Ready for the World

When former NFL player Shaquem Griffin addressed the Class of 2025 this spring, he had a resounding message for them: “Your dream is only impossible until you do it.”

The keynote speaker for Pitzer’s 61st annual Commencement, Griffin is no stranger to achieving the “impossible.” As a child, Griffin experienced a rare condition called amniotic band syndrome, and his left hand had to be amputated. Thanks to his family’s support and his own perseverance, Griffin eventually made history as the NFL’s first one-handed player.

Griffin drew on his experiences to encourage Pitzer’s graduating seniors as they look at the world beyond the campus.

“If you have a dream, go after it,” said Griffin. “No matter what’s said to you. No matter what’s done. No matter how hard it is. You go after that dream.”

Griffin is now an advocate for people with disabilities and strives to motivate others to make a difference. In his final call to action, Griffin told the graduates: “You go make that happen and leave the world a better place than you found it.”
 

Griffin received a standing ovation from the 332 members of the Class of 2025. This year’s ceremony also included 11 graduates of the Inside-Out program.
 

President Strom C. Thacker acknowledged the uncertainty that the students had faced when they entered Pitzer in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as the world copes with threats to democracy and profound social, environmental, and human challenges, Thacker expressed a wholehearted belief that Pitzer graduates represent hope in the future.

“It is precisely because of these conditions that your Pitzer education matters now more than ever. That the world needs you, each and every one of you, now more than ever,” said Thacker. “No one is better prepared to meet these challenges and to help society overcome them than a Pitzer graduate, which you now all are.”
 

Attendees also heard remarks from Senior Class Speaker Ramya Herman ’25: “What we have achieved today has been a sincere effort on the part of every single person here now. And so, the most important question going forward is: What will we do with what we have gained—or rather, what we have so diligently earned in our time here?”

Sara Kimura ’26 announced that families and students of the Class of 2025 raised $222,457 in support of scholarships, internships and career development, health and wellness programs, and emergency funds at Pitzer. The graduating seniors also raised $1,262 for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides medical relief to children in the Middle East.
 

Mark Cunningham ’89 P’25, president of the Pitzer Alumni Board, emphasized Pitzer’s mission as a north star for graduates.

“Our core values will help you navigate the challenges ahead,” said Cunningham. “Celebrate this milestone with your friends and family and then take a beat. And once you’ve done that, go change the world.”