IC News

The importance of community, self-care, and finding your voice — together with praise for IC faculty and staff — emerged as themes shared at Ithaca College’s December 2024 Commencement Ceremony, held on Sunday, December 15, in the Athletics and Events Center.

Gathering in Glazer Arena prior to the event, students reflected on their time at IC. Friends Daniel Allard, Damani Madir, and Amirzhan Skakov attended together.

Skakov, who hails from Kazakhstan, is looking forward to using his computer science degree upon returning to his home country—and was thrilled to be celebrating with family members, who had arrived the previous day after a 13-hour flight.

Sports media major Madir will be working a government job in New York City. A Brooklynite, he found his time in Ithaca to be a breath of fresh air.

“I got very tired of being around all the concrete and metal and the hustle and bustle of the city,” he said. “It's nice to be around deer sometimes!”

Exercise science major Allard is heading to Houghton University to pursue an MBA and play baseball.

“I feel blessed,” he said, “as I'm sure many of the graduates are here. We made it this far and are just grateful for the moment.”

Decked out in traditional regalia, the graduating students, led by the senior class executive board, processed to “Cayuga Fanfare.” Composed for the ceremony by David Miller ’26, the piece was conducted by Benjamin Rochford and performed by a 16-piece band from the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

The National Anthem—sung by Allison Matthews ’24—was followed by the IC alma mater "Ithaca Forever", also sung by Matthews alongside Nicole Sutera ’26, Paul Narkewich ’26 and Sam Wurdemann ’25.

In her opening remarks, President La Jerne Terry Cornish congratulated the graduates, calling on them to celebrate their unique experience.

“Some people might think that this is ‘just another graduation.’ They could not be more wrong,” she said. “Though we are gathered together in celebration this morning, this is not a group graduation. Even beyond your respective degrees, each of you was the key partner in your own learning, and you have shaped your own education and even your college.”

Cornish then spoke of the community of care supporting each student—their families and friends, as well as the IC staff and faculty.

“I feel like I really grew into myself as a person,” she said. “I owe a lot of it to Ithaca, the music department, my violin teachers, and my peers.”

Agriculture education major Emaleigh Odell and adolescent education major Jennifer Hopkins finished their graduate degrees remotely as they started on professional pathways—Odell while teaching plant science at Buffalo’s Botanical Gardens, and Hopkins teaching first locally, in Candor, before moving to Pennsylvania.

They too, were full of praise for faculty.

“My professors and advisors were some of the most supportive I’ve ever had. So, it was a very all-encompassing experience,” said Odell.

Hopkins, who transferred to IC said, “I would not change it for the world. It's been awesome, and the education department is phenomenal.”

In her words to the audience, Provost Melanie Stein echoed Cornish’s praise for those who’ve supported the students throughout their journeys and also spoke of graduates’ need to use the breadth of their learning at IC to take on challenges and change the world.

“In this time of political polarization, where we face so many critical global challenges, it is you and your classmates, armed with the skills and knowledge you have built over your time here, who have the power to build bridges across divides and create a thriving and sustainable future,” she said.

Staff commencement speaker Shadayvia M. Wallace, who is departing the college after having served as Program Director of the MLK Scholar Program and First-Generation Center, and Associate Director of the BIPOC Unity Center, shared her thoughts on the importance of self-care on the road to success.

“You've spent the last few years chasing deadlines, completing projects, and achieving milestones,” she told the students. “But success without self-care is a hollow victory. Your achievements—no matter how great—are only as valuable as your ability to enjoy them.” Wallace stressed the need to focus on well-being: “To sustain communities, to protect our planet, to lead others, you must sustain yourself.” 
 

Christine D. Bataille, Associate Professor and Chair of Management in the School of Business, who gave the faculty address, advised the graduates to “learn to live in the moment and be grateful for what you have right now.” She urged them to put down their phones and set their screens aside in favor of journaling. “Sit down in a quiet place and make a list of all the things you are grateful for, proud of, and happy about,” she said.

Bataille also urged them to find their voices—exploring their inner selves, defining their values, and letting those values guide them throughout their personal and professional lives before giving them one of the assignments from her Leadership and Collaboration course.