On May 27, Brooklyn College honored the incredible accomplishments of the Class of 2021 with a virtual event with special guests. In total, 3,493 students earned baccalaureate degrees, 1,147 earned master’s, and 59 were awarded advanced certificates. The Class of 2021 included 229 Brooklyn College employees and 16 veterans and service members. Guests of the celebration heard from the valedictorian, Asma Awad, who was joined by the 2021 Honorary Degree recipient Fatima Goss Graves, the president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center; and Joanne Waldstreicher, M.D. — a trustee of the Brooklyn College Foundation — who received the 2021 Distinguished Alumna Award. Dr. Waldstreicher serves as the chief medical officer for Johnson & Johnson. She is also a member of the advisory board of the Brooklyn College Cancer Center. The celebration was also highlighted by performances from the Brooklyn College Glee Club and Conservatory Singers and Symphonic Choir and the Brooklyn College Wind Ensemble, led by Malcolm J. Merriweather. President Michelle J. Anderson joined Anne Lopes, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the deans of the respective schools to present degrees. Anderson congratulated the resilient graduating class that overcame the COVID-19 pandemic and all the challenges it presented. “Today’s graduates have engaged in rigorous academic work. They have explored new ideas that have shaped who they are and who they will become in the future, Anderson said. “They have grown, and they have been changed by the power of critical thinking, the scientific method, and advanced analysis taught in a college setting. Ordinarily, graduation is a celebration of the perseverance, strength, and hard work it took to get here. But these are extraordinary times. So today, for these graduates, this event represents that and much more. Today’s graduates are prepared to go out into the world and assume challenging positions of leadership—not only because they are the beneficiaries of an excellent education at Brooklyn College, but also because of what they had to surmount in order to graduate today.” To hear from all the guest speakers, including Charles Schumer, United States Senator; Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Assemblymember (42nd District); Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, CUNY Chancellor, Jumaane Williams ’01, ’05 M.A. and NYC Public Advocate; Farah N. Louis, NYC Councilmember (45th District); click here. About Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is an innovative liberal arts institution with a history of more than 90 years of academic excellence. With approximately 18,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the humanities, social, behavioral and natural sciences, education, business and the arts, the college is renowned for its rigorous academics, diverse student body, award-winning faculty, and highly affordable tuition. Part of The City University of New York (CUNY), Brooklyn College is located on a beautifully landscaped 35-acre campus and offers a rich student life within an urban environment.
