Bucknell Celebrates Class of 2025 Graduates

On the path toward self-discovery and, hopefully, self-fulfillment, there will be missteps and detours. Bumps in the road and roads not taken. In fact, at a certain point, the path itself might peter out altogether, so what you're left with is an untrodden landscape of possibility. "This fact is so terrifying that a lot of people try to remain in denial about it. I know I certainly did," said Jessica Livingston '93, keynote speaker for Bucknell's 175th Commencement, which took place on Malesardi Quadrangle on Sunday, May 18. 

At this stage in her life, Livingston is recognized as one of Silicon Valley’s savviest and most influential investors, having co-founded Y Combinator in 2005. Since then, the company has become Silicon Valley's premier startup incubator and has funded more than 5,500 companies — including Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase, Reddit, Dropbox and DoorDash — with a collective value of over $700 billion.

Jessica Livingston '93, the keynote speaker of Bucknell's 175th Commencement, shared advice on how graduates can discover fulfilling careers. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

However, as she shared with the 939 degree candidates — 917 bachelor's degrees and 22 master's degrees — that made up the Class of 2025, her path to success was long and winding. In fact, reflecting on her own Commencement, she said she wasn't even sure what would come next. With her English degree in hand, she didn't know where life would take her. As she later discovered, she would have to be the one to take the lead. 

"There are a huge number of options, and you have to actively figure out which is best for you," said Livingston, urging graduates to embrace ambition and the possibility to reinvent themselves in the face of new challenges and opportunities. "If you want to, you can become more ambitious now, but to do that, you have to start steering. You can't just drift."

While Livingston delivered time-tested advice on how to navigate the transition into the future, student speaker Gabby Diaz '25, a Posse Scholar and political science and education double-major from Rockville, Md., encouraged her fellow classmates to "stop and savor now." To linger inside the finer details of the ceremony itself. Of processing through the Christy Mathewson Gates one last time. Of the sun shining down on Malesardi Quadrangle. Of the sound of the national anthem, performed by Juliana Capizzi '25, a biomedical engineering major from Chevy Chase, Md., ringing through the air. 

Student speaker Gabby Diaz '25 addressed the Class of 2025 during Bucknell's 175th Commencement ceremony. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

In recalling a recent study abroad trip to Cuba, Diaz echoed the wisdom of her mentor Marcus Scales, director of multicultural student services: "Remember to enjoy the flowers while they still smell." The words served as a reminder that even our greatest moments are ephemeral. To make the most out of them — to learn and grow from them — requires the ability to slow down and reflect. 

"When we deliberately and systematically slow down in a world desperate to keep us sprinting, we engage in a kind of gentle rebellion. We realize that college was not just our academic achievements, but how we've used the skills we've acquired to live in everyday ordinariness and turn it into something extraordinary," said Diaz. While experiences end — college and graduation among them — it's the meaning we derive from those experiences that help us navigate what comes next.

For some of the graduates seated on the Quad, the path in front of them had already begun to take shape. Of the 570 degree candidates in the College of Arts & Sciences, some were off to graduate school and careers in law, medicine and education. Of the 164 degree candidates in the College of Engineering, some had committed to jobs that would take them to the frontier of still-burgeoning technologies. While others, such as those among the 183 degree candidates in the Freeman College of Management, would be stepping into the world of finance and capital. 

However, as Livingston had acknowledged, there were more still who, just like her decades before, weren't sure of what tomorrow would bring.

But President John Bravman assured the graduates that they had successfully navigated challenges before — and they could do it again. "You persisted and adapted during and after the COVID pandemic. You have supported each other during a period of political complexities, at home and abroad. All while pursuing your degree, forging friendships and making memories to last forever," said Bravman. "You are entering a world that is filled with uncertainty. And as you start 'adulting' in earnest, you will likely encounter challenges that go beyond what many other graduates have faced. But based on what I know about the Class of 2025, you'll not only be OK — you will thrive."

President John Bravman awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree to Doris Malesardi S'45 during Bucknell's 175th Commencement ceremony. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

Their messages may have differed in content, but Bravman, Diaz and Livingston all agreed on one point: whatever path you take, you don't do so alone. It's the people who walk alongside you that make the journey possible. In celebration of that message, Doris Malesardi S'45 was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree in recognition of her continued support for so many Bucknellians over the years. 

"Doris Malesardi is a philanthropic leader and longtime supporter of the University who is known for her deep commitment to our students, both current and in the future, including the great-grandchildren of people who are not yet born," said Bravman, noting that Doris and her late husband, Bob '45 P'75, P'79, P'87, G'08, the namesakes of Malesardi Quadrangle, expanded access at Bucknell by generously supporting need-based financial aid. 

Her support — along with the guidance of countless family, friends, faculty and mentors — helped pave the way for so many students. Now it is up to the Class of 2025 to take those brave next steps into the world.