2021 Virtual

Commencement

Experience

A Message From the President

Dear Class of 2021:

It is my honor to offer you sincere congratulations on your accomplishments!

Your final year as Bearcats coincided with my first year as Baruch’s eighth president. The completion of your academic careers, thus far—and the start of my tenure at Baruch—are important milestones in our lives. Yet another occasion that we will experience together, albeit virtually, is Commencement.

Our Virtual Commencement Experience will launch at 10 am on Thursday, May 27. It will be a lively and memorable celebration, featuring a performance by the Blue Notes, speeches by inspirational speakers, and the conferral of graduate and undergraduate degrees for each of our three schools.

Although we have not yet had the pleasure of meeting in person, I look forward to seeing you in the future as members of the global Baruch College alumni network. I will be cheering you on as your future unfolds, and I wish you the best of success.

Sincerely,

S. David Wu
President, Baruch College

Commencement Speaker

Karines Reyes has been a Bronxite for nearly 20 years. Born in the neighborhood of Los Minas, Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, she relocated to Fajardo, Puerto Rico until she was 6 years old. Her family then moved to Queens, New York.

Assemblywoman Reyes attended CUNY Baruch College studying Communications, and returned to school to pursue a career in nursing. As a student nurse, Karines volunteered in Haiti after the earthquake and participated in numerous community health fairs in the Bronx. She earned her Nursing degree from Bronx Community College, and became a registered nurse in the Oncology Department at Montefiore Albert Einstein Hospital, thereafter. Karines also joined the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and served as Vice Chair of the Bargaining Unit at Einstein Hospital.

Nurse Reyes currently lives in Parkchester with her two sons, Alexander and Sebastian. She is serving her first full term as Member of Assembly to the 87th District of New York, covering the Castle Hill, Parkchester, Van Nest and West Farms sections of the Bronx.

Honorary Degree Recipient

Raj Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics at Harvard University and Director of Opportunity Insights. Chetty’s research combines empirical evidence and economic theory to help design more effective government policies. His current research focuses on equality of opportunity: how can we give children from disadvantaged backgrounds better chances of succeeding?

Chetty earned his AB summa cum laude from Harvard College in 2000 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2003. Chetty has received numerous awards for his research, including a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the John Bates Clark medal, given to the economist under 40 whose work is judged to have made the most significant contribution to the field. He has also received the Sherwin Rosen Prize of the Society of Labor Economists and Calvó-Armengol International Prize in Economics. He was elected as a fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014 and as a member to the National Academy of Sciences in 2018.