The University of Miami Class of 2025 graduates at a crossroads—not just in their own lives, but in the life of the world they are about to enter. In three days of ceremonies filled with reflection, laughter, music, and no small amount of ‘Cane swagger, more than 4,600 students crossed the stage, moved their tassels, and stepped into a new and uncertain future.

But if there is one thing this class has shown, it is that uncertainty does not intimidate them. They began their journey in a world reeling from a pandemic, a nation grappling with polarization, and a planet in need of healing. They finish it in a world still reckoning with those challenges—and in many ways, more complex than the one they entered. Yet they have persevered.

Their resilience is not theoretical. It is lived.

At the undergraduate ceremonies, speakers like sports attorney Irwin Raij reminded students that life rarely unfolds in straight lines. “Don’t fear the pivots—they may be the best part of the journey,” he said. His words, delivered just days after a personal family scare, were not just advice—they were example. Raij stood before graduates having nearly canceled his appearance after his young daughter fell seriously ill. That he chose to be there spoke louder than any line in his speech.

Bose CEO Lila Snyder, a trailblazing engineer and executive, told students to align work with passion—to build careers not just for income but for meaning.

Former Hurricanes linebacker and Super Bowl champion Jonathan Vilma reflected on the importance of mentorship and being pushed beyond one’s limits. “Everybody has a ‘Coach Swasey,’” he said—someone who demands your best when you feel you have nothing left to give.

Graduate students heard from author and biologist James Kushlan, who, reflecting on a lifetime of conservation work, told them their ability to think critically and adapt creatively is what will carry them through. Law school graduates were encouraged by Dov Seidman to not merely become great lawyers, but great leaders. “Strive to be a leader who practices law,” he said.

President Joe Echevarria struck a note of both celebration and caution. The world these graduates enter is fluid, he acknowledged. The old conventions are falling away. But the value of a University of Miami education is not in the certainty it gives—it’s in the courage it cultivates. These students have learned how to finish what they started. That may be the most vital skill of all.

And while the speakers offered wisdom, it was the students themselves who embodied the deeper story of this graduating class: Tracy Ramos, a first-generation student who transferred from Miami Dade College and dreamed of the U since ninth grade. Brielle Distler, who found her community after a transfer from Wake Forest. Fadelaht Pessinaba, who celebrated in traditional Togo dress surrounded by 15 relatives who flew in to cheer her on. Joseph Fernandez-Andes, who admitted to being both nervous and optimistic about what comes next.

These are not just graduates. They are reminders that education is not a straight path—it is a process of transformation, of resilience, of becoming. What these students have achieved is extraordinary not only because of the challenges they’ve overcome, but because of the grace, diversity, and reflection with which they’ve done it.

So yes—mortarboards off to the University of Miami Class of 2025. Your degrees are more than paper. They are testaments to your grit, your growth, and your ability to navigate a future still being written. You walk into a world hungry for leadership, desperate for decency, and in need of voices that combine purpose with humility.

Carry forward the confidence instilled in you. Raise your hand for what’s hard. Lead with empathy. And remember, as one of your speakers said: when life gets hard, show up anyway.

The world awaits. Make it and your alma mater proud.