UChicago’s Class of 2025 urged to ‘forge a stronger future’

After years marked by challenge and change, the University of Chicago’s graduating Class of 2025 has overcome hurdles few could have foreseen.

Speaking June 7 at Convocation, Prof. Kunle Odunsi applauded the graduates’ resilience while acknowledging that they now enter “a world marked by profound uncertainty”—and implored them to work toward making it a better place.

“It is precisely in moments like this, when our foundations feel unsteady, that we must recommit ourselves to excellence to forge a stronger future,” said Odunsi, a renowned oncologist. “Right now, the world needs you. It needs your voice, your vision, and your courage to become advocates—not just for what is, but for what could be.”

Odunsi’s remarks highlighted UChicago’s 539th Convocation celebration, in which students from the University’s schools and divisions received their degrees on a sun-splashed morning on the Main Quadrangles.

President Paul Alivisatos encouraged the Class of 2025 to carry forward UChicago's values as they step into the next chapter. 

“Take stock of the habits of mind and culture you have cultivated within the spaces and among the people here,” said Alivisatos. “You are ready to lead in this world. You are not just graduates of this University—you are stewards of its ethos.”

He said that spirit would serve them well in a fast-changing world that will be “transformed in ways we cannot imagine” by the “technological revolution” of rapidly advancing AI and other innovations.

“And yet, with such major change I am confident that your education in how to think will be enduring,” said Alivisatos. “We will all be fortunate to benefit from a world made better by your curiosity and intellect.”

‘Relentlessly pursuing progress’

Drawing on his career in immunotherapy, Odunsi underscored the importance—and possibility—of achieving landmark goals for humanity, such as curing cancer, and called on graduates to apply themselves fully in their lives.

“When I faced a choice between accepting limits or pursuing new possibilities, I chose to push forward,” said Odunsi, who directs the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This decision changed my life's trajectory, allowing me to grow not only as a doctor and scientist but as a human being. By relentlessly pursuing progress, we free ourselves from past limitations.”

Odunsi recounted his experience growing up in Nigeria, where his mother was an elementary school teacher, and his father was a high school principal who “spent his days mentoring students and his nights reminding me that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.”

He described how his early fascination with the immune system began when he moved to the U.S. as an international graduate trainee—and how that grew into a career at the forefront of cancer research at UChicago. Through years of study, setbacks and discovery, his lab helped develop innovative immunotherapies in which patients’ own cells are infused back into their bodies as “living drugs.” 

Odunsi noted the steep challenges that remain for eliminating cancer—and emphasized the importance of continued federal funding to advance further breakthroughs.

“There are new cures for cancer that need to be uncovered, new discoveries waiting to be made, more lives to be saved that previously were unsavable,” he said. “This will happen when truth is prioritized, when science is protected, and when people come first.

Class Day lifts student voices

On Friday, the College’s Class Day ceremony kicked off Convocation weekend by recognizing undergraduates and their achievements.

The graduating class selected three student speakers—Lila Melkumova, Dhirpal Shah and Helen Wu—to offer remarks on behalf of their peers. Each reflected on the everyday moments, enduring friendships and hard-earned lessons that shaped their time at UChicago.

“We were always crossing into something uncertain, into versions of ourselves we couldn’t yet imagine,” said Melkumova. “And somehow, look around—we made it! Even when we couldn’t see the other side, we kept going, together.”

In his remarks, David Axelrod, AB’76, the former chief advisor to President Barack Obama, reflected on the value of public service, intellectual honesty and the power of community.

“Regardless of where you go from here or what you do, your voices, your votes, and your commitment to the ‘Life of the World,’ will make the difference—unless you come to believe that they won’t, and walk away. I’m betting you won’t,” said Axelrod, the founding director of UChicago’s Institute of Politics.

The University’s highest undergraduate honor, the Hugo F. Sonnenschein Medal of Excellence, was awarded to fourth-year student Sophie Tedesco for her academic excellence and leadership in justice reform. She will begin work this summer at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta.

Honoring faculty excellence 

During the Convocation ceremony, the University recognized several outstanding faculty members and honored a leading climate scientist with an honorary degree.

The Llewellyn John and Harriet Manchester Quantrell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Faculty Awards for Excellence in Ph.D. Teaching and Mentoring were presented to this year’s nine recipients—continuing a long-standing tradition of celebrating teaching at the heart of the University’s mission. 

UChicago also awarded an honorary degree to Eli Tziperman, a renowned climate scientist from Harvard University whose work has advanced understanding of Earth’s ocean-atmosphere system and its role in long-term climate patterns.

As he closed his remarks, Odunsi left graduates with a final charge.

“Go forth. You are unstoppable. Never hesitate to ask ‘why?’ Follow your dreams. Fulfill your commitments to humankind. And beat the odds.”

“Together,” he said, “you will make this country and world a better place.”