On Sunday, June 23, 2024, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) delivered the commencement address for the Conway School of Landscape Design’s fifty-first graduation ceremony.
There was an unmistakable through line at Conway’s 51st graduation, and that through line was hope.
In welcoming the graduates, friends, and families, board chair Bill Dwight thanked the graduates for “the hope that you inspire me and all of us.” He shared, “You are who we rely on to be the bulwark against the many stressors and inequities we endure today. We need you.” Bill introduced keynote speaker Congressman Jim McGovern, remarking, “Our congressman is known as a leading voice calling for an end to hunger and food insecurity both in the United States and throughout the world. His ethos is aligned at every level with Conway’s mission.”
Bill welcomed the graduates and their families and friends, saying, “My gratitude is informed by the hope that you inspire in me and all of us. You are now about to join the relatively small band of stewards and champions of our wounded planet. You are who we rely on, whether we know it or not, to be the bulwark against the many stressors and inequities we endure today. We need you.”
Congressman McGovern began, “It is a special honor for me to be here, as the congressman for this institution, and to see the amazing work that you have done to make this valley and in fact, this entire Commonwealth, a better place.”
L: Keynote speaker Congressman Jim McGovern and Conway School board chair Bill Dwight; C: Happy graduates!; R: Tissues were placed strategically around the room (for graduates and guests alike!)During their ten months at the Conway School, the graduates completed a total of thirty-three real projects for clients in Massachusetts. Their work included design and planning studies for individuals and communities including homeowners, schools, municipalities, land trusts, libraries, and farmers. Their work prioritizes helping communities to protect valuable resources, make them more accessible, and plan for the future, focusing on ecological design research and methods.
Guest speaker Congressman Jim McGovern spoke passionately about the tangible hope Conway students provided this year to communities around Massachusetts with their thoughtful, actionable community projects. “I was reading through all of the projects that your class has worked on,” he shared, “and it’s astounding. Helping Indigenous landowners tell the story of their land, working with schools in Springfield to make edible school grounds with trails and space to grow healthy food, mitigating urban heat islands in Weymouth, helping with trail design in Easthampton, and addressing the impacts of climate change in Greenfield. These are projects that are already having a real impact on real people. … The work that you have done here is not just academic, it is deeply practical and profoundly necessary.”
He continued, “Graduates, our society desperately needs people like you, people who are committed to the greater good. People who know that public service doesn’t just mean holding office, it means using your skills to bring about a future worth living in. Whether it’s through designing a park, restoring a watershed or lobbying for sustainable policies, your work is public service. And it will help us create a better world for future generations. And your education has prepared you well for the path ahead. You’ve learned in an environment that values collaboration, innovation, and real problem solving.”
L: Kerry Morgan ’24 introduced Aaron Dell ’24 as “a teacher in our midst”; R: Austin Hammer ’24 introduced Meera Connors ’24, sharing examples of her contagious enthusiasm and knack for breaking the ice in the group.In a longstanding Conway School tradition, the eighteen members of the class of 2024 presented each other with a Master of Science diploma from Conway’s intensive, ten-month graduate program in sustainable landscape planning and design.
Closing the ceremony, Class of 2024 graduate Ben Silverstone shared a story of a recent evening with fellow students, silently (almost reverently) watching fireflies at dark, each flash of light seeming to represent both a message of “I’m here!” and also “I see you!” A fitting metaphor for the closeness of this class and the way their work lights the way for others.
L: Alum Liaison Elaine Williamson ’11 made beautiful arrangements of flowers from her garden; R: In a tradition that’s been running for several years now, members of Conway’s faculty, staff, and trustees joined the Class of 2024 to cap off the graduation ceremony with a song.What a day. Filled with elation and relief, sadness and hope, encouragement and celebration—as all good milestones are. We embraced the Class of 2024 one final time before sending them out into the world to do the incredible things that we know they will do. Congratulations, we will miss you all terribly, and we are so incredibly proud of you.
The Conway School of Landscape Design is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education, and grants a Master of Science in Ecological Design (MSED) by the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.
