COA GRADUATES!
Press release:Embrace a life of purpose, graduates told
BAR HARBOR — A call to embrace a life of purpose and contribute to something greater than oneself was at the heart of former Syrian political prisoner Omar Alshogre’s message to the College of the Atlantic Class of 2025 during his keynote address at the school’s 52nd commencement on Saturday, June 7.
Before approximately 700 family members, alumni, students, staff, faculty, trustees, and friends in a large tent on COA’s North Lawn, Alshogre recounted his time in prison, where he and others were tortured because of their beliefs, as one where he learned the power of connection and the value of adversity. Alshogre, who also received an honorary Master of Philosophy in human ecology at the ceremony, urged graduates to use their power to create a more just world.
“The lesson I learned in that cell is that the power of human connection is one that can reshape this broken world. Just as a group of prisoners transformed despair into a university of whispers, you have the power to transform the challenges around you into opportunities for connection, growth, and change,” he said. “True meaning comes from contributing to something greater than yourself. You and I are here to serve a purpose — to build a world we can be proud to call ours.”
A total of 92 graduates processed into the ceremony, led by the Anah Highlanders bagpipers and 2025 Commencement Grand Marshal Bonnie Tai, who is retiring after 25 years teaching at the college. The crowd enjoyed welcome speeches from Tai, COA Board Chair Beth Gardiner, Kaia Douglas ’25, and COA President Sylvia Torti.
“In this moment, as we celebrate the achievements of this graduating class, we also celebrate the global fabric of our community,” Torti said. “Let us take this opportunity to remember that learning knows no borders, and that we must continue to work for a world where diversity is not just respected, but cherished, and where the presence of many cultures is not seen as a challenge to unity, but as its deepest strength.”
The event featured student perspectives from Alexandra Löfgren ’25, Chloe Meyer ’25, and Hanako Moulton ’25. Raheem Khadour ’25 introduced Alshogre.
“At the end of the ceremony, diplomas in hand, we’ll walk away from this campus as scientists, artists, writers, thinkers, chefs, journalists, DJs, entrepreneurs and whatever else we may be,” Moulton said. “But those labels won’t really matter, because we’ll be doing our respective work in the service of each other — to take care of and advocate for our fellow living beings, now and for the generations ahead of us.”
A celebration in and around Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Community Center followed the ceremony.
College of the Atlantic was founded in 1969 on the premise that education should go beyond understanding the world as it is to enabling students to actively shape its future. A leader in experiential education and environmental stewardship, COA has pioneered a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to learning — human ecology — that develops the kinds of creative thinkers and doers needed by all sectors of society in addressing the compelling and growing needs of our world. For more information, visit coa.edu.
All photos courtesy of COA