Dear Members of the UMass Boston Community:
I am pleased to announce the student speakers selected to address the Class of 2022 at the 54th Commencement exercises on Friday, May 27. The ceremony for bachelor’s degree candidates will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, followed by a ceremony for master’s and doctoral candidates at 3:00 p.m. Mayor Michelle Wu will address the undergraduate class of 2022. Both ceremonies will be livestreamed online for families, friends, and the UMass Boston community.
This year’s student speakers are:
MG Xiong, Bachelor of Science, Philosophy and Public Policy – Undergraduate Student Speaker
John F. Kennedy Award winner MG Xiong has shown a commendable dedication to service during their time on Columbia Point. They served UMass Boston in a variety of ways, from organizing the Transgender Day of Visibility 2022 to serving as a member of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Leadership Council. They also served on campus as the Program and Communication Coordinator for the Asian American Student Success Program, and as the Chapter Director and DEI Coordinator for Strong Women Strong Girls. MG will graduate from UMass Boston in May 2022 with a B.A. degree in Philosophy and Public Policy, a minor in Spanish Language, and a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. MG’s accomplishments reflect their all-around excellence, a Beacon who is truly dedicated to the service of our university, our city, and our world. The JFK Award for Academic Excellence, first awarded in 1977, is the highest honor a UMass Boston undergraduate student can receive. After graduation, MG aims to work in a Boston-area non-profit or government office, and pursue a Ph.D. in inclusive education, with the future goal of becoming a professor at a public university.
Courtney Humphries, Doctor of Philosophy, Environmental Science – Graduate Student Speaker
Courtney Humphries is an engaged scholar and citizen whose work embodies UMass Boston’s mission to “create new knowledge while serving the public good of our city, our commonwealth, our nation, and our world.” A non-traditional student who began her graduate program later in life, Courtney was a science journalist reporting on environmental health and policy before enrolling as a Ph.D. student in 2017. At UMass Boston, her research has addressed several critically important environmental and community development issues – such as mapping vacant lots for social and environmental justice on the Fairmont Greenway project, and balancing urban waterfront development, climate change mitigation, and racial inequality in Boston. Over the past five years, Courtney’s insights on these issues have been featured in the Boston Globe, on WBUR’s Cognoscenti, on PRI’s Living on Earth, and on many other venues, informing scholars, practitioners, and citizens in Boston and beyond, and literally helping reshape the city in which she lives and works.
Congratulations to MG Xiong and Courtney Humphries for their extraordinary achievements at UMass Boston. We look forward to celebrating this momentous day with you later this month!
Sincerely,
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco
Chancellor
