May 22, 2022 - POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Dream “one size too big” and make every moment count. That was the advice—dispensed with passion and plenty of humor—from award-winning actor-writer-producer John Leguizamo to the 635 members of the class of 2022 at Vassar College’s 158^th Commencement Sunday on the Town of Poughkeepsie campus.

Addressing an audience of more than 2,000 under hazy, humid skies, Leguizamo said he had discovered his passion for entertaining more or less out of necessity, using humor to deflect conflict in the neighborhood where he grew up in Queens after his family had immigrated from Colombia. “The neighborhood I grew up in was tough,” he told the graduates. “I got into a lot of fights. Well, correction: I mean I got beat up a lot. I realized pretty quickly that I was a magnet for beatings and that I needed a skillset to protect myself—and it worked. Being funny kept me safe from bullying.”

Leguizamo said performing became his passion, but he soon realized his ethnic background was preventing him from gaining immediate success in a white-dominated entertainment industry that he called “Hollywouldn’t.”

“I started writing my own one-man shows because I got tired of the Hollywouldn’t scam,” he said, noting that as time progresses, the work of performers from diverse cultures is gradually becoming more accepted. “It has always been a diverse world—it just wasn’t an inclusive one,” he said. “America was cheating itself out of very important resources:  its minorities, its women, our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, our disabled, and our youth.”

Leguizamo opened his remarks by praising the graduates for navigating their college careers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “You’ve been put to the test like no other graduating class, and you’ve made it with flying colors,” he said.

For some members of the class of ’22, the pandemic was still a very real challenge. Eight graduates who tested positive for COVID-19 and were under quarantine had to view the proceedings on a screen in Taylor Hall. Following the ceremonies, Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley personally delivered their diplomas to them.

In her opening remarks at the Commencement ceremony, President Bradley alluded to the struggles the class had faced. “It is so wonderful to be together on this momentous occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of these most fearless, most resilient students,” she said. “This class has endured through the worst pandemic in a century, which completely reshaped five of their eight semesters at Vassar.”

“We share some common experience as we sit together on this hill,” President Bradley continued. “I suspect that the experience of living through COVID has made each of us and our collective more nervous, more suspicious, more insecure, more depressed, and more wary. Yet, our resilience has also made us proud, strong, more compassionate, humbler, more attentive to accessibility challenges, more aware that we are part of something bigger than ourselves and that our daily actions can profoundly influence others’ experiences, more grateful for the moments like this—when we can share common space in safety and health.”

After reciting a line from the poem “Praying,” by Mary Oliver, Vassar class of ’59, (“It doesn’t have to be the blue iris”), President Bradley said Oliver’s words had reminded her to focus on gratitude and to be mindful of what is truly important. “So let us take a moment now, in the bustling moment of your commencement, to settle ourselves,” she said. “Look to your left and look to your right. Notice what is around you, in its exquisiteness. We will not be all together in this place again. This is a unique moment in time. May we be mindful of its enormity and thankful for the silence so that another voice may speak.”

Board of Trustees Chair Anthony J. Friscia ’78 noted that the college had been unable to hold a fully-attended Commencement since 2019, but he reminded the graduates that Vassar has always been a family. “Many of the people you’re sitting with today will be there for you for the rest of your life,” Friscia said, “and many if you will connect with an older alum who will become a mentor, open a door, or give you needed advice when you need it most.”

Steve Hankins ’85, President of the Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College (AAVC), echoed Friscia’s observation, noting that the College had more than 41,000 graduates ready and willing to connect with the class of ’22.

The graduates and their families embraced that message. “I’ll miss this place. I’ll miss my friends the most, but I’ll keep in touch with the people that matter the most,” said Xan Wolstenholme-Britt. “I’ve met a great community here and I’m excited to take that with me.”

Khadeejah Abdul-Basser said he believed coping alongside his fellow students during the pandemic had helped him bond with classmates. “It’s really exciting to be able to celebrate the ending of these very difficult four years with a lot of different people that I’ve gotten closer to during COVID,” Abdul-Basser said. “I’m really excited that my family members are able to attend and that the weather is so beautiful.” He called his march to the podium to receive his diploma “a physical symbol of all of my hard work these four years.”

Pavlina Vagioni, of Queens, NY, said she was proud to watch her daughter, Faidra Tsakiri, receive her Vassar diploma. “COVID made this a challenging experience for her at times,” Vagioni said, “but I am so happy she has completed this journey. Today was a life event we will remember forever.”

Vassar College is a coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Contact Larry Hertz, lahertz@vassar.edu, 845-518-3098; 845-437-7938 (Vassar College)

PHOTOS: Download high-resolution images from the Vassar College Media Relations Flickr site