F&M Stories
Class of 2024 Turns Tassels
A pandemic robbed them of high school graduation and enveloped their earliest days of college in uncertainty. You could say the Franklin & Marshall College Class of 2024 knows a thing or two about perseverance.
Featured speaker Jason Cone 鈥�99 echoed that sentiment at the College鈥檚 237th Commencement ceremony May 11 at the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center.
鈥淵our presence here today is a subversive act. You persevered. You are fighters. You are leaders,鈥� said Cone, chief public policy officer of and former U.S. executive director of .
Addressing the 518 graduates in front of him, Cone shared three critical components of leadership: healing, listening and questioning.
鈥淟eadership is taking risk for something you believe in,鈥� he said.
A sea of colorful cords, stoles and decorated caps reflected the diversity of leaders comprising this year鈥檚 graduating class.
Highlights of the ceremony included remarks from honorary degree recipient Madeline E. Anderson, Class of 2024 president Genesis Familia, Henry S. Williamson Medalist Roxana 鈥淩oxy鈥� Calder and F&M President Barbara Altmann.
鈥淎 great metaphor for your accomplishment is the medical notion of alchemy, which means transforming something of little value into something precious,鈥� Altmann said.
鈥淥ut of distance, you created engagement, friendship and commitment. After sterile conditions of learning and living, you dug into every in-person, real-life experience available鈥� It turns out that you are alchemists, turning alienation into kinship, transforming foundation into possibility, forging leadership from early loss,鈥� she said.
With the traditional passing of the torch, applause filled the auditorium as graduates triumphantly raised diplomas and flipped the tassels adorning their mortarboards.
For downloadable images of the ceremony and events leading up to Commencement, .
Class of 2024 By the Numbers:
- 518 students
- 95 double majors
- 190 with minors
- 85 international students
- 119 first-generation students
- 18 Lancaster County students
Lux et Lex Walk Marks Milestone for Class of 2024
On the eve of Commencement, Franklin & Marshall鈥檚 graduating class took one final look at campus together during the Lux et Lex Walk.
See Story 禄"Seeing and hearing others doesn鈥檛 mean we have to accept the other side鈥檚 arguments or beliefs. But there is power in listening, and leading requires it."
Read More 禄
"A great metaphor for your accomplishment is the medical notion of alchemy, which means transforming something of little value into something precious鈥� It turns out that you are alchemists, turning alienation into kinship, transforming foundation into possibility, forging leadership from early loss."
Read More 禄
"We must be ready and excited to not only find the familiar, but more importantly, to challenge it, to make it unfamiliar. To poke at its edges, check its crumbling foundations and open its locked doors. To be engaged with the world this way is to be a lifelong learner."
Read More 禄
"As we step into the world beyond these campus walls, let鈥檚 embrace every challenge as an opportunity to showcase the resilience, creativity and tenacity instilled in us by F&M."
Related Articles
June 26, 2026
F&M Grad Nets Sports Medicine Fellowship with NY Knicks
Dr. Nicole Rynecki Baker 鈥�15 played a unique role in the Knicks鈥� recent NBA title as a sports medicine fellow at the team's official hospital, New York鈥檚 Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).
June 22, 2026
A Career in Emergency Care Comes Full Circle
John Allison 鈥�25 discovered his true calling in emergency medicine at F&M. Today, as an advanced EMT with Lancaster EMS, he mentors student volunteers through the same hands-on training that shaped his own career.
June 8, 2026
Careers Beyond Borders: A Diplomat鈥檚 Path to International Relations
Julianna Marton 鈥�25 always knew exactly where she was headed: around the world. After graduating from F&M, she followed this dream to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). 鈥淚 think if my first-year self could see me now, she would be very impressed and proud that I stayed on this path, and that I鈥檝e only grown more passionate about it,鈥� she said.