Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Student Speaker Chelsea D. Brown ’23 Addresses Fellow Graduates at Commencement 2023 (Video)

Monday, May 15, 2023, By News Staff
Share
CommencementStudents

As the student speaker at Commencement 2023, Chelsea D. Brown ’23 shared a video looking back on the past four years of growth and transformation and an emotional speech reflecting on the loss of her mother during her first year at Syracuse.

Referencing “In the Midst of It All,” a song by Yolanda Adams, Brown painted a picture of how she and so many others in the Class of 2023 have persevered to become the resilient individuals they are today. “In the midst of it all, you will have help to make it through,” she quoted from the song, echoing words of encouragement her mother offered as she left Miami for Syracuse four years ago.

“We stood side by side to lift each other up when we saw that one was about to fall. Our ability to overcome the obstacles that we faced during our four years is what makes us Orange. Through the midst of it all, we became our mothers’ wildest dreams,” Brown said. “To the Class of 2023, as you begin to move out of—or back into—your mothers’ houses, I ask you to take a moment to look around you. These are the faces that will stand beside you as you become the next pioneers, innovators and changemakers.”

Brown is a television, radio and film major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a University Scholar and Posse Scholar. She was selected to address the Class of 2023 by her peers.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Sport Management Professor Calls Historic First in MLB ‘Overdue’
    Thursday, August 7, 2025, By Keith Kobland
  • Scott Tainsky’s Research Focus Aligns Perfectly With New Falk College of Sport
    Thursday, August 7, 2025, By Matt Michael
  • Maxwell School Honors Alumnus Elliot Stamler ’60 With Cramer Horizon Award
    Thursday, August 7, 2025, By Jessica Youngman
  • Whitman School Honored for Mental Health Excellence
    Thursday, August 7, 2025, By News Staff
  • Professor Anthony Adornato Trains Journalists in Kosovo Through Fulbright
    Wednesday, August 6, 2025, By Kelly Homan Rodoski

More In Campus & Community

Scott Tainsky’s Research Focus Aligns Perfectly With New Falk College of Sport

The earliest memories Scott Tainsky has involve playing sports and watching the golden age of Big East Conference basketball with stars like Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and Syracuse University star Pearl Washington. Now, as a father of two children who play…

Maxwell School Honors Alumnus Elliot Stamler ’60 With Cramer Horizon Award

The latest recipient of the Maxwell School’s Cramer Horizon Award has embodied the ideals of its namesakes, Gerald ’52, H’10 and Daphna Cramer, through his professional endeavors, philanthropy and commitment to engaged citizenship. Throughout his remarkable career, honoree Elliot J….

Whitman School Honored for Mental Health Excellence

The Whitman School received the 2025 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award from Insight into Academia magazine, a measure of an institution’s individual programs and initiatives that significantly advance the core values of inclusive excellence and belonging through programs,…

Construction Continues at Stadium Place, Center Crosswalk to Close Aug. 8

Campus Planning, Design and Construction, CenTrio Energy, and local contractors are continuing their work on the campus steam distribution system in the West Campus area. To continue necessary sidewalk replacements along the east boundary of the Raynor Avenue lot, the…

Whitman School Celebrates Record Fundraising Year, Builds Momentum for Transformation

As institutions of higher education adapt to rapid changes and evolving student needs across the country, alumni, parents and donors of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management have responded with record-setting philanthropic support and engagement. Their historic commitment continues…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.