The New School’s 89th Commencement: A Day of Celebration and Community
The New School’s 89th Commencement found a new home in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to celebrate the scholarship, ingenuity, and eclecticism of the Class of 2025. President Joel Towers presided over the ceremony as nearly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees were conferred.
Commencement marks an important transition for graduates, and student speakers Luis Ternera Losada, BBA Strategic Design and Management ’25, and Ayan Huseynli, MA International Affairs ’25, shared their excitement for reaching this milestone with their classmates.
Acknowledging that their class is graduating during a tumultuous time where they may face many uncertainties, Losada and Huseynli reflected on how The New School prepared them to face this reality as they embark on their new paths.
Losada, who was born and raised in Colombia, discussed how he came to New York four years ago to attend Parsons School of Design. Sharing how these experiences taught him to become more comfortable with change, he said “if this “new life” we are supposedly beginning feels a little uncertain, I am confident that everyone in this space knows exactly what to do with that. And hey if there’s one thing, amongst all the uncertainty, that I know for sure, it’s this: no matter where we go next, we are not starting from scratch, acting as if we didn’t just spend a number of years surrounded by some of the most talented, curious, and thought-provoking people we’ll ever come across. And we are not letting anything end either; we’d be crazy to. We are continuing to be the wonderfully idiosyncratic people who in this community we have always been celebrated for being,” said Losada.
Huseynli, who comes from an internally displaced family from Azerbaijan, shared how The New School provided not just an education, but also a community. Reflecting on what is next for her and her classmates, Huseynli said “as we step into the unknown—an unknown that may at times feel uncertain, an unknown that at times may make you feel displaced—let us carry forward what we have learned here, here at The New School: a spirit of inspiration, justice, and activism…And no matter where life takes us, we must never forget that our education, our privilege, and our passion must be used not just for ourselves, but for those who are still waiting for justice, for peace, for home,” said Huseynli.
President Joel Towers shared his excitement with the graduates, noting that while this is his 21st commencement at The New School, it is his first as president. In addressing the graduates, he noted that “In the days and years ahead, as the all-consuming nature of your time here at The New School recedes into a set of moments and experiences in the longer arc of your lives, hold fast to the knowledge you have gained, the friendships you have made, the community of which you are a part, and to your unwavering commitment to a dynamic and changing world.”
The Class of 2025 was also joined by four socially engaged individuals who received honorary degrees, which are given to inspiring figures whose contributions embody The New School ethos. Diplomat and human rights advocate María Fernanda Espinosa, film producer and 2024 Hirshon Artist-in Residence Christine Vachon, fashion designer and sustainable design advocate Yeohlee Teng, BFA Fashion Design, and lawyer and civil rights advocate William D. Zabel. The honorary degrees were conferred by President Towers, Provost Renée T. White, New School Board of Trustees Chair Linda Rappaport.
Espinosa, who was also this year’s commencement speaker, remarked that while they are leaving the university during a time the world is experiencing great upheaval and tumult, they have an unprecedented opportunity to create positive change. “You inherit profound challenges—but also the power to shape history. And remember, you are not alone. You are part of a larger community, one that believes in critical thinking, creative expression, and social transformation. In your hands lies the power to write a new chapter for our shared future. Not in fear, but in hope. Not in isolation, but in solidarity. Write it wisely. Write it boldly. Write it well,” said Espinosa.
Earlier in the ceremony, Provost White had the honor of recognizing this year’s recipients of the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Social Justice Teaching. Created in 1988, the Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes faculty for their extraordinary ability to foster deep intellectual engagement and embody the values that guide our mission. The Award for Outstanding Achievements in Social Justice Teaching, introduced in 2014, honors those whose pedagogy powerfully advances equity and justice in and beyond the classroom.
In celebrating these illustrious faculty members, Provost White noted that “each year we honor our faculty at Commencement for the enormous role they play in our students’ academic journey—as teachers, mentors, and role models. These faculty were nominated by their students and colleagues and recommended for these awards by a faculty committee.” Recipients of the 2025 Distinguished University Teaching Awards are Susan Cameron, Associate Teaching Professor, College of Performing Arts; Alvin Chang, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Design, Eugene Lang College; Susan Stillman, Associate Teaching Professor, Parsons School of Design; and Gabrielle Williams, Assistant Professor of Literary Studies, Eugene Lang College. The 2025 Awards for Outstanding Achievements in Social Justice Teaching were awarded to Julia Foulkes, Professor of History, Schools of Public Engagement; and Zishan Ugurlu, Professor of Theater, Eugene Lang College.
Another prestigious faculty honor is the selection of the Faculty Marshal, who is chosen for their outstanding contributions to the university through their long-standing service, leadership, dedication to students, and their lived commitment to The New School’s principles and values. The Faculty Marshal has the honor of carrying a symbolic mace while leading the procession of university leadership and faculty into the ceremony. This year, Cecilia Rubino, Associate Professor of Theater, Eugene Lang College, was selected for this prestigious role.
President Towers concluded his remarks by encouraging graduates to draw on their education as they embark on this next chapter in their lives. “We live at a time of great change and your New School education has prepared you to play your part in writing the story of this new age; to thoughtfully, critically, and passionately embrace the possibility in this new epoch, fully awake and aware of its potential and its risk, and to nurture it; to give that which remakes this broken world room to grow. Remember that you are artists, designers, entrepreneurs, writers, scholars, musicians, actors, social scientists, activists, policy makers, friends, colleagues, and collaborators capable of the most compassionate, farsighted, and joyful actions, and capable of doing great harm. Life is not a neutral act. Art does not happen in the void. We all must choose our path and—in a world that increasingly seems all too ready to identify enemies—I implore you to seek to find our shared humanity. As you leave The New School, now as alumni, I wish for you a path with a heart that centers love,” said President Towers.