James advocates lifelong learning at Lehman graduation

Public Advocate Letitia James kicked off her speech at Lehman College’s 46th Commencement Ceremony on May 29 with an unconventional request. 

“I want to memorialize this moment, so allow me to take a selfie,” she said, turning away from the podium to snap a shot of herself with the over 2,000 graduates comprising the audience, who cheered and held up peace signs as her phone camera flashed.  

A 1982 graduate of Lehman, Ms. James majored in psychology at the school, after which she went on to Howard University in Washington D.C. for her law degree. 

As public advocate, she is the first African American woman to be elected to citywide office in New York City. She has garnered a reputation for her social activism, pushing for an end to the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy, calling for affordable housing and fighting for free lunches in public schools.

Her visit to the campus on Bedford Park Boulevard brought back a stream of memories.

“Riding the D train and the 4 train, waiting for the D train and the 4 train, running for the D train and the 4 train, studying on the D train and the 4 train…” she reminisced, as students from the school by the two subway lines shared laughs in recognition. When the 4 train rumbled past a few times during her speech, she persevered through the noise. 

Ms. James said it was a fear of failure, of becoming a statistic, that kept her going throughout her years of study. 

“I never gave up because it was fear that kept me going… fear of those individuals who said I would never make it,” she said. “Don’t waste time living someone else’s dream. Set your own path, your own destiny,” she advised students. 

Graduates Jessenia Ortiz, 24 and Sanjean McLaren, 22, managed to secure front row seats for the speech. The two English majors bonded over late nights in the library and the work in their English 301 class. 

“It’s a relief,” Ms. Ortiz said in  reflection on the graduation day. “All of the hard work paid off.” 

Both plan to work as assistant teachers next year. Ms. Ortiz has a job lined up at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School.