Slideshow: Commencement moments from 8:04 a.m. to 12:33 p.m.

Whether you were with us on the Historic Quad, watching online, or feeling sorry that you missed the festivities on May 27, this selection of images will bring Commencement 2018 to life again.

8:04 a.m. — Get me to the march on time

Seniors Emily Jolkovsky of Avon, Minn., and Madeleine Lachevre of Milton, Mass., walk through the Historic Quad on their way to join their classmates on Alumni Walk.

8:37 a.m. — The mortarboard, the merrier

As seniors gather on Alumni Walk before Commencement, Maisie Silverman ’18 of Brunswick, Maine, and Delaney Nalen ’18 of Denver, Colo., observe as Kathleen Denoia ’18 of Falmouth, Maine, adjusts classmate Jack Maritz’s cap. Maritz is from St. Louis, Mo.

8:43 a.m. — Cap and ground

With about 50 minutes to wait, Kawai Marin of Reading, Mass., rests near Alumni Walk prior to Commencement.

9:14 a.m. — Break time

A senior gives her toes some relief from the demands of Commencement fashion.

9:18 a.m. — Reflection perfection

Adam Blau ’18 of Pacific Palisades, Calif., adjusts his cap using the reflection in the sunglasses of Jared Baumann ’18 of Seattle while lining up along Alumni Walk.

9:30 a.m. — Marshaling the forces

Junior class marshal Michael Driscal ’19 of Cleveland and Rosemary Kyne ’18 of Nashville, Tenn., await the signal for the procession to begin.

9:39 a.m. — From a distance

The Commencement procession as seen from the Gomes Chapel porch.

9:40 a.m. — Taking the wide view

The Commencement procession winds past Parker Hall (right) and Gomes Chapel (center) on its way to its destination: Coram Library.

9:46 a.m. — In place with the mace

Michael Murray, Phillips Professor of Economics and ceremonial mace bearer, leads the Commencement procession through the graduates-to-be and toward Coram Library.

9:48 a.m. — ‘Now feel the blood a-leaping’

Piper Tom Ryan has a commanding view of the Quad and the processional during Commencement on May 27, 2018.

9:51 a.m. — A quorum at Coram

The dais party stands ready for Commencement.

9:53 a.m. — Memories are made of this

10:04 a.m. — Honored to be here

From left, honorand Lynsey Addario, Commencement speaker Bryan Stevenson, and President Clayton Spencer enjoy the proceedings on May 27, 2018.

10:21 a.m. — ‘We learned to be the change’

In her address, senior speaker Rakiya Mohamed recounts how her optimism flagged during her first year at Bates. “If I was going to make a change in this world, I needed to make a change in my world,” she told her fellow graduates. “Before I could be the change, I had to change myself.”

“This is what Bates, and more important, the people in it, instilled in us during our four years”

10:21 a.m. — Listening and learning

The rituals of graduation are the focus of attention.

10:27 a.m. — ‘A camera your instrument, your medium, your gift’

Lynsey Addario, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, listens to the conferral for her honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during Commencement at Bates on May 27, 2018. Behind her is mace bearer Michael Murray, Phillips Professor of Economics.

10:52 a.m. — ‘Your hope is your superpower’

Stevenson delivers the keynote address to the Class of 2018. He told the seniors to “get proximate” to those who suffer.

“When you get proximate to the excluded and the disfavored, you learn things that you need to understand if we’re going to change the world,” he told the Bates seniors. “Our understanding of how we change things comes in proximity to inequality, to injustice.”

Stevenson’s Bates appearance came about a month after he opened two institutions in Alabama that are dedicated to keeping alive the truth about the history of racial injustice in the U.S.: the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a monument to the victims of lynchings; and the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration.

11:09 a.m. — Voices raised

The Commencement Choir, conducted by Lecturer in Music John Corrie, sings “Who Is Wise” during Commencement on May 27, 2018.

11:17 a.m. — A reason to smile

Elliot Chun of Bedford, N.H., receives his diploma.

11:17 a.m. — Congratulations Leah!

As Leah Dy of Laguna Hills, Calif., walked across the stage, she might have seen her family hold up a sign — “Congratulations Leah Graduation 2018” — and heard them sound a small horn.

Her father, Tom Dy, had arrived early with sign and horn to lay claim to several seats. As the diplomas were brought to the stage earlier this morning, he chatted with Jeremy Caron of Lewiston, who has attended seven or eight Commencements, by his count.

Dy was excited for and proud of his daughter, and he was looking forward to her Commencement speaker. “I can’t imagine how this guy does it,” he said of Stevenson’s tireless work on behalf of prisoners.

11:26 a.m. — Precious medal

President Spencer checks out the All-America medal worn by Adedire Fakorede of Newark, N.J.

He earned the honor on May 24 in the discus at the 2018 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

11:28 a.m. — C’mon, cheer up!

Hope French of London greets a classmate as she returns to her seat, diploma in hand.

11:30 a.m. — Shake on it

Bates granted degrees to 473 members of the Class of 2018 during Commencement on May 27.

11:30 a.m. — Perfect handoff

Dacota Griffin of Fryeburg, Maine, receives his diploma.

11:35 a.m. — Faces tell all

The many emotions of a Bates Commencement.

11:43 a.m. — Support and gratitude

Christina Olali of New York City walks back to her seat after receiving her diploma while her mother, Wendy Morales; her sister, Stephanie Vann; and six other friends and family members cheer.

Earlier in the morning, as they waited for the procession to begin, Olali’s family was gearing up for the “showcase and display” of Commencement, said her mother, Wendy Morales.

But they were still thinking back to the Baccalaureate Service the day before, at which Olali had given an offering of gratitude, reading selections from an interview with Maya Angelou. 

“It’s reassuring that her time here was meaningful,” said Stephanie Vann.

11:56 a.m. — Tassel time

The tassel shift from right to left marks the seniors’ transition from students to graduates.

12:10 p.m. — It all adds up

Mathematics major Gabriel Burton of Chicago hugs Associate Professor of Mathematics Adriana Salerno as faculty members, in an annual ritual, congratulate the new graduates at the end of Commencement.

12:12 p.m. — Good chemistry

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Andrew Kennedy hugs biology major Colin Eimers of Durham, N.C.

“He’s also known as ‘Dega’ on the men’s ultimate team,” says Kennedy. “It’s short for ‘Talladega’ because he’s crazy fast. I know: I’ve raced him head-to-head on the field, and he nearly killed this old man.”

12:18 p.m. — Cheek to cheek

It’s a congratulatory kiss from her mother for Samra Husremovic of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She graduated with honors in chemistry, summa cum laude.

12:33 p.m. — Mixed feelings (in the best possible way)

From left, Sekerkhi Anderson of Washington, D.C., Anton Brown of New Orleans, and Gabriel Burton of Chicago show a range of emotions as they display their diplomas.

12:22 p.m. to 12:33 — Together time

Happiness abounds as Commencement winds down.