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105th Commencement
Recalling that “most difficult personal decision” during her address at
Stanford’s 105th commencement June 16, Jemison urged graduates to stay open to a
range of possibilities throughout their lives.
As Jemison and university President Gerhard Casper led the traditional procession
of faculty members and graduate students into Stanford Stadium, the seniors
already were celebrating. Frisbees soared across the football field and
hula-hoops made an unexpected comeback. The Class of ’96 pushed the outside of
the sartorial envelope with mortarboards that sprouted aluminum-foil “Claws,”
miniature putting greens, a solar-powered windmill, and a green light bulb (“a
good idea waiting to happen”).
In introducing Jemison, ’77, Casper cited her undergraduate study in chemical
engineering and African and Afro-American studies, and her work in West Africa
with the Peace Corps. He also noted her experience as an astronaut, a professor
of environmental studies at Dartmouth College, director of the Jemison Institute
for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries and as head of her own company,
The Jemison Group.
Jemison quoted from the works of Alice Walker, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther
King Jr. to describe the issues facing today’s graduates sustainability of
the planet and division of natural resources; peaceful versus provocative
postures; and political involvement. She also challenged the “polarity of those
who promote intolerance” in America today.
“You’re going into a world where people have behaved irresponsibly and have
decided for some reason that they can isolate themselves from one another,” she
told graduates. “The reality in this world is that we will always be together,
and there is always going to be a diverse population.” As “participants on this
planet,” Jemison said, “we all have responsibilities to each other.”
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