Class of 2025 Honored at 45th Commencement

Though it’s hard to capture the full weight of a day like Commencement in words, President Nicholas Covino’s opening address may have expressed it best when he told the crowd of graduates, family, and friends that Commencement at William James College was about compassion.

“All of these [students] before you have chosen to invest their intellect, experience, skills, and passion in an education that prepares them to be of service to others,” Covino said.

That commitment to service is needed now more than ever, as the field of behavioral health faces the needs of a population which studies find includes 24% of people currently experiencing a mental health crisis, and 37% of young people who are regularly struggling with anxiety, sadness, and isolation. Into this landscape steps the class of 2025 ready to serve as advocates and healers through roles as counselors, psychologists, and leaders.

As they made their way across the stage of the Boston Park Plaza, that stage served as a symbolic crossroads between the conclusion of one journey, and the beginning of another. Reaching this milestone required resilience: students committed hundreds of hours at field sites, fulfilled rigorous licensure requirements, and balanced the demands of school with the complexities of life beyond the classroom. It is certain they did not take this journey alone, and in a fitting tribute, many graduates brought their children and families on stage along with them.

Also joining them on stage was award winning actor Courtney B. Vance, who served as this year’s Commencement speaker. Vance delivered an energetic and highly passionate message highlighting the significant challenges society faces and these graduates place within the world.

“The old adage ‘well that’s the way things have always been done’ should not sit well with your generation,” said Vance. “Your fight is the key to our great future, and you are that fight.”

Along with his role as speaker for the event, Vance was also recognized with the degree Doctor of Humane Letters. The College also conferred this degree to mental health advocates Molly Baldwin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Roca, and Dr. Ken Duckworth, Chief Medical Officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

Vance concluded his address to the 2025 class, with a list of reminders on how to approach
what comes next.

“Be kind, be respectful, take care of your own tender hearts, your own mental wellbeing,” Vance said. “Try harder to be people of your words. Shape the world the way you want it to be. Whatever you’re going through, it has come to pass, it has not come to stay. And remember, the children and the young people are watching you.”

As if on cue, a child cried out from the crowd, an unscripted moment, though seemingly one from the movies that only underscored the message. As those children and young people look on, they can do so with assurance: the Class of 2025 is ready. Ready to serve, to lead, and to heal. Their next journey begins now, and the world is a better place for it.

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