USC valedictorian gets cheers, standing ovation during commencement

Asna Tabassum, USC’s valedictorian who was denied the opportunity to speak at commencement this year because of a pro-Palestine post she shared on social media, graduated on Friday, May 10, crossing the stage to the sound of cheers and a standing ovation after her name was called.

But it didn’t take place during the traditional main-stage commencement ceremony.

That event, which would’ve occurred Friday, was canceled in the wake of campus unrest over the past few weeks due to tension stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.

Instead, Tabassum — sporting a tassel in the colors of Palestine’s flag — crossed the stage Friday in a much smaller ceremony held by the Viterbi School of Engineering, where she was one of 758 engineering students to graduate – a new record for the school.

The engineering school’s ceremony was peaceful and went off without incident, putting a bookend to weeks of uncertainty about how commencement events at USC might unfold in the wake of the controversies.

With the main-stage commencement canceled, USC was scheduled to proceed with smaller ceremonies put on by individual schools.

As Tabassum’s name was called and she crossed the stage, some audience members in the stands cheered, as did some of her fellow classmates who gave her a standing ovation. Tabassum waved at her classmates as she walked back to her seat.

The moment Tabassum’s name was called was a reminder of the controversy USC has been embroiled in in recent weeks.

There was a moment in Dean Yannis Yortsos’ speech where he spoke of the world being “in pain.”

“International events take place thousands of miles away in different parts of the world, but we feel them here on our campuses,” the dean said. “Through it, you have demonstrated dignity, moral compass and true grace.”

But overall, Friday’s ceremony unfolded as one would expect at any commencement ceremony, with graduating students and their family members in celebratory moods.

And in a moment of levity, one graduate swung around a blue lightsaber as he crossed the stage and walked back to his seat after his name was called, drawing laughter and cheers from the audience.

Although Tabassum never got to speak at commencement, she did make a statement of sorts on Friday.

The Daily Trojan, USC’s student newspaper, and Annenberg Media, another student newsroom at USC, published what would have been Tabassum’s speech – though most of it was self-redacted by the valedictorian.

The speech started out with: “President Folt, Provost Guzman, faculty, staff, families and fellow Class of 2024:

It is my honor to stand before you today as your Valedictorian. I am filled with gratitude to have the privilege of” …

That was followed by several blacked-out paragraphs before her speech concluded with “Congratulations, Class of 2024,” another blacked-out line, then the line “Thank you.”

An editor’s note by the Daily Trojan said the paper “did not write, edit or change the speech or its presentation. This speech is published as was written and shared to us by Asna Tabassum.”

After Friday’s ceremony, Adrian Martinez, who graduated with a degree in computer science, said he had heard about the publication of Tabassum’s speech and her decision to black out most of it. He said he thought she made a bigger statement by redacting most of it and interpreted that gesture as Tabassum’s way of illustrating how she had been censored by the university.

“I think it was very impactful that she did that,” Martinez said.

“She already had said a lot through interviews (in recent weeks) so doing that (the self-redaction) was definitely another statement,” he added.

Martinez admitted he wasn’t sure when he woke up Friday what, if anything, would happen at the Viterbi ceremony – whether there would be protesters or other disruptions during the event.

“I was just wondering if anyone was going to say anything during the commencement … but it wasn’t necessarily a concern of safety,” he said.

If there were any students concerned about how the event would turn out, those worries appeared to be laid to rest by the time the ceremony was over. Many of the graduates and their family members appeared to be all smiles following the ceremony at the Galen Center.

Victoria Pinkett, who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, said she wished the university hadn’t canceled the main-stage commencement ceremony. But given that her high school prom and graduation ceremony were canceled four years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she was glad she at least had the chance to walk across the stage at Friday’s smaller ceremony put on by the engineering school.

“Being able to walk with my peers and celebrate – I know it’s not what we were expecting – but I still feel like it’s been a good experience,” Pinkett said.