In a Saturday afternoon Master’s Ceremony address, student speaker Kenia T. Collins recalled the assumptions she carried with her when she came to Brown after spending most of her life in the U.S. Virgin Islands. “I imagined an institution filled with brilliant minds yet distant from the realities that shape so many lives,” said Collins, who earned a master of science in healthcare leadership from brownu_professional. “Instead, I encountered something far more powerful. I met people who were the living embodiment of sacrifice — students whose stories crossed continents and generations. Brown’s diversity was not accidental. It was instructional. Because when people with different lived experiences learn together, we ask sharper questions, challenge deeper assumptions and refuse easy answers to complex problems.” Before the ceremony, more than 1,000 graduates from 68 different countries followed bagpipers to the College Green, where their families and friends were patiently waiting. On...