Graduates at Ithaca College were challenged Sunday to meet an uncertain and divided world with empathy, courage, and a willingness to listen during the college’s 131st commencement ceremony.
The ceremony for the Class of 2026 centered heavily on the idea of dialogue — not simply as conversation, but as a tool for understanding, belonging, and change in an increasingly polarized world.
Student commencement speaker Lili Chalfant, a Writing for Film, Television, and Emerging Media major, drew on her personal experience growing up with alopecia universalis, an autoimmune condition that caused her to lose her hair as a child. Chalfant told graduates that openly sharing her story years earlier transformed both how others viewed her and how she viewed herself.
“Dialogue only works when someone has the courage to speak,” Chalfant said, “and when someone else has the kindness to listen.”
Her remarks anchored a ceremony that repeatedly returned to themes of resilience, openness, and human connection.
College President La Jerne Terry Cornish reflected on the shared journey between the institution and the graduating class, which became the first to spend all four years at Ithaca College during her presidency.
“Over these past four years, we have grown alongside one another through moments of challenge, celebration, discovery, and transformation,” Cornish said.
Cornish tied the year’s campus-wide theme of dialogue to a quote from writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin featured on commencement medallions worn by graduates: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
The ceremony opened with a fanfare performance of “Hate Will Not Make Us Great,” composed by Ithaca College student Morgan Linn and performed by students from the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.
Roughly 1,000 undergraduate degree candidates from the college’s five schools were recognized during the ceremony, while speakers encouraged graduates to confront uncertainty with adaptability and compassion.
Keynote speaker Ana Wilkowski, a 1995 Ithaca College graduate and business executive, framed her remarks around embracing discomfort and taking risks. Wilkowski recalled arriving in the United States from Mexico as a student and shared advice from her father that shaped her career and life decisions: “Why not?”
After graduating from Ithaca College, Wilkowski built a career on Wall Street before later helping launch a health and wellness business with her husband, fellow alumnus Todd Wilkowski.
Addressing graduates entering a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change, Wilkowski emphasized the enduring importance of communication and human connection.
“The ability to communicate clearly and connect with others will always matter,” she said.
The ceremony also included an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for Tompkins County Health Commissioner Frank Kruppa, recognized for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to bring institutions and community leaders together during a period of uncertainty.
Throughout commencement weekend, graduating students participated in a series of campus traditions and celebrations, including Senior Splash at the Dillingham fountains, a commencement eve concert, formal events, and graduate hooding ceremonies.
The celebration concluded with graduates crossing the stage inside Glazer Arena as confetti filled the air and Cornish greeted students with her signature fist bump.
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