Credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Dreary weather couldn't stop the Johns Hopkins University Class of 2025 from breaking a Commencement record: JHU President Ron Daniels reported live from the stage that for the first time, every seat in the Homewood Field stadium was taken.
That the family, friends, and graduates gathered in the rain for the university's 149th Commencement ceremony epitomized the can-do spirit of a class that started its Hopkins journey under the uncertainty and constraints of the COVID pandemic, Daniels said at the top of his speech, praising the class for its resilience.
"Looking out at all of you, and at your families and loved ones who traveled here to celebrate your graduation, it is hard not to be filled with pride and optimism," Daniels said.
Image caption: Johns Hopkins Commencement Day 2025
Video credit: Johns Hopkins University
Nearly 1,450 students received their undergraduate degrees on Thursday, among a total of about 11,360 JHU degrees, certificates, and diplomas awarded during divisional ceremonies throughout the week.
In his speech, Daniels spoke to the challenges currently facing American research universities, reiterating his belief in the transformative power of higher education while acknowledging its imperfections.
"The modern American research university, of which Hopkins was the first, stands as an institution that is, I believe, unmatched in its capacity to promote individual flourishing and societal advancement," Daniels said. "Standing at the core of that success is the extraordinary research compact that was painstakingly forged between America's research universities and the federal government in the wake of the Second World War.
"Whatever our flaws, whatever our stumbles, we cannot lose sight of how good, how indispensable research universities like Johns Hopkins—and students like you—are to the national fabric and to the world beyond," Daniels said.
Selected by his classmates to speak at Commencement, senior Dalhart Dobbs echoed Daniels' "Forever a Blue Jay" sentiment, acknowledging that Hopkins alums carry a responsibility to make the world a better place.
"We are not leaving Hopkins; we have become Hopkins. That means that wherever we go, we bring its spirit with us, not just in our careers, but in our communities, our friendships, and our everyday choices," Dobbs said. "So don't call this an ending—because if we keep living out what this place truly stands for, it never really ends, but simply expands, person by person, into every corner of this world we touch."
Sal Khan, founder and CEO of the popular online educational nonprofit Khan Academy, addressed the class during the ceremony after receiving an honorary doctorate of humane letters alongside three other distinguished individuals. A superstar among today's graduates, many of who turned to Khan Academy for tutoring help over the years, Khan's advice for the Class of 2025 included encouraging new alums to chase meaning and contentment rather than material comfort and recognition.
"There's no Forbes list of the 500 happiest people on Earth," Khan said. "If there were, I suspect most of them would be people we've never heard of, but they have a few things in common—a strong community of friends and family, a sense of purpose, a way to express themselves creative creatively. They'd feel appreciated. They'd laugh often, they'd see the glass half full and not take themselves too seriously. Many would have basic financial security, but plenty would have far less material wealth than most of us. So as you build yourself in the traditional sense, also invest in what gives you meaning."
