“You don’t know who you are until you’re tested"

The Class of 2024 is stepping into a world where AI and social media-driven misinformation deepen conflicts and distort reality. Students need to identify and uphold their values, as commencement speaker Maria Ressa emphasized to Harvard graduates on May 23, 2024.
"You don’t know who you are until you’re tested, until you fight for what you believe in, because that defines who you are," said Ressa. "The campus protests are testing everyone in America. Protests are healthy; they shouldn’t be violent. Protests give voice; they shouldn’t be silenced."
Ressa, an investigative journalist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, addressed thousands of graduates in Harvard Yard. Drawing from her experience as a reporter covering the Philippine government, she urged students to join her in defending democracy, and to use their education to build a better world.