Baruch College Graduates More Than 5,800 Students at 2022 Commencement Ceremony
May 26, 2022
On May 26, Baruch College returned to Barclays Center to celebrate the graduates from the Class of 2022 for their extraordinary achievements and successes.
Baruch College held its 2022 Commencement Ceremony on May 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, conferring degrees to 5,837 undergraduate and graduate students from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and the Zicklin School of Business.
Baruch College President S. David Wu, PhD, presided over the exercises and Linda Essig, PhD, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, served as the master of ceremonies.
Addressing the Class of 2022, President Wu urged the graduating students to remember the following: “Baruch is your superpower. Take it with you wherever you go.”
Wu continued: “Life will have many stages. Your next step is just the first in your long and rewarding journey as a Baruch College graduate. Congratulations for all you have achieved today and will in the future.”
The Class of 2022 includes more than 4,100 undergraduates, over 1,600 graduate degree recipients, and 11 graduates receiving doctorate degrees.
Keynote Speaker
Shawn Dove, a prominent activist and social justice thought leader, delivered the keynote address to the Class of 2022.
In his remarks, Dove shared the following advice: “There is no time to waste. I challenge each and every one of you to work, to live, to grow, with a sense of patient urgency.”
He also encouraged the graduating class to consider their role in society as Baruch graduates: “You are the iconic leaders we have been waiting for, curators of the change we are seeking to see…Class of 2022, there are so many people counting on your collective genius to help us imagine the world anew – a world with justice, with love, where service and equity rule the day…so stop stalling on your calling and just jump right in.”
Read more about Dove’s background.
Honorary Degree Recipient
Baruch College awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Cecilia Elena Rouse, PhD, the 30th Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers—the first African American to hold this position.
Valedictorian and Salutatorian
Ashley Mei Bo Torrenti, the valedictorian for the Class of 2022 and a Macaulay Honors student, graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Marketing Management from the Zicklin School of Business and a minor in New York City Interdisciplinary Studies and Business Law.
In remarks to the graduating class, Torrenti spoke about the power of a Baruch education: “Baruch has created an environment that has been a catalyst for social, cultural, and economic mobility…We now have the opportunity to go forth and be the people we needed most growing up.”
She concluded with a call to action to her fellow graduates: “Go out and be unapologetically the best you can be. The world will be all the better for it.”
Salutatorian Briana Staten is the first in her family to graduate from college. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Advertising Marketing Communications from the Zicklin School of Business and completing a minor in Anthropology.
Learn more about Torrenti’s and Staten’s academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities, and plans for the future.
Relive the 2022 Commencement Ceremony
A recording of the 2022 Commencement ceremony is available on the Baruch College YouTube channel.
Follow and share Commencement news on Baruch’s social media channels: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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