About 2,500 Chapman University graduates and their families celebrated commencement Friday evening at Wilson Field with cheer, joy and, naturally, laughter to the tune of comedian Bill Hader’s keynote speech.
But before the actor and comedian shared his remarks, the night began with gratitude as the Class of 2024 recalled starting college remotely during a global pandemic.
“A day like today felt so infeasible,” said outgoing Student Government Association President Rachel Berns as she reflected on her experience four years ago watching convocation speaker Howie Mandel alone on her laptop in her childhood bedroom.
Friday night, however, she was surrounded by friends and peers and got to share the stage with another Hollywood comedy legend.
On Friday, Hader left all graduates with the following piece of advice: “Read your emails carefully.” Because he said he assumed from Chapman’s email invitation to be the commencement speaker, that they meant just for the film school — not the entire university. And, he claimed he showed up Friday in a hoodie and jeans with a speech tailored to film students.
His sincere piece of advice to students, no matter their degree, was “to love the process,” noting that everyone achieves success at their own pace in life.
For instance, Hader reflected on his brief academic career at Scottsdale Community College. Then, he turned to the crowd and said, “I’m a doctor now.” He received an honorary doctorate earlier in the evening.
Outside of academia, Hader, 45, from Tulsa, Okla., has earned 29 Emmy nominations and three wins and is best known for his eight years as a cast member of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and starring in HBO’s award-winning television series “Barry.”
Chapman’s commencement weekend began with graduation ceremonies Friday morning for the Fowler School of Law and will continue through the weekend, ending with the Attallah College at 5 p.m. on Sunday — there are a dozen individual ceremonies planned.
Friday’s festivities started as members of the university chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine dismantled their Gaza Solidarity Encampment that stood for about two weeks.
The students who led the encampment agreed to take it down by noon on Friday in exchange for the opportunity this fall to present to Chapman’s investment committee the group’s requests on transparency in investments and divesting from interests that support Israel. The university also agreed not to pursue disciplinary action against students for their involvement in the encampment, and it will create an advocate position in the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department for the support and education of students of Middle Eastern and North African descent.
