduate.
[SERENE MUSIC]
Nariman Aavani.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dissertation titled, "Knowledge, Action, and the Ultimate Goal of Human Life, a Hindu Muslim Cross-Cultural Philosophy of Religion in the Early Modern Era. Gadadhara and Mulla Sadra."
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Seth Powell.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dissertation titled, "A Lamp on Sivayoga, the Union of Yoga, Ritual, and Devotion in the Sivayogapradipika."
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Ryan Tobler.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dissertation titled, "American Sacraments, Ritual and Religion in the Early United States."
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Joshua Wright.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dissertation titled, "Comic Belief, Religious Irreverence and Irreverent Religion in Cold War America."
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Kelsey Viscount.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dissertation titled, "Wireless Provider, White Evangelical Subjectivity on the Internet."
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: And if we can have the PhD graduates rise, please. Dean Hempton, members of the faculty, family, and friends, let us recognize the Doctor of Philosophy Graduates of 2023.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
We now invite up our Graduates for the Doctor of Theology.
[SERENE MUSIC]
Bennett DiDente Comerford.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dissertation titled, "Is This What is Called Civilization, Religion and Race in the Writings of Michael Madhusudan Datta." Bennett wishes to thank the HDS staff and his wonderful teachers at Harvard, especially professors Clooney, Hallisey, McDermott, and Patton. He would also like to thank his incredible wife Dr. Emily [INAUDIBLE]-- I'm sorry-- his two amazing children, Junie and Sebastian, and his inspiring and loving parents, Pam and Tom.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Munjed Majdi Murad.
KATIE CAPONERA: Dissertation titled, "A Tale of Two Trees, Unveiling the Sacred Life of Nature in Islamic and Christian Traditions." Munjed is grateful to his family, to his advisor, Dr. Kimberly Patton, and to the rest of his doctoral committee, Dr. Charles Stang, Dr. James Morris, and Dr. Nicholas Boylston. He is now an Assistant Professor of World Religions at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
TIMOTHY WHELSKY: Now if I could ask our ThD graduates to please rise. Dean Hempton, members of the faculty, family, and friends, I present to you the Doctor of Theology Graduates for 2023.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
You may be seated. Dean Hempton, we turn it back to you.
DAVID HEMPTON: Thanks so much, Tim, Katie, Jamie, all the members of the Office of Student Services for your work, thought, and effort to make this ceremony so festive and seamless. Let's give it up for our staff.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Well done!
AUDIENCE: (CHANTING) Katie! Katie! Katie! Jamie! Jamie! Jamie! Jamie! Jamie! Jamie! Jamie! Katie! Katie! We love you, Katie.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
DAVID HEMPTON: So I'll give an hour's lecture, and then we can have lunch.
[LAUGHTER]
OK, hungry people, I hope to meet and see many of you at our luncheon under the tent on the Francis Avenue side of Swartz Hall. I wish everyone the very best of luck and look forward to hearing about your many accomplishments in the future. Let's give it up one more time for our graduates.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
So now for the hour lecture.
[LAUGHTER]
OK, we're done.
[CHEERING]
I ask that our guests please remain seated until all the graduates have processed out of the tent. The platform party in the faculty will now lead the graduates out of the tent. Thank you so much, everyone, for being here. Thank you.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
[BAGPIPES PLAYING]
[CHATTER]
SPEAKER 2: Music under the direction of Christopher Hossfeld, Director of Music and Ritual. Accompanied by Jonathan Russell, Pipe Major David Methven.
SPEAKER 1: Copyright 2023, The President and Fellows of Harvard College.