Winter Commencement Celebrates Accomplishments of 87 Students from 17 Countries

On this brisk and beautifully sunny afternoon, the procession of faculty and students made its way to the Monterey Conference Center from the McGowan building under the leadership of Professor Mike Gillen and his bagpipes as well as a color guard representing the seventeen nations of origin of graduates. Traditionally a much smaller affair than the spring Commencement at Colton Hall, Winter Commencement on Saturday was an intimate and joyous event.  

Vice President Jeffrey Dayton-Johnson asked graduates to own the label of globalists as they embark on a career to address issues that transcend national borders, while not to close their eyes to the challenges that entails. “Our alumni get things done by means of collaboration across cultural divides, including those of language, culture, power, and privilege,” he shared. Addressing the graduates he said that when they arrived at the Institute they “brought an intellectual curiosity with them,” and that now when they move on to their next stage they “will bring to their work a capability and a responsibility to gather data, both quantitative and qualitative, to analyze it, to interpret it, to understand, to learn.”

Associate Professor Mahabat Baimyrzaeva began her address by asking: “What if we think about goals as a flashlight, that broadly illuminates the way forward, makes relevant and unexpected opportunities visible, and compels us to explore and move forward?” She shared the evolution of her career goals from growing up in rural Kyrgyzstan when she dreamed of making ice cream to her focus on improving her teaching skills as a member of the Middlebury Institute faculty. Her advice was to embrace the process as well as the outcomes, encouraging graduates not to “attach your wellbeing and happiness to just accomplishing your goals alone,” and to cherish personal relationships along the way. Baimyrzaeva is the recipient of this year’s Faculty Excellence Award.

Student speaker Ryan Jacobsen MANPTS/MGIMO ’20 is a dual degree student in the Institute’s Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program with Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) program, and still has a requirements to fulfill from MGIMO including an internship and thesis. He encouraged his fellow students not to dwell on the past but rather look to the future. “Today is when our future begins.” Like Baimyrzaeva, he spoke about evolving career goals from growing up in Canada and dreaming of an ice hockey career to preparing for a career in international relations.