Protests, passion and pride mark graduation at North Carolina’s flagship university
Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts delivers remarks May 11, 2024 during UNC-CH's Commencement. (Screengrab from UNC-CH video feed)
After days of campus turmoil, interim Chancellor Lee Roberts told students on Saturday that every graduating class deserves a day of celebration and reflection.
Roberts acknowledged that many in the Class of 2024 missed their high school graduation due to the pandemic lockdowns.
He credited students who “found ways to rekindle public life in Carolina” after the pandemic but did not dwell on pro-Palestinian demonstrators who staged multiple marches and an encampment on the quad to protest the war in Gaza.
Hours before the graduation ceremony, anti-war protesters defaced the South Building with palm prints covered in red paint, and leaving a sign that read “UNC has blood on its hands.”
The act of vandalism did not disrupt events in Kenan Stadium, and Board of Trustees Chairman John Preyer used his brief moment in the ceremony to call for a round of applause for “the number one university police department in the world.”
Chancellor Roberts told the more than 6,700 undergraduates that generations of students have faced challenges equal to theirs and thrived.
“That’s because Carolina was born in a moment of upheaval. And it has seen plenty more since. This university was created in the early days of the American experiment. When the arguments over the foundational ideas of this nation were just getting started. Those arguments have never stopped.”
Roberts, who has held the post for just four months, said that being the “university of the people” is not always easy, when the people are not of one mind.
“It means that Carolina doesn’t belong to you. It sure doesn’t belong to me. It doesn’t belong to any one person or group. This university is something we share,” said Roberts. “And we hold it in trust for the generations who will come after us.”
Choose optimism
Roberts’ remarks were followed by keynote speaker and NASA Astronaut Zena Cardman, who earned her Bachelor of Science in biology and Master of Science in marine sciences from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Cardman reminded students that while graduation was a time to be full of hope, it was also okay to be exhausted and a bit scared.
“For all the opportunity that lies ahead, new beginnings always come with a great deal of uncertainty,” she said.
Cardman said that, as an astronaut, the easy definition of success is flying to space. But the wait can often be so lengthy and so uncertain, that a friend joked that she might consider sabotaging a crew member, allowing her to move up from the role of backup crew member.
“If your goal requires cutting down someone else to get there, you need a different goal,” said the 36-year-old.
Cardman said it was work in a supporting role that allowed her to define success on her own terms, gain greater technical skills, and not dwell on her insecurities.
“In times of uncertainty and discomfort, choosing optimism and humor can change your whole mood in an instant,” Cardman offered. “More importantly, it can lift an entire group. The effect you have on others is one of your most potent gifts.”
This August, Cardman will use her gifts as the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.
The joy of service
Earlier in the day, Dr. Angeli Achrekar, a Gillings School of Global Public Health alumnae, told those attending UNC-Chapel Hill’s Doctoral Hooding Ceremony to expect a life that unfolds in new and challenging ways.
For 20 years, Achrekar held various roles in the U.S. government notably as the principal deputy United States global AIDS coordinator for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
In March 2020, her boss (Dr. Deborah Birx) was tapped to become the White House Coronavirus coordinator, and in an instant, she became the acting head of PEPFAR managing a $6 billion a year program across 55 countries.
“What had me in sheer terror beyond belief is that now we were facing dual pandemics, HIV and COVID, and I was in charge.”
Achrekar said working with an incredible team helped not only protect and increase the global HIV gains but innovate support for the global COVID-19 response by leveraging robust public health platforms.
“Amidst this tragedy, we witnessed countless acts of compassion, generosity and courage reminding us of our common humanity,” she said.
Achrekar said some of her proudest moments came from work on programs like Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) — a partnership employing a health systems approach to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in places like Uganda, Zambia, and Nigeria.
That access to lifesaving maternity care became the foundation of Achrekar’s doctoral dissertation at Carolina.
All of these moments, all of the long hours build on one another, Achrekar said, giving students a chance to bring their skills to scale.
“You’ve got a lot. Touch millions with it. Lead change with humility, no matter how difficult you will find the way and always, always be grounded in the joy of service.”
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