the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Mahwah NJ, praising authentic leadership, Dr. Leslie T. Fenwick urged the members of the Ramapo College of New Jersey Class of 2023 to keep their values at the forefront of their personal and professional worlds, as part of her commencement address at Ramapo College’s Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, held on May 11 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
“Keep in mind that you lead from who you are. So, be careful about who you are…Remember, where there is no character, there is no leadership,” Fenwick, one of the country’s leading education equity advocates, told graduates, family members and friends who filled the arena. “Your generation is up to the task of (not just resolving these problems you’re inheriting, but in doing so) creating a new and better world with more humane ways of being.”
“Demographic research tells us that you are the largest and most racially/ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse generation that our nation has ever experienced. You also hold the remarkable distinction of being less binary in your ways of thinking and being,” she continued. “Importantly, your generation is the most likely to fight for racial and social justice in the workplace and in your personal lives. You are a unique and irreplaceable generation built for such a time as this!”
Fenwick emphasized the importance of the authentic fight for justice, where students stay true to their cause, but lead from within. To illustrate, she shared seven pieces of advice from her own life’s path as a nationally-recognized scholar and leading expert in education and equity. She urged the Class of 2023 to “abide by the universal laws of fairness, equity, justice, integrity, honesty and trust” while taking time to “study the consequences of your actions.” Failure is inevitable, she noted, but if we fail, fail up, so that they “bloom where you’re planted.” Above all, Fenwick reminded graduates that while our current inflection point is the result of large-scale shifts and events far outside of our control, all is not lost. We can “imaginize” a new world, Fenwick related, and “break free of beliefs about the concreteness of the human condition, when you release the grip of limiting beliefs and thinking habits.”
Dr. Cindy R. Jebb, Ramapo College president, echoed Fenwick’s sentiments, emphasizing the distinct need for responsible leadership and her confidence that the graduating class would fill that need. “It has truly been an honor to lead alongside so many of you and I have every confidence that your Ramapo College education has prepared you well to be the ethical change agents.”
Fenwick, whose speech was met with a standing ovation, received an honorary degree at the ceremony.
Paolo Miyashiro Bedoya, a first-generation college student (Major in Management with a minor in Marketing) who graduated summa cum laude from the College’s Honors Program, also spoke to the need for collaboration and an open-minded approach to higher education and to the real world. “Some of us stopped to smell the roses, going through life one step at a time. We learned that no matter your pace, even if you started somewhere else, or took a little longer than expected, we are a community, and we are all in this together,” he said.
In addition to the 1,040 undergraduate students who received diplomas, this year’s commencement ceremony saw the largest nursing class in the College’s history graduate with their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees. This nursing cohort, in particular, persevered throughout the height of the pandemic, working at healthcare centers and on campus to administer COVID-19 tests and vaccines. These new nurses graduate into a healthcare workforce that is experiencing a dire nursing shortage in New Jersey and around the Nation.
Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. Ramapo College provides its students with individualized attention, mentorship, and support; hands-on learning; and a range of opportunities for service and leadership development. Its graduation and retention rates exceed national averages and it places approximately 1,000 students per year in internships in New York City.
Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.
