Berklee commencement address celebrates resilience and collaboration

A commencement speaker at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee delivered a ceremonial address celebrating graduates’ resilience, creative collaboration and careers in the performing arts. The speaker recounted a personal immigration and music-education journey, urged graduates to pursue their passions fearlessly and encouraged compassion, empathy and collaboration as they enter professional life.

The speech, addressed to trustees, faculty, graduating students and families, used personal anecdotes — including studying with Leonard Bernstein and joining the Dance Theatre of Harlem — to illustrate the role of mentors, family and community in artistic careers. The speaker also reflected on arriving in the United States with limited English and later receiving scholarships and educational opportunities that shaped their path.

The remarks focused on themes of persistence, mentorship and the transformative power of music rather than any agenda items, votes, policy proposals or formal actions by Berklee. No motions, institutional decisions, funding allocations, or regulatory references were discussed or recorded in the transcript. The address concluded with congratulations to the graduates and an exhortation to use their talents to “change the world.”