[Mike] Good afternoon everyone and congratulations to all of you from across Cornell who have
completed degrees through the
employee degree or tuition aid
programs. Whatever your chosen field
or your motivation for pursuing your degree,
each of you has enriched your own life and our academic community through your achievement.
It's a particular pleasure to be participating for the first time in this celebration of all
of our employee graduates across our Ithaca and Weill Cornell Medicine communities. Although we
are not all physically on the same campus, we share an academic mission and an institutional
ethos, of being an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.
Your degrees are a testament not only to your academic accomplishments but to your commitment
to our academic mission. And they are a testament as well to those who have supported you along
your journey. The family, friends, and faculty who have motivated and encouraged you, many of
whom join us today. Thank you all of you for all the ways you have contributed to our community
and helped make Cornell such a wonderful place to work and to learn. I am delighted to congratulate
each and every one of you and to wish you all the very best.
[Eric] Hello and good afternoon. My name is Eric Saidel and I am the assistant vice provost for human resources at Weill Cornell Medicine.
It is my honor to join you today as we celebrate the accomplishments of our recent graduates. Each
of you have made the wise decision to utilize the Weill Cornell Medicine employee tuition
reimbursement plan to further your education and by doing so have elevated both yourselves and
the entire Weill Cornell community. We applaud you not only for advancing your own lives and careers
through education but for your demonstrated commitment to the organization. By investing
in you today, we are creating the Weill Cornell of tomorrow. This year also marks a special milestone
for our human resources community, as we celebrate these achievements along with Cornell University
colleagues in Ithaca. This unified graduation is a clear example of how the One Cornell spirit can
build connections across our campuses and institutions. While we may be separated by
geography, we are united by a common purpose of advancing knowledge, supporting our communities,
and creating opportunities for individual growth and discovery. Today's graduates are the
embodiment of that purpose. To each graduate, you pursued your education while continuing
to contribute professionally to Cornell and Weill Cornell Medicine every single day. You undoubtedly
had other family and personal commitments that required your time and attention and had to be
juggled as well. That took a lot of discipline, persistence, and an incredible amount of personal
dedication. You should be proud of your hard work. Your commitment to personal growth and
development is truly worth celebrating. So, thank you for inspiring this community through
your determination and perseverance. We are incredibly proud of what you've accomplished and
we look forward to seeing you reach your next goal and ultimately your greatest potential.
[Sean] Hello everyone. My name is Shawn Moeller, interim
vice president and chief human resources officer at Cornell.
Today we come together to celebrate
an extraordinary accomplishment. The dedication,
perseverance, and ambition of Cornell employees who have completed a degree while continuing to
serve the university. This year, we are proud to recognize more than 100 graduates from Cornell's
Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medicine. Each of you made the decision to invest in yourself while
balancing the responsibilities of work, family, community, and everyday life. Earning a degree
under any circumstance is a significant achievement. Doing so while maintaining
your professional responsibilities reflects an exceptional level of commitment and resilience.
Today, we celebrate not only the degrees you have earned, but everything it took to get here. For
years, this program has reflected Cornell's deep commitment to lifelong learning and professional
growth. The belief that education continues throughout our careers and that employees should
have opportunities to grow, evolve, and pursue new goals. This year is especially meaningful.
For the first time in university history, we are celebrating graduates from both the Ithaca
campus and Weill Cornell Medicine in one unified recognition. Building on the success of coming
together during the excellence award celebration, we are proud to continue strengthening the spirit
of One Cornell. Though we may be gathering in different locations, this celebration reflects
our shared community connected by learning, achievement, and a commitment to growth. To every
graduate being recognized today, congratulations. Your hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance have
brought you to this moment, and the entire Cornell community is proud to celebrate alongside you.
[Maria] Hello everyone, my name is Maria Brooks and I'm the senior HR manager for benefits here at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Once again, congratulations
to all of our graduates. Today is a celebration
of perseverance, growth, and possibility. It's also a reminder that learning does not stop once
a career begins. In many ways, it continues alongside it. The graduates we honor today
made a commitment to themselves and their futures while continuing to show up for their colleagues,
departments, patients, students, and communities. That balancing act is not easy. It requires time
management, resilience, support systems, and an incredible amount of determination. Behind every
completed degree or certificate is a story of persistence and personal growth. One of
the most meaningful parts of this celebration is recognizing that these accomplishments were
achieved while actively contributing to Cornell University and Weill Cornell Medicine every day.
That speaks volumes about the dedication and ambition of this community. There is
something really special about the motivation that it takes to go to school at night and
study on the weekends to achieve your goals. You have sacrificed rest and
relaxation, as well as time with family
and friends to achieve this milestone.
Whether you are enhancing your skills for your current position, preparing for your next,
or fulfilling a lifelong goal, your commitment is admirable. To all of today's graduates,
I hope you carry this achievement with pride. You've earned this moment through hard work,
sacrifice, and perseverance. Your accomplishments inspire all of us. Congratulations.
[Fanesse] Hello everyone, my name is Fanesse Acquaye, executive director of our office of culture, inclusion,
and employee experience at Weill Cornell Medicine.
As we close today's celebration, I want to reflect
on what this moment truly represents. Yes, today is about degrees earned and milestones achieved,
but it's also about courage. The courage to begin something challenging, the courage to continue and
balancing work, life, and education might have felt overwhelming, and the courage to invest in
your own growth and future. That commitment to learning is something deeply meaningful.
It reflects curiosity, ambition, and the
belief that growth is always possible,
no matter where we are in our careers or lives. Today's graduates represent the very best of Cornell.
People who are dedicated
not only to supporting this institution,
but also to continually developing themselves and expanding what is possible. And in this
first unified celebration between
Cornell and Weill Cornell Medicine,
we also celebrate something larger than individual achievement. We celebrate connection, community,
and the spirit of One Cornell. To every
graduate being recognized today, thank you
for inspiring us all through your hard work. We are proud of you. We celebrate you and we cannot
wait to see where you go next on your journey. Congratulations on this incredible achievement.
