Telling her classmates to "trade fear for hope," the first Black woman to get a doctorate in dance studies from The Ohio State University spoke at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) graduation ceremony on Dec. 14.
"I hope we will lead with love and create beyond our most wildest dreams," Alesondra "Alex" Christmas told her fellow graduates and their friends and family piled into the Ohio Union's Great Hall Meeting Room. "Let your hopes be fierce and unwavering."
ODI's Dec. 14 intimate ceremony was the precursor to the full graduation festivities held at the Schottenstein Center on Dec. 17. More than 12,000 graduates were expected to walk the stage to receive their degrees after hearing a commencement address from outgoing athletics director Gene Smith.
New graduate Kaia Woodford, a Morrill Scholar who was a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, also spoke at the ceremony, representing ODI's undergraduate graduating scholars. The political science major told the audience about rising above her struggles including a diagnosis with a bipolar disorder that briefly left her hospitalized. "It's okay to break, and it's okay to feel broken. Think about the pieces of yourself that make up the whole," Woodford said. "Cherish them because you never know when you will need to put them together again."
ODI interim vice-provost Yolanda Zepeda urged the graduates to use their "curious and optimistic minds" to battle the forces in our culture preaching hate and division."You have the power of fact-based analysis. You have the power of moral persuasion and reasoning," Zepeda said. "You have the power of your lived experiences where you saw the strength of diversity and the inherent power of inclusion."
After each graduate was presented with a special ODI stole to wear at the full university graduation, Dr. Andrea Williams, the interim associate vice provost for diversity and inclusion, said a few words before leading the graduates in singing the university's alma mater, Carmen Ohio.
"Celebrate this accomplishment," Williams told the graduates. "You should feel not only pride but humility and gratitude."