Pomp and circumstance — and surprises

Nate Warren and Elizabeth Sapia watch Commencement from the Widener Library steps.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Campus & Community
Pomp and circumstance — and surprises

Harvard Staff Photographers

May 26, 2023 3 min read

Day of tradition leavened with wit, wisdom — and like box of chocolates, attendees were never sure what they were going to get

The magic of Commencement is how it embraces tradition yet makes it new. Comedian Larry Wilmore offered the Class Day crowd wit and wisdom, advising them to “be fearless in your lives…[and] keep showing up.” The main speaker Tom Hanks, who urged the graduates to become everyday superheroes and protect American ideals, was favorably compared in the Latin Salutatory to luminaries such as “Vinstonio Churchill et Johanne Kennedy ac Forresto Gump,” one of Hanks’ marquee roles. In addition, members of Hasty Pudding serenaded Hanks with a listing of his films sung to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Major-General Song.” Commencement Day also marked Larry Bacow’s last as president as he prepares to pass the baton to Claudine Gay, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “At my Commencement,” Bacow said, “I never imagined that someday I would be standing here giving the final remarks at your Commencement. I hope — as you find your way through life — that you will have similarly pleasant surprises.”

At Tuesday’s Baccalaureate service in Tercentenary Theatre, Nisha Seyed donned a decorated cap, and Pusey Minister Matthew Potts and the Rev. Alanna Sullivan watched the graduates stream in.

Photos by Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Passing the baton? Current and incoming Harvard Presidents Larry Bacow and Claudine Gay at Baccalaureate.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Graduates Meimei Weston (from left), Esther Xiang, and Janna Ramadan.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

President Larry Bacow’s chief of staff Patti Bellinger (left) and his wife, Adele Bacow, watch his final Baccalaureate address.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Class Day speaker Larry Wilmore and Athena Ye, 2023 Class Committee First Marshal.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Fiona Carroll (from left), Alana Carroll, and Sam Woolf watch the Ivy Oration. Amelia Mary Cossentino takes a selfie with Dean Rakesh Khurana.

Photos by Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer and Scott Eisen

A packed Tercentenary Theatre.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Honorands Katalin Karikó and Tom Hanks have some fun as Peter J. Koutoujian, Sheriff of Middlesex County, calls the meeting to order.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Layla Siraj (from left), Sadie Piatt, Chelsea Messinger, and Daniel Greenfield wave Harvard Griffin GSAS flags.

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Student orator Vic Hogg.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Honorands Jennifer Doudna and Hugo Noé Morales Rosas; Katalin Karikó and Tom Hanks.

Photos by Kris Snibbe and Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographers

Harvard Graduate School of Education graduates hold up children’s books.

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Kyle MertensMeyer wears Graduate School of Design building blocks on his cap. Mina Mitreva graduates with a Ph.D. in history.

Photos by Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

The Yard is a sea of crimson-clad grads.

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Larry Bacow delivers his final Commencement address as president.

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

More like this

Campus & Community
Recruiting everyday superheroes for ‘cage match with agents of intolerance’

Part of the Commencement 2023 series

5 min read

Campus & Community
The crowd went wild

Part of the Commencement 2023 series

long read

Campus & Community
There’s more to life than money, but still …

Part of the Commencement 2023 series

8 min read

Campus & Community
Harvard awards six honorary degrees

Part of the Commencement 2023 series

7 min read