Good afternoon!

Thank you, Chairman D’Amore.

Graduates, congratulations! I think we can all agree that commencement is one of the best days of the year.

Today’s ceremony falls on Mother’s Day, giving us the opportunity to thank all the moms in the audience. Graduates, please stand and give them a round of applause.

And please give an extra round of applause to everyone who has supported, guided, encouraged, and reassured you along the way — your families, partners, and friends. Let us also acknowledge the Northeastern faculty and staff who supported you on your journey.

Now, if you turn and look above home plate, you will see a very special group of alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago and continue to be engaged with the university. Golden Graduates, please stand and be recognized.

Golden Graduates, you are the stewards of this institution, and your legacy continues to shape it. You exemplify the words on the Northeastern seal, those values illuminated by our student speakers — Light. Truth. Courage. You represent the passing of the torch from one generation to the next, from the first Northeastern graduates 123 years ago to today. We are honored to have you with us.

Everyone, please be seated.

I would like to take a moment to thank Provost Madigan. At the end of June, Provost Madigan will conclude his tenure and return to the faculty. David, you have been a wonderful colleague, partner, and friend. Your impact on this university has been profound.

Class of 2025, today we celebrate the journey that brought you to this moment. Every one of you has a unique story to tell. You each followed a different path to converge at this singular point in your lives.

While each of you has a unique Northeastern journey, all of them have been shaped by your experiences here. The experience of turning numbers on a spreadsheet into a startup. The experience of moving across the world to a country you’ve only visited on a map. The experience of going on co-op to discover a career you never imagined — and now you cannot imagine doing anything else. The experience of realizing what a community needs to flourish, and launching your own initiative to serve and uplift society.

These are powerful learning experiences. In today’s roller coaster world, they are priceless.

Artificial intelligence grows more powerful by the day. Some experts say it will have a bigger effect than electricity. Others say it will disrupt or eliminate the overwhelming majority of jobs that are waiting for you. It may do both.

Your Northeastern education will help you navigate the AI revolution, its transformations and opportunities. This education is your lifelong bedrock. Four strong foundations — I call them the four Cs — make it unique.

The first C is curiosity.

Curiosity is the reason the world spends billions of dollars on space exploration. It’s why some of you studied at our Marine Science Center, researching life in the oceans. It’s why you and your peers have traveled to 151 countries on Dialogues of Civilizations, co-ops, and other global experiences. And it’s why you signed up for a theater class even though you’re a finance major.

Your Northeastern experiences fueled your inherently human passion to learn. AI systems are not inherently curious. When computer scientists want them to try new things, they have to reward them with something called an “exploration bonus.” The human mind doesn’t need an exploration bonus. We evolved to wander.

This exploration is the work of a lifetime. Let curiosity be your compass as you continue learning. Sitting here today, your mind is probably buzzing with questions. What does the future hold? What shape will my life take? As humans, we are always asking, What next? What if? And as imaginative thinkers and entrepreneurs, we ask, Why not?

Curiosity leads us to the second C: creativity.

Human creativity takes flight in ways that AI can only mimic. For all their power, these technologies summarize, replicate, and reassemble ideas and images. Human creativity is based on imagination. It is not restricted to existing data and replication. It shapes worlds that don’t exist.

Unlike Einstein, AI could not daydream its way into a new theory of space and time. Before AI could generate a surreal image, Dalí had to paint a melting clock. Creativity moves the human spirit. It’s the interaction between creator and society that makes it meaningful. This context in which it occurs is essential — and it is also my third C.

The third C is context.

AI has no awareness of context. It is locked in its data sets, while humans travel through the infinite contexts of life. Your Northeastern experiences have taught you an important lesson: When we learn about the world, we learn about ourselves. Experiential learning is your edge and natural state. It allows you to integrate your classroom and world experiences, translating your passions into impact. As Northeastern students, you have all lived this.

Luke, please join me at the podium for a moment. You have pursued a combined major in health sciences and business. I love combined majors! How many of you are graduating with combined majors or more than one major?

Luke, your combined major led you to understand healthcare while thinking about ways to transform it. It is why you connected big companies with students to launch startups. It’s also why your research centered on reducing the harms of drug use. For you and your classmates, research is not an abstract activity. It’s about finding and applying solutions to real-world issues.

Jizelle, please join us here. Your interest in finance and marketing took you to private equity, investment, and retail. But it was when you discovered entrepreneurship that you found your true calling. Entrepreneurship is in Northeastern’s DNA. How many of you have pursued an entrepreneurship activity during your time here?

Jizelle also demonstrated her leadership through her involvement in WISE — the Women’s Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship. Jizelle, should we give a shout out to all of your fellow WISE graduates?

Finally, Daunte, you knew we weren’t going to let you off the hook. Please join us as well. Daunte, you are also a combined major, an entrepreneur, and like Luke and Jizelle, you explored the world through global experiences. Your Dialogue of Civilization in Panama was especially meaningful. Raise your hands if you have done a Dialogue, spent a semester abroad with co-op, NUin, or the Global Scholars program.

Daunte, perhaps the biggest impact you have had — something very important to you — is tutoring and mentoring young children and aspiring engineers. To all of you who have volunteered and participated in service learning, never lose your empathy, your open heart, and your desire to support others.

Your education, including the experiences I’ve described, has given you all contextual agility beyond the scope of the most sophisticated AI.

The most important foundation and final C is community.

Curiosity, creativity, and contextual agility can help us accomplish great things. Community is why we accomplish them.

You experienced community when you went on co-op at a neighborhood health clinic. You experienced it when your robotics team took home the top prize in a national tournament. And you experienced it cheering your hockey teams at the Beanpot.

In a world so structured by data and design, human connection is a magical force. It is the essence of art and music. Throughout the ages, every people and culture have poured their joys and sorrows into songs, letting music express what words alone could not. When we sing together, we create moments of community that machines will never comprehend. There is a reason that many voices lifted in harmony can bring down mighty walls. And why choral music can sound like an echo of the divine.

Your speaker, Elliot Grainge, has reshaped how many of us connect through music. I remember when I first met Elliot. Like many of you, he chose Northeastern to pursue an entrepreneurial path. He was someone with the unique talent of spotting not what is, but what could be. He probably wouldn’t have guessed that he, a first-generation college student, would amass extraordinary success less than a decade from sitting where you sit today.

Elliot embodies the lessons of my speech — an integration of the four Cs. His curiosity led him to explore the intersection of music and technology, where he saw opportunity as a digital trailblazer. Soon after graduation, his creativity shaped a new type of record label. A human-centered innovator, he founded 10K Projects. His contextual understanding of talent, technology, and audiences made his company a global success — he is the architect of a new way of experiencing music. And his connection to community is why he is with us today.

Your Northeastern community gives you a powerful advantage. You are part of a global family united across every profession, every industry, every culture, every nation. The power of this worldwide network can help you achieve your goals and will inspire you to surpass the limits of your dreams.

In this era of disruption, we all need a guiding light. Northeastern is more than a network. It is a steady constellation in the shifting skies. It will never fade with time or distance. It will always be here for you. You are Huskies for life, and Northeastern will always be your home.

Class of 2025, congratulations!