Harvard’s 2025 Roar: Immigrant Speaker Champions Diversity & Truth Against Political Headwinds
Cambridge, MA – Harvard University’s 374th commencement ceremony in 2025 wasn’t just a celebration of academic achievement; it was a resounding statement of defiance and a jubilant affirmation of core values like diversity and truth, particularly in the shadow of escalating tensions with the Trump administration.
The air was thick with more than just academic pride. Just days before the Thursday ceremony, reports surfaced of a senior Trump official indicating the administration’s intent to direct federal agencies to terminate contracts with Harvard. This move, threatening an estimated $100 million in funding cuts, marked the latest salvo in an ongoing feud between the federal government and the Ivy League institution.
Stepping onto this charged stage was Dr. Abraham Verghese, a distinguished Stanford professor, infectious disease doctor, and this year’s chosen commencement speaker. He immediately acknowledged the gravity of the moment, describing it as an “unprecedented moment for Harvard University in this institution’s almost four-century existence.”
Addressing a crowd of approximately 30,000, Dr. Verghese, himself an immigrant, confessed his initial thought that the graduating class of 2025 deserved to hear from a Nobel laureate or even the Pope. However, he explained, his decision to accept the invitation “had everything to do with where we all find ourselves in 2025.”
His words struck a powerful chord, particularly when he addressed the anxieties of many in the current climate. “When legal immigrants and others who are lawfully in this country, including so many of your international students, worry about being wrongly detained and even deported, perhaps it’s fitting that you hear from an immigrant like me,” Verghese stated, drawing raucous applause.
In a poignant and direct reference to prevailing political slogans, Dr. Verghese offered his own perspective on national greatness. “Part of what makes America great, if I may use that phrase, is that it allows an immigrant like me to blossom here,” he declared. “Just as generations of other immigrants and their children have flourished and contributed in every walk of life, working to keep America great.”
He concluded by underscoring the symbiotic relationship between institutional values and individual opportunity. “The greatness of America, the greatness of Harvard,” Verghese affirmed, “is reflected in the fact that someone like me could be invited to speak to you.”
Harvard’s 2025 commencement, therefore, transcended a typical graduation. It became a platform for a powerful defense of inclusivity and intellectual freedom, led by a voice that embodied the very diversity under pressure, sending a clear message about the enduring strength found in embracing varied perspectives and unwavering truth.
