Celebrating the Class of 2024
With bright futures, graduating students reflect on their time at Jefferson.
Photos and Recap: Class of 2024 Honored at Commencement
The 2,600-plus graduates will lead with ‘courage, creativity and commitment.’
Over five ceremonies filled with cheers, smiles and pomp and circumstance, the University honored the 2,600-plus members of the Class of 2024 at Commencement.
“Graduates, today is your day—a day to consider and celebrate your hard-earned success as you close this chapter in your life and begin a new and equally inspiring one at a time when the challenges are enormous and certainly without precedent,” says University President Dr. Susan Aldridge. “Yet, I have faith that you will meet them as you always do—head-on with a great deal of courage, creativity and commitment.”
She challenged the Class of 2024 to support the next generation of Jefferson students and “to invent a better world, one that’s safer, more equitable and truly sustainable.”
Jefferson CEO Dr. Joe Cacchione told graduates how this year’s Commencements held particular significance in the University’s history.
“We celebrate Jefferson’s Bicentennial, marking 200 years since our founding in 1824,” he says. “This milestone gives us an opportunity to reflect on Jefferson’s storied legacy and the countless innovations, discoveries and impact our alumni have had across the globe.”
Dr. Cacchione offered simple parting advice to the Class of 2024: Embody Jefferson’s core values in everything they do.
“Our mission to improve lives is guided by our commitment to put people first, think boldly and do the right thing,” he says. “By upholding these values, you will bring forth the knowledge and experience gained at this institution. I’m confident you will forge a unique path and positively impact your communities.”
During the ceremonies, Jefferson also presented the President’s Award to Dr. Lorraine King, a long-time Thomas Jefferson University Hospital medical staff member.
In addition, the University bestowed honorary degrees to Matt Gutman, ABC News’ chief national correspondent; Lee Woodruff, freelance writer and businesswoman; Charlese Antionette Jones, alumna and TV and film costume designer; Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, alumna and former Philadelphia health commissioner; and Dr. David Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
“I exhort you to go out there and don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” Gutman stressed. “I wish for you to make a few mistakes—to fail at anything that makes you feel just a little bit alive but not so spectacularly that it cripples you. And try to let empathy, which I still work on every day, be your beacon. It will probably be the best single trait that will never let you down.”
In her remarks to nursing graduates, Woodruff recounted how a roadside bomb attack in Iraq nearly killed her husband, Bob Woodruff, the co-anchor of ABC’s “World News Tonight.” She shared how the nurses supported her through his 36-day coma and the aftermath of his traumatic brain injury.
“My nurses couldn’t tell me that my husband would be OK—no one could,” she says. “But what they did do was tell me stories about some other people who had a brain injury on this ward. They’re now talking, reading books or back home. And these stories gave me hope. They made me feel less alone because stories connect us. They are powerful medicine.”
Jones, costume designer for the movies “Air” and “Judas and the Black Messiah,” urged grads to radiate positivity, noting its ripple effect on the world.
“Each individual in this building can affect 100 people in a positive way in their lifetime. Those 100 people will affect 100 more people,” she says. “We can truly stand to have more goodness in this world.”
Fellow Jefferson alumna Dr. Bettigole asked grads to dig into the problems that bother them the most and believe they can make a difference to patients and community members. “Celebrate today but also commit yourselves to the future only you can build,” she says.
Dr. Skorton shared this enthusiasm as he addressed the College of Life Sciences and Sidney Kimmel Medical College graduates.
“I am energized by your innovative spirit,” he says. “You’re not just the future doctors and scientists. You’re our future disruptors. You’re already accustomed to thinking differently, challenging the status quo and reimaging healthcare.”
See more scenes from Commencement in the slideshow below.
