I attended the Drexel graduation ceremonies over the past two days not as a faculty member or an Assistant Dean, but rather as a parent. I carefully listened to the words of encouragement and accomplishment, ones I have often delivered, and those words were wholeheartedly deserved. However, I also listened to graduates, deans, and guest speakers talk about this class, the class of 2022, and the resilience shown as this class entered college and graduate school with all the hopes and dreams of those before them. But life had other plans. The class of 2022 faced polarizing politics, the impeachment of a president, a racial reckoning after the death of George Floyd and the many others before him, more mass shootings than seem believable, and then there was the pandemic, followed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and more mass shootings, including a recent one in our beloved city.

This class of 2022 did not throw their arms up and give up. This class continued to attend classes, they worked in healthcare, they volunteered and sent relief to victims of violence and of war, and they protested. This class rose to the many challenges life and the world kept delivering. This class is the epitome of resilience. And there are lessons we all can learn from these newly minted Drexel graduates.

老一辈人经常谈论“年轻人”需要学习的经验教训，但在这一刻，我相信，需要向2022届毕业生学习的是我们其余的人，无论老少。首先，他们致力于变革和社区参与。据《慈善时报》报道，在过去几年里，这个年龄段的志愿者比例上升了30-40%。这令人钦佩，但更重要的是，它显示了2022届毕业生对共同利益的承诺。第二，尽管生活不断在他们的道路上设置障碍和障碍，但2022届毕业生一直在前进。当然，也有不好玩的时候，他们会因为失去了期望而感到悲伤，焦虑情绪高涨，但他们每天都在Zoom的卧室里坐上几个小时，做着自己的工作，当他们能够回到校园时，他们会戴上口罩。教室里或校园里没有发生戴面具的反抗。2022届毕业生看到了团结的好处，出于同情，他们戴上口罩保护教授和同学，展示了他们的人性。最后，正如过去几年所证明的那样，生活是艰难的，但2022届毕业生向我们展示了，尽管面临挑战、障碍、痛苦、恐怖和未知，他们仍然抱有希望。我想不出还有什么比2022届毕业生更值得学习的了。他们以一种我们大多数人永远无法理解的方式被打败了，但他们仍然对明天充满希望。

So, to each and every member of the Class of 2022, I salute you and thank you for showing us what resilience truly looks like. There is no doubt you will go on to do great things – big and small, seen and unseen, recognized and unrecognized – we will all be the beneficiaries of your talent, time, and treasures.

最好的，