[applause]
(President Oxtoby) Okay.
Ever since arriving at Pomona College 13 years ago,
I've heard the phrase Pomona bubble
used to refer to the idea that here on campus
we are in an artificial environment
protected from the real world outside.
I've always questioned that trope
since, in fact, the issues from that world keep breaking in on us
in urgent and important ways.
This concept, though, still came to mind for me in February
when we screened the award-winning movie, The Martian,
here on campus
together with an appearance by the producer,
Pomona alumnus Aditya Sood,
class of 1998.
Most of you probably know the story of the movie.
Matt Damon's character, Mark Watney,
left behind on Mars by his fellow astronauts after a huge storm,
scientifically impossible, but who cares, [laughter]
has to repair the artificial bubble in which he lives,
providing for food and oxygen to breathe,
and plan a trip across the planet to the site
where a launch vehicle has been placed,
so he can blast off from Mars,
join up with his fellow astronauts
and return to Earth.
Damon uses incredible creativity to fix the dome
on which he depends for his survival,
planting crops,
monitoring oxygen levels.
You, the class of 2016,
have used just such creativity,
together with a healthy dose of critical thinking and a lot of hard work,
to help create positive change in this bubble
that we call Pomona College.
You have organized, protested, demanded,
and met to plan a series of changes to make this environment
a more inclusive and supportive one,
and I'm proud of all of you.
You have done this at the same time as you have taken classes,
written amazing senior theses,
competed for fellowships,
won games and championships in varsity and club sports,
and performed music, dance, and theater at the highest level.
I'm proud of the way that students who differ in race, ethnicity,
socioeconomic status, national origin,
and political views
have come together to make change.
The progress we have made in your time on campus
will be a foundation for the future.
Thank you.
[applause]
But today is May 15, 2016,
and the countdown is on for you
to blast off from Pomona College and head off to earth.
[laughter and applause]
It's here that the movie does not provide us guidance,
since the distant green earth on screen is just a vague
but happy and comfortable place to imagine returning to.
I have news for you.
The earth has changed quite a bit
during the four years you've spent on Mars.
Rather than the usual graduation ceremony platitudes,
I need to remind you that this earth you're about to rejoin
has vexing problems
that require your attention and activism.
This planet is one in which the major steps we have taken
to address climate change
have involved switching
from strip mining high sulfur coal
to fracking to release cheap natural gas.
On this earth, a black woman in a small town in Texas
is stopped for having a broken turn signal,
is arrested,
and dies in jail.
A presumptive presidential candidate celebrates an endorsement
from a convicted rapist
and takes every opportunity to mock and degrade women.
A young married couple are driven by twisted ideologies,
perversely using the name of religion to terrorize a community
just 25 miles from here.
A group of apparently intelligent men
talked about plans to deport
up to 10 million men, women, and children from this country.
You must use the skills you have gained at Pomona College
to make positive change on this earth you are blasting off to.
Whatever your plans for further education
or professional engagement,
find the time to organize,
to vote,
to attack the problems of the world
with the creativity, the leadership, and the inclusivity
that you have worked to build here in Claremont.
This year, several inspiring speakers came to our campus
and challenged us to act in the face of huge problems.
Last month, United States Senator Pomona alumnus Brian Schatz,
class of 1994,
talked with us about the issue of climate change,
and urged us to work both within and outside the political system
to change policy.
Earlier in the semester,
attorney and activist Bryan Stevenson gave a tough talk
about our broken criminal justice system
and the millions of people living under shocking conditions
in our nation's prisons.
He inspired us to learn about these issues
and make a difference in changing them.
And last fall, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
spoke eloquently about her own personal journey
from Puerto Rico to New York City
to Princeton University
to the highest court in the country,
encouraging us all to find ways to prepare ourselves
to address the inequities in our society.
These messages of radical hope
in the face of what seemed like insurmountable problems
are what I want to leave with you today.
They are reminders, as well,
that, like Brian Schatz, Bryan Stevenson, and Sonia Sotomayor,
none of you can know,
sitting here today what amazing opportunities to serve
and to lead change will present themselves to you
because of who you are and the gifts and talents you each have.
Like Matt Damon's character in The Martian,
you will need all of your creativity,
abilities to collaborate,
and the habits of mind and knowledge you have gained
through your four years at Pomona College.
It may be through your creative or performance work,
or your skills at critical thinking, writing, and analysis,
organizational leadership,
or yes, to paraphrase Matt Damon,
by sciencing the blank out of a problem.
[laughter and applause]
Each one of you has so much to offer.
As you blast off today and leave this campus,
I charge you to use your Pomona education
to build communities that, together,
can make positive change in the world.
Congratulations to the class of 2016,
and best wishes.
[applause and cheers]