The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the LGBTQ Student Center hosted their annual graduation events, in collaboration with the University of Miami Alumni Association, to celebrate graduating students of color and LGBTQIA+ graduates for their achievements and contributions to the campus community.
Alumni joined to offer advice, welcome the new graduates to the University of Miami alumni community, and encourage them to use their voices to play an active role in building a more inclusive society.
Addressing attendees of the virtual Senior Mwambo, an annual ceremony recognizing graduating students of color, Dr. Tierini Hodges-Murad, A.B. 04, encouraged graduates to use their voices to drive change and speak up against discrimination faced by Black men and women.
“The greatest gift that you can give to this world is to be your full authentic self at all times, in all spaces, and with everyone that you meet,” she said. “Continue to be bold, resilient, and unapologetically you. Continue to be loud and use your voice for change, never forgetting the importance of the message and the impact that your voice has.”
Hodges-Murad, a life coach, author, and motivational speaker, also offered the graduates tips for surviving life after college. She encouraged them to be flexible, learn from failures and loss, never stop learning, and to tap into the ’Canes network for support.
As the keynote speaker for the seventh annual Lavender Celebration, an event that recognizes graduating LGBTQIA+ students and outstanding leaders, Tony award-winning Broadway and film producer Jayne Baron Sherman, A.B. ’67, reflected on the progress made since she was a student 50 years ago. “In my time at the University, the notion of an LGBTQ center, let alone a Lavender graduation, was beyond imagination,” she said. “Being openly gay was not an option.”
Still, Sherman noted that despite changes in laws, rules, and attitudes, there is still work to be done. She encouraged graduates to live authentically and contribute to creating a better society now and for future generations. “You are each special and unique,” she said. “As you go forward, remember that you can have impact just by being who you truly are. Be proud of who you are and share that as active alums with those following in your footsteps.”
Sherman, a member of the Golden Ibis Society and LGBTQ ’Canes affinity group, also highlighted the role that the University community can play in providing support. “Staying connected to places like the University and the LGBTQ center, and to people who can welcome and guide us along our paths, eliminates the need to face challenges alone,” she said.
The two ceremonies were attended virtually by hundreds of students, families, and friends, as well as alumni near and far. Both Wendy Ann Dixon Dubois, A.B. ’07, president of the UM Black Alumni Society, and Roberto Bosh, B.S.M.S. '07, president of LGBTQ ’Canes, also addressed the graduates. “As you continue on your journey,” Dixon Dubois said, “know that there is a family and a network of ’Canes who are here to hold your hand, to encourage you, and provide those open doors of opportunity that you are waiting to walk through.”
Are you a recent graduate of the University of Miami? Learn more about how you can get involved with the University of Miami Alumni Association.
