More than 3,450 graduates gathered on the athletic fields of Lehman College in Bedford Park on June 1 to participate in the college’s 55^th Commencement ceremony. With sunny, blue skies above them, and surrounded by family and friends who filled the outer banks of the fields, and took up more than half the playing field, graduates received some inspirational advice from academic leaders, honorary degree recipients, and fellow graduate, Alesha Alli.

 

“What you want to be is not the same as what you want to do,” Alli said during her address. “In the real world, who we choose to be is far more important than what we choose to do.” The first-generation college graduate grew up in Guyana and is graduating magnum cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology. She moved to New York with her parents and one sibling.

 

“My parents worked tirelessly with little to no days off, with the underlying motivation that I, their daughter, would be able to achieve higher education and make all of their sacrifices worth it,” she said. Crying tears of joy, Alli later thanked her parents from the podium. She plans to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing.

 

Meanwhile, Liz Carpio graduated with cum laude honors and a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish and Spanish Literature. She was excited because her mother made the trip from Spain for the occasion, and as she explained to Norwood News, “[I’m] the first-generation [college graduate] from my mom’s side. It’s a huge achievement for me and my family too.”

Commuting to Lehman was not a big deal for Carpio, 35, as she lives in the Kingsbridge/Van Cortlandt Village area and was able to walk to school some days. She felt loving support immediately after the ceremony from her husband, Danny Sanchez, and their 7-year-old daughter, Megan.

 

Carpio got a head start on her academic journey back in her homeland. “I have [a degree] in business administration from back in my country, Colombia,” she said. Carpio was able to transfer 51 credits to Lehman making her academic journey towards a bachelor’s degree just a little less longer than it could have been, at two and a half years.

 

However, her life’s story has been filled with different challenges. “It wasn’t easy because I’m also a mom, a full-time student [with] a full-time job,” she said. “So put all that together [and] it was hard when you [prepare] for finals, the final exam. It was tough, [especially] during the pandemic.”

 

For Steven Cruz, 23, the day marked the completion of his bachelor of science degree in business administration. His academic journey started downtown at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, where he studied business management, and where he received an associate degree. During the pandemic, he looked for a school that offered more online courses and decided on Lehman College. He also felt the need for online courses because he had started full-time work at JP Morgan.

Cruz spent his early childhood in the Kingsbridge/Riverdale area, but his family moved to Yonkers by the time he was in high school. He has commuted from the Westchester suburb for all his on-campus college classes. “It’s been an insane journey,” he told Norwood News. “After four years of doing full-time schoolwork during college and working full time, I decided to go part-time for two years, and so [far], this degree has cost me six years of academic work. At this point, it’s more of a celebration and an honor towards my family! I feel like it means more to them than it means to me, because I’m already working full time.”

 

Unlike some of the other graduates, Cruz is not the first in his family to graduate from college. His sister graduated from Lehman before him. He chuckled when saying, “You can say I’m a legacy at Lehman College.” Cruz credits his family with the desire to attend college. “It’s always been instilled in me since I was a kid,” he said. “My mom and my siblings would always say, ‘Hey you’re the smart one! You’re the one that’s going to go to college.’ Hearing that, kind of programmed me mentally to actually want this to be a part of my goals and aspirations.”

 

Unlike most of the graduates, one degree recipient never imagined being a college student, much less being conferred with an honorary doctor of music degree. Joseph Saddler was born in 1958 on the Caribbean island of Barbados but became known to the world in the ‘70s as DJ Grandmaster Flash. Recognized as one of the pioneers of the hip hop musical genre, through his innovative use of “scratching,” “cutting,” and “transforming,” Grandmaster Flash and his group the Furious Five were inducted in 2007 into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

 

Norwood News spoke to the renowned DJ at the Bronx Week 2023 Ball on May 20 and asked him for his reflections on the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. He said, “Well, when I was 15 years old, if you would have told me that some of the things that I was doing with the turntables would become a worldwide phenomenon, that I would have been the person to create the backing track for human beings to have a better music to speak on, I would have told you that you’re crazy, but here we are!”

 

Flash added, “It’s wonderful; it’s our birth born situation, and I’m just happy to be a part of it!” Asked how he felt Hip Hop has changed over the intervening 50 years, he said, “It’s in different languages! Anything that changes has to grow.. like it couldn’t stay the same. It’s impossible. So The Bronx took it and gave it to the next thing, and the next thing gave it to the next thing, and then the next thing gave it to the next country, and the next country gave it to…..maybe the next planet. We’ll see what happens….”

 

Prior to commencement, Lehman College representatives had said that as a pioneer and founding father of Hip Hop, Grandmaster Flash laid socially conscious lyrics over groundbreaking beats. Describing Grandmaster Flash as a cultural icon, Lehman College president Fernando Delgado said by sharing his experiences, the honoree would help students see that there are many ways to make change in the world.

Given the advances in music technology over the years since the origins of Hip Hop in the 1970s, we asked the grandmaster if the genre, as an art form, is now more about technology than creativity. He replied, “Me being one of the architects and builders of it, we perform for people not at people. That’s pretty much it, so the rapper talks the language that they need to hear and the DJ plays the music that the people want to hear. I think our form of entertainment is unlike any others.. respect the pop, rock, jazz, blues, funk, disco, R&B, alternative, Caribbean, but nothin’s like Hip Hop.. nothin’!”

 

Back at Lehman College, he told his fellow graduates during his Commencement address, “I come from the projects.” He added, “I come from The Bronx. I live in The Bronx. I love The Bronx.” During his remarks, the grandmaster paused to gather his emotions several times, expressing his gratitude to Lehman College for the honorary degree. “Musically, I got every award that you can possibly have, from Grammys to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but this one, right here, because it comes from right here, is the most important. My name is Grandmaster Flash. Thank you.”

 

Former Bronx Borough President Ruben Díaz Jr. later posted a photo of himself with the honoree on social media, writing, “Congratulations to Hip Hop ICON @djflash4eva for an Honorary Doctorate Degree in music from my alma mater @lehmancuny @lehmancenter @hiphop50 @uhhmuseum.”

 

Meanwhile, also receiving an honorary degree on the day was former State assemblyman for district 78, José Rivera, the long-time Bronx politician who also represented the borough in the City Council. In 2000, Rivera was chosen to lead the Bronx Democratic Party.

 

Prior to the Commencement, Lehman College officials had described Rivera as an elected official who “spent 40 years representing the people of The Bronx and fighting for civil rights at home and as far away as Puerto Rico and South Africa.”  They said he fought to elevate health, wellbeing, and quality of life; championing causes like a higher minimum wage, new and improved green space, and a modernized infrastructure.

 

Remembering his own struggles as a Puerto Rican migrant, they said he advocated for DACA and drivers’ licenses for all. They said he used his long tenure in his capacity as head of the Bronx Democratic Party to increase Latino political representation at all levels of government and advance racial and gender diversity in the Bronx Court system.

Throughout his time in office, they said Rivera, described as a staunch believer in the power of higher education, found tangible ways to support the expansion and excellence of Lehman College, while challenging it to serve as both a beacon of opportunity and a resource for its neighbors. They said his support of the APEX sports center, the Performing Arts Center, and the Lehman College Art Gallery speak to his vision of a borough where educational and cultural institutions are deeply engaged with the communities they call home, and that world-class facilities are accessible to all.

 

Rivera shared with the graduating class of 2023 the same advice his mother gave him. “Seek and fight for the well-being of others, even as you seek your own success,” he urged them. “For in the end, the measure of your success will [be] determined [by] how well you served the community.”

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.