Commencement Speakers: Conde and Cullum
13 May 2018 Commencement Speakers: Conde and Cullum
In a tradition that concludes four years at Hobart and William Smith, Almamy Conde 18 and Quinn Cullum 18 spoke on behalf of their classmates during this years Commencement on Sunday, May 13. Selected for the poignancy of their remarks and their leadership roles within the Classes of 2018, Conde and Cullum took the stage before embarking on their careers: real estate for Conde as co-founder of SmartHunter and financial services for Cullum, who will join IHS Markit as an associate finance analyst.
We are resilient classes that have been brought together in a way that is unique. We have persisted, and grown to love this place and each other in a profound way, says Cullum, who graduated magna cum laude in English, and media and society. Community has been the most formative part of this experience for me, which is why Im so honored and humbled to speak during Commencement. I grew to love this place, and the encouragement of my peers, staff and faculty has been so intimate, sincere and heartfelt.
Conde and Cullum offered remarks following John Grotzinger 79, Sc.D. 13, the mission leader and project scientist for NASAs Mars Science Laboratory who delivered the Commencement Address. Additionally, the Colleges conferred three honorary degrees on distinguished alumni and alumnae. This years ceremony marked the 107th graduation of William Smith and the 193rd graduation for Hobart.Coverage of Commencement 2018, including photo galleries and videos can be found here.
Being the student speaker for Hobart means so much to me. It is a great opportunity to represent my family, fraternity brothers, and those who have supported me from the very beginning at the Colleges, says Conde, who graduated with a bachelor of arts in economics. Ive done a lot at HWS and being the student Commencement speaker will be the icing on the cake. Im excited to see whats next for me.
During his time at the Colleges, Conde was a founder of the Upsilon Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and a captain of the Hobart football team, in addition to interning at First Federal Realty in Las Vegas and The Bozzuto Group in New Jersey. With a minor in entrepreneurial studies, Conde co-founded SmartHunter, a tech start-up integrating virtual reality into the real estate market.
A member of Hai Timiai and the board of the Leadership League of Women, Cullum has served as a Writing Fellow, president of Womens Collective and news editor of The Herald. In addition to her many roles on campus, Cullum has worked for the Office of Admissions, the Office of Advancement, the Office of Communications and at Reunion. She has also completed internships with MSP Communications and IHS Markit.
The 2018 Commencement began with a processional at 10 a.m. on the Quad. Information on the ceremony and weekend festivities is available here.