Though it opened with the familiar strains of Pomp and Circumstance, the 2021 Metropolitan College Convocation Ceremony was, in many ways, a unique affair: the event was held virtually and shared through computer screens around the globe. While this year\u2019s COVID-19 restrictions forced us to rethink some of our traditions, it also underscored the resilience and determination of the BU MET community to celebrate its graduates despite the complexities.<\/p>\n
There have been many \u201cfirsts\u201d at Boston University since 1869. While on Sunday, May 16, the University offered a social-distanced commencement ceremony on Nickerson Field<\/a>, each school and college\u2014for the first time in BU\u2019s history\u2014presented a virtual convocation. BU MET\u2019s first virtual convocation took place on the afternoon of Saturday, May 15. Carefully preplanned and filmed in advance to limit contact between people, the event included a small \u201cplatform party\u201d comprising Dean Tanya Zlateva<\/a>, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Lou Chitkushev<\/a>, and Associate Dean for Enrollment & Student Affairs Carl Sessa, along with honored guests Dr. Abraham Waya and TJ and Hadley Douglas. Pre-taped messages from faculty and staff and a student slideshow rounded out the occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have great expectations of you.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n As spoken by Dean Zlateva in her welcoming remarks, these words effectively defined the message of this year\u2019s convocation. \u201cThis year has been a difficult one, and unprecedented in so many ways,\u201d noted the Dean. \u201cYet, you made it through, and now you have earned your degrees from Boston University! Congratulations on this accomplishment of great magnitude.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an extraordinary feat\u2014one that you pulled off while a pandemic disrupted your work and caused great anxiety and profound grief,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n Dean Zlateva then boldly called upon graduates\u2014and the whole MET community\u2014to take an active role in fighting inequality through leadership in their organizations. \u201cOn this special day, we ask you not only to reject biased systems, but to help build inclusive and diverse institutions and organizations, to fight for equity in your communities, and to ensure opportunities for the marginalized and underrepresented in society.\u201d<\/p>\n Change the World<\/strong><\/p>\n The Dean then introduced the recipients of the Service to Community Award, TJ and Hadley Douglas. TJ, who earned a certificate in wine studies from BU’s Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center<\/a>, and his spouse Hadley are the founders and owners of the award-winning Urban Grape wine retailer in Boston\u2019s South End. They are the authors of Drink Progressively, a book based on the principle behind Urban Grape\u2019s success, the \u201cProgressive Scale\u201d\u2014a unique system of organizing wines by their body rather than varietal or region. As a Black-owned and woman-owned business, the Urban Grape is founded on a passion for equity and inclusion. In 2020, the Douglases partnered with BU MET to establish the Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color<\/a>. With the help of donations from the community, the fund raised nearly $200K in just seven months.<\/p>\n Each year in perpetuity, the Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color will support at least two\u00a0students of color through all four levels of BU\u2019s Wine Studies certificate program and three paid internships designed to break down racial barriers in the industry. By combining education, work experience, and mentorship, this award will prepare students of color for long and prosperous careers.<\/p>\n \u201cFor over twenty years, I have been a part of the wine industry and the hospitality industry, where almost no one ever looked like me,\u201d explained TJ. \u201cI\u2019ve had to create my own pathways to success, and pry open the closed doors in front of me with sheer determination and persistence. I knew that when I reached a point in my career when I could reach back to help others, that I would make it easier for other people of color to join the industry that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n TJ noted that the wine industry in Boston will likely never be the same again, thanks to the Urban Grape initiative. \u201cIt was a lesson to us all that you shouldn\u2019t wait for the world to change around you. You should just dive in and be that change yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Hadley closed by addressing the graduates at home. \u201cTo the class of 2021, we leave you with the timeless words of Margaret Mead: \u2018Never believe that a few caring people can\u2019t change the world. For, indeed, that is all who ever have.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Following the Douglases\u2019 stirring speeches, the presentation continued with \u201cFrom MET to You: A Message to the Class of 2021,\u201d<\/a> during which faculty and staff from throughout the College offered pre-recorded words of praise, appreciation, and advice to the graduating students.<\/p>\n The Award for Excellence in Teaching<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cGo and make a different world, full of truth, and justice, and equality, and compassion, and righteousness\u2014yes\u2014and even love,\u201d said Dr. Waya in his address to viewers.In keeping with tradition, Dr. Chitkushev approached the podium to present the Roger Deveau Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching<\/a>. Part-time faculty are typically active in their profession, bringing up-to-the-minute industry experience and insight to the BU MET classroom. Each year, BU MET bestows the Deveau award upon one exceptional teacher selected from nearly 275 part-time faculty members. This year\u2019s award went to Dr. Abraham Waya (STH\u201998) of the Department of Applied Social Sciences. Over the past 16 years, Dr. Waya has taught over forty courses in BU\u2019s College of Arts & Science, Metropolitan College, and the BU MET Prison Education Program. A native of Nigeria, Dr. Waya earned his PhD in international relations and defense studies from the Russian Academy of Sciences. He arrived in the United States in 1995 to earn his Master of Divinity from BU\u2019s School of Theology. Today, he is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, currently appointed to serve in Brockton, Massachusetts, where he has established the \u201cL Street Mission\u201d providing care for the homeless. In his comments, Dr. Chitkushev noted that \u201cWhatever subject he is teaching, Dr. Waya transforms the classroom with his rich global experience and his compassion. He is an inspiration to his students and his peers.\u201d<\/p>\n Taking his turn at the podium, Dean Sessa called for a moment of silent reflection, before introducing the Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Study. A virtual presentation of the Awards for Excellence in Graduate Study<\/a> followed, with recipients introduced in pre-recorded segments by each academic department.<\/p>\n A Legacy for a Better Future<\/strong><\/p>\n