Babson College Commencement Ceremonies Celebrate the Class of 2022

College to Award Honorary Degrees to Speakers Joanna Berwind of the Berwind Corporation and Marcelo Claure of Claure Capital

WELLESLEY, Mass., May 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Babson College will honor the extraordinary achievements of the Class of 2022 on Saturday, May 14 on our Wellesley campus. More than 600 undergraduate students and more than 560 graduate students will receive their degrees.

This year, friends, family and guests will return to Babson's campus to celebrate the Class of 2022 in person. This is the 103rd undergraduate commencement, and 70th graduate commencement, and both will be held outdoors, under a tent on the upper athletic fields. Attendees who prefer to mask are welcome to do so, and there will be room for social distancing.

Babson College President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA'92, PhD expresses his gratitude to the class of 2022, and commends their leadership throughout the most difficult times of the pandemic.

"Class of 2022, you have shown your resiliency. You rallied in a time of crisis and much more will be asked of you in the future. But, I have great confidence that you will again rise to the occasion just as you did here at Babson. As Babson graduates and as entrepreneurial leaders, you have the ability to harness the power of people and organizations. We face many problems, but always remember, the only way we can solve them is together," President Spinelli says.

The undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held at 10 a.m., and the graduate commencement ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. The College will award Honorary Doctorate of Laws degrees to four accomplished business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs: Joanna Berwind, Marcelo Claure, Joyce Mandell, and Ronald G. Weiner, CPA.

Berwind, who will address the undergraduate ceremony, is co-chair of the board for the Berwind Corporation, a fifth-generation, family-owned investment management company, and director of the social impact organization Spring Point Partners LLC. At Babson, Berwind serves as a Disruptor-in-Residence at the College's Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship.

Claure, who will address the graduate ceremony, is the chairman and CEO of Claure Capital, a newly founded global investment firm. Previously, Claure was the CEO of SoftBank Group International and COO of SoftBank Group, the world's largest technology investment company, and the chairman and CEO of Sprint. He is a past speaker at Babson Connect Worldwide, an entrepreneurship summit that is a signature event for the College.

Commencement also will feature two student speakers:

Alena Washington '22 was chosen as the undergraduate student speaker following a rigorous multi-part process including peer nomination, written speech submission, and a live audition. Alena is an impressive student and an inspiring community connector. A Posse Scholar and Resident Assistant, she also has been involved in Origins of Necessary Equality (ONE) and Black Student Union (BSU), and has worked on unique and important projects like teaching entrepreneurship (virtually) to students in Tanzania and delivering a keynote address at the 2020 Babson Women's Overnight. She truly represents the best of Babson.

Jhanna Fields, MSEL'22 is the graduate student speaker. She is a native of Tennessee with a background in hospitality and restaurant management. She graduated as the Student Marshal of the University of Memphis in 2019, and after working as the youngest restaurant manager of the largest store in the district, came to Babson with ambitions of learning about what it takes to amplify her passion for people beyond servant leadership to become a remarkable entrepreneur.

The College recommends that all attendees have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations. Individuals who are not up to date with Covid-19 vaccinations should test in advance of attending commencement events and must mask when indoors. Anyone who is sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should stay home and may not participate in any in-person events.

Decisions regarding COVID-19 protocols continue to be driven by campus data, informed by federal, state, and local public health guidance, and made in consultation with Babson's external consultants, Environmental Health & Engineering (EHE).

About Babson College

Babson College prepares and empowers entrepreneurial leaders who create, grow, and steward sustainable economic and social value everywhere. We shape the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge, skills, and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in organizations of all types and sizes. A global leader in entrepreneurship education recognized globally by U.S. News & World Report, our undergraduate, graduate, executive programs, and partnership opportunities are tailored to the needs of our world.

SOURCE Babson College