The Baccalaureate Service 2017

The President and Chaplains of Tufts University invite members of the Class of 2017 and their families and friends to join in celebrating the Baccalaureate Service on Saturday,  May 20, 2017 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm at the Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center. All are welcome.

About the Baccalaureate Service

The Baccalaureate Service for the senior class at Tufts is a tradition that began in 1864.

Baccalaureate is a cherished moment during Commencement Weekend, and the last time for the senior class to be alone together as a class. One senior is selected to give the class speech, called the Wendell Phillips Address, and the president offers his parting words to the class.

The context is a multifaith and multicultural celebration honoring a diversity of spiritualities, philosophies, and cultures at Tufts in the form of music, readings, and benedictions. All are welcome, and generally all members of the senior class and their families attend.

2017 Senior Baccalaureate Speaker

The Senior Baccalaureate Speaker is the recipient of the Wendell Phillips Award, which was established in 1896 to honor Boston’s great orator and advocate for abolition and women’s and Native People’s rights, Wendell Phillips. The award is given annually to a senior who demonstrates both marked ability as a speaker and a high sense of public responsibility. Selected by the Committee on Student Life, the winner is the one graduating senior invited to offer a speech as part of Commencement, and the speech takes place during the Baccalaureate Service. It is intended to deliver a social justice message for our time.

The Wendell Phillips Speaker for the Class of 2017 is Isabella Kahhale.

Isabella Kahhale A17 is a Lebanese-American student from Newton, Massachusetts. She is a Cognitive and Brain Sciences major with a minor in English and a Philosophy certificate in Ethics, Law, and Society. She recently completed her senior honors thesis in Psychology and is a member of the Psi Chi International Honors Society and the Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honors Society. During her time at Tufts, she has enjoyed being part of the Tufts Community Union student government for four years. She also loved her experience as an Orientation leader for first-year students. After graduation, Isabella will begin work as a research assistant at Stanford University’s Social Neuroscience Lab on a project investigating empathy. She enjoys cooking, talking during movies, and has an uncontrollable sweet tooth.

Spiritual Gatherings During Commencement Weekend 2017