Commencement 2013

Harvard Commencement speaker Oprah Winfrey addressed the Class of 2013 under sunny skies and called for them to accept failure, and then triumph over it. During the Afternoon Program, Harvard President Drew Faust recapped the year and called for increased federal funding for research universities.

The president of the Harvard Alumni Association today announced the results of the annual election of new members of the Harvard Board of Overseers.

Snapshots of Harvard’s 2013 Commencement, a day marked by sunshine and warmth as well as rituals, honors, and good wishes.

Harvard issued 7,365 degrees and certificates at its 362nd Commencement on May 30.

A biomedical engineering concentrator and Quincy House resident, Scott Yim’s senior project explored using naturally derived materials such as bamboo to help reduce the cost of medical devices and biomaterials in the developing world.

Carl F. Muller ’73, J.D. ’76, M.B.A. ’76, is stepping down as president of the Harvard Alumni Association and Catherine A. Gellert ’93 will take his place.

Lillian Langford, graduating with degrees from Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School, plans to use her experience working in international law and human rights and her experience at Harvard to continue fighting injustice.

Viridiana Rios is a native of Mexico City. Rios, a graduating doctoral student in Harvard’s Department of Government, also is an adviser to Mexico’s minister of finance.

2012-13 was a year of inventions and ascensions, elections and projections, digitizing and prioritizing. The University also launched HarvardX, the wildly popular web learning platform.

The Centennial Medal is the highest honor awarded by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, given annually on the day before Commencement to celebrate the achievements of a select group of Harvard University’s most accomplished alumni.

Curious about Commencement planning? Here’s a breakdown of numbers that all add up to Harvard Commencement.

In celebration of the city of Cambridge and of the country’s oldest university, a number of neighboring churches and institutions ring their bells at the conclusion of Harvard’s 362nd Commencement Exercises, for the 25th consecutive year.

Anne Bholene Akinyi Odera-Awuor, who is getting a degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has grand plans to improve how schools operate in her homeland.

The first cohort from Harvard’s innovative doctorate of education leadership degree program leaves campus headed for a range of education jobs and armed with new skills to help transform the field.

Benedict Nwachukwu, graduating with a dual M.D./M.B.A. degree, wants to apply the management skills he learned at Harvard Business School to the medical problems he finds in orthopedics and in global health.

All-American Crimson rower Courtney Diekema, a graduating senior, is hoping for a spot on the under-23 U.S. women’s crew and perhaps in the Olympics, even as she gets ready for duty as a lieutenant in Air Force intelligence.

He grew up poor in Prague, but Jirka Jelinek ’13 used his College years to learn, grow, and discover other parts of the world.

Suzie Verdin will graduate with a degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Arts in Education program, and hopes to use it to help people in immigrant communities connect with the arts.

With plans to develop a career in medical research, Jennifer Cloutier is graduating from Harvard with her interest reinforced on research and medicine.

A sexual abuse victim and champion surfer, Mary Setterholm plans to use her degree from Harvard Divinity School to help others find their way back.

One Harvard is a message to a University of many parts: Get up off your tub. Exit your silo. Share what you know. And it’s happening.

In opening Harvard’s first student-run coffee shop, Jesse Kaplan found startup success the old-fashioned way.

Media icon Oprah Winfrey, who will serve as the principal speaker for the Afternoon Exercises, joins eight other leaders in their fields — from medicine to politics to public service — in receiving an honorary degree at Harvard’s 362nd Commencement.

After college, Joshua Wortzel plans to build upon his Harvard research that focused on tissue regeneration. He hopes to work in translational medicine, helping to create drugs that might augment patients’ lives.

The Class of 2013 bid farewell to Harvard May 29 during Class Day ceremonies, a traditional occurrence the day before Commencement.

An Ethiopian classicist, a French explorer, and a New York policeman-turned-HKS student will speak at this year’s Morning Exercises on May 30.

Four men and one woman from Harvard’s Class of 2013 received their military commissions during a ceremony Wednesday attended by Harvard President Drew Faust.

For Harvard, the years 1713, 1813, and 1913 represented moments of transition, at times of material expansion and ideological transformation.

For Cesar Alvarez, the move from his small North Dakota village was a major one, but his Harvard experience has reinforced values he’s carried since childhood.

Jane Alexander, actor and arts advocate, will be awarded the Radcliffe Medal on Friday, Radcliffe Day 2013. The medal is given to individuals whose life and work have significantly and positively influenced society.