Commencement 2022 | Lesley University

Lesley honored the classes of 2022, 2021 and 2020 at our first in-person Commencement ceremony in three years. Enjoy coverage, photos and more from this special event.

graduates greet people during commencement

Highlight Video

Commencement Video Highlights

Watch sights, sounds and inspiring moments from Commencement 2022 on the Boston waterfront.

Watch the Commencement 2022 Highlights Video

Geeta Pradhan addresses the Class of 2022

‘Forged in the fire’

Geeta Pradhan, president of the Cambridge Community Foundation, spoke about the obstacles that graduating students face and the “passion, compassion and grit” they'll harness to overcome them.

Read about the morning ceremony.

Meeting the challenges with joy and spirit

Shelly Lowe, chair for the National Endowment of the Humanities, urged graduates to embrace the cultural lessons passed on in the home, and apply them to their future endeavors.

Read about the afternoon ceremony.

Commencement 2022 highlights

Lesley Seal Commencement Zoom Thumbnail (small)

Commencement 2022 Program

View a downloadable PDF of the full Lesley University Commencement Program from May 21, 2022.

View the 2022 Commencement Program.

A graduate from the 2022 Commencement with a decorated cap. The cap is green with white flowers on its four corners and says "Just No Telling How Far I'll Go."

Commencement Slideshow

Lesley graduates share gratitude, tributes and future plans in a slideshow featuring quotes and photos.

View the Commencement 2022 Slideshow.

Commencement Photos

View pictures from the afternoon ceremony for the College of Art & Design, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Threshold Program.

View Commencement 2022 photos

Meeting the challenges with joy and spirit

Graduates overcame the odds of pandemic and worldwide turmoil through persistence

Read coverage of the afternoon ceremony

Commencement Photos

See highlights from the morning ceremony for the Graduate School of Education and the Graduate School of Arts & Social Sciences.

View Commencement 2022 photos

Graduate students pose along the waterfront at Commencement

‘Forged in the fire’

Morning Commencement ceremony celebrates the classes of 2022, 2021, and 2020 while recognizing challenges

Read coverage of the morning ceremony

Group photo on South Campus of our Threshold Program graduates

Lesley celebrates groundbreaking Threshold cohort

Threshold Program graduates emerge from pandemic triumphant

president and doctoral graduates standing on stage

Lesley honors 2022 doctoral graduates

South Campus ‘Doctoral Draping ceremony’ marks academic achievement of ‘experts in inquiry and expression.’

News & stories about our inspiring graduates

Julette Moore holding her degree at the 2022 Commencement Afternoon Ceremony.

Julette Moore '22 wins Luke Baldwin Award

Recent graduate demonstrates the possibility of a college education at any age and stage in life.

An educator takes a leap of faith

2022 graduate Amy Maldonado's passions for poetry and English as a second language take flight at Lesley.

Mother and daughter graduate together

Carolina Vasquez and her daughter Dejah Morales were a rare sight at our 2022 Commencement — a mother and daughter graduating together.

Read about this mother-daughter duo.

Illustration of Meghan Plourde on a stage doing stand up.

Expressive Arts Therapy senior finds laughter is the best medicine

Meghan Plourde ’22 mines difficult experiences for comedic gold.

Matthew Stratoti '22

Matthew is turning his lifelong passion for video games into a profession. He's the first graduate of our new Game Design & Immersive Technologies major. He transferred to Lesley his senior year where he specialized in game audio and sound design and interned with White Snake Projects opera company and Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDigI). Now he's working on various projects to expand his portfolio as he prepares for a career in game design.

A photo of faculty and students from the 2022 Honors Symposium

Tackling topics of global importance

Class of 2022 Honors Program graduates showcased research and celebrated the return of an in-person Honors Symposium

Read about the 2022 Honors Symposium.

Redempta "Demi" Muhorakeye pictured in front of the yellow 82 Oxford St building on the Lesley campus.

Beating the odds

Threshold Program graduate Redempta Muhorakeye ’22 celebrates a remarkable journey from Rwanda to Cambridge.

Amara Obiora ’22 receives Edith Lesley Wolfard Award

Graduating senior and future math teacher exemplifies commitment to learning and academic excellence.

Caroline Bryan ’22

Caroline Bryan cares for families in crisis while introducing colleagues to expressive arts therapy

Queer coming-of-age drama to takes top prize at film festival

Lesley filmmaker Thomas Tague-Bleau's “Slims” wins first place at Independent Film Festival Boston.

Yvonne Sierra ’22

Yvonne found what she was searching for when she discovered Lesley's Expressive Arts Therapy program

Morning Ceremony Video

Lesley University celebrated master’s and doctoral degree recipients from the Graduate School of Education and the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences. Graduates of the classes of 2022, 2021, and 2020 heard from Commencement speaker Geeta Pradhan, president of the Cambridge Community Foundation.

Afternoon Ceremony Video

Lesley University celebrated graduates of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the College of Art and Design and the Threshold Program on May 21, 2022 on the Boston waterfront. Members of the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 heard from Commencement speaker Shelly Lowe, chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Commencement Office

commence@lesley.edu