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BACCALAUREATE 2025

Graduating seniors pause for reflection and celebration, recognizing that how we love is how we heal — and that to be seen is to be loved.

By Bates College

May 29^th, 2025

To remember, to give thanks, and to feel the power of the Bates community

Held on the historic front porch of Coram Library the day before Commencement, Baccalaureate is a quiet complement to the public fanfare of graduation.

It is an intimate gathering with family and loved ones, akin to the moment when a team or cast comes together backstage or in the locker room, away from the crowd, to center themselves before stepping into the spotlight.

For the 504 members of the Bates Class of 2025, this year’s Baccalaureate gathering, on Saturday, May 24, was a time to remember, to give thanks, and to feel the power of the Bates community.

Through song, blessing, poetry, storytelling, and silence, the event gave voice to the joys, struggles, griefs, and transformations of the past four years. Offering the traditional Baccalaureate address was Mana Abdi, an assistant director of operations for the Student Center for Belonging and Community.

Immersive photography by Phyllis Graber Jensen, complemented by quotes from these participants, captures the emotional and spiritual heart of Bates — and the bonds created among a graduating class that will endure for a lifetime.

Wipe down

Following an overnight sprinkle, members of the college’s Facility Services team wipe down the 3,600 chairs in front of Coram Library.

‘I hope you have found your voice’

“I hope you have found your voice. I hope you have used it to stand up for what you believe in. I hope you always will. I cast these things as ‘hopes,’ but I actually know, to my core, that you have learned these things, made these discoveries about yourselves and about others.”

— President Garry W. Jenkins during his Baccalaureate welcome, calling on graduates to carry forward knowledge and courage, a reminder that their voice, once discovered, must be used to shape the world they’re entering.

‘Your love has held us’

“Your love has held us through the lows, been with us through the highs, and stayed constant for every moment in between. We’re so proud to have you by our sides and are endlessly grateful for all that you are.”

— Risa Sood Horiuchi ’25, a sociology major from Queens, N.Y., during reflections shared with and about families and loved ones, offering a tribute to parents, guardians, and supporters.

‘Not even aware’

“As I reflect on these relationships with people of all walks of life, I’ve grown from them in ways I’m probably not even aware of at this moment.”

— Maxwell Good ’25, a double major in economics and Hispanic studies from Shaker Heights, Ohio.

‘Our time here’

“Each and every one of us here today are surrounded by people and experiences that made our time here at Bates unique.”

— Lucy Hensley ’25, a biology major from Fredericksburg, Va.

‘Think of everyone’

“Think of everyone that has had a lasting impact on you and your Bates experience. Write them a note, give them a hug, tell them a specific story that you remember about them, and take a moment to appreciate what they have done for you or what they have meant to you in these last four years.”

— Nimco Jama ’25, a biology major from Hargeisa, Somaliland, letting her classmates know that time is winding down to say thanks.

‘I recognize you as family’

“I want to say that the people that I have been with these past four years, I recognize you all as family. I hope whatever dreams you all chase in life are successful. I know that our family ties made at Bates will only grow more as life goes on. The truth is, my friends are what made Bates a great experience.”

— Ilyas Bashir ’25, a double major in Chinese and anthropology from Auburn, Maine.

‘Open heart and mind’

“Live with an open heart and open mind in ways that make a lie of the idea that college is the best time of your life!”

— Bates parents Fatuma Hussein and Malini Sood Horiuchi, offering reflections from parents, guardians, and loved ones, including a challenge to keep growing and to recognize that great joy and purpose lie ahead.

'Quiet leadership is not passive’

“Quiet leadership is not passive. It is rooted in awareness, integrity, and consistency — how you act in public and in private. It is found in continuous learning, even in unconventional spaces. It listens before it speaks, encourages without condition, and leads by example. Quiet leadership chooses discipline when motivation fades.”

— Mana Abdi, Baccalaureate speaker, challenging the Class of 2025 to eschew the “‘loud leader” model of leadership often on display today that substitutes volume for value.

‘People and places stay with you’

“The people and places from whom you’ve given and received time, attention, and care stay with you always; they keep you company even when it seems you are alone.”

— Bates parents Fatuma Hussein and Malini Sood Horiuchi, offering reflections from parents, guardians, and loves ones, including a gentle assurance that the relationships built at Bates remain a quiet source of strength long after graduation.

Economics major Uche Anyanwu '25 of Brooklyn, N.Y., a DJ, producer, and artist, provides music for the Baccalaureate Recessional.

‘What a privilege that is’

“Bates has transformed me into someone who, despite the immense problems of the world we live in, doesn’t have to fight so hard to come up with things that are good. What a privilege that is. Bates has given me places that are grounding and healing and access to resources and knowledge that inspire me.”