Bentley Holds Inaugural Cording Ceremony for First-Generation Graduating Students

In longstanding Bentley tradition, many seniors participate in cording ceremonies in the weeks leading up to graduation, where they receive a special cord to wear at commencement that designates an academic accomplishment or belonging to one of Bentley’s many student organizations. This year marked the inaugural First Falcons senior cording ceremony, which introduced a new cord to recognize first-generation graduating seniors. The May 5 ceremony included powerful personal stories from students and was an emotional celebration as 50 seniors crossed the stage to receive their cord. 

“I know that traditions are important; they connect us to one another and they strengthen our community,” said Associate Provost for Student Success Jane De León Griffin, who emceed the event with Vanessa Velasquez, student success and first-generation coordinator. “They empower individuals by making us feel honored and recognized, and that is exactly why we are gathered here this morning: to share in community with one another; to celebrate, recognize and honor the incredible accomplishments of our graduating First Falcons.”

The event was organized by First-Generation Student Support Committee members Sabrina Cruz, associate director of the residential center; Keliana Doyle, resident director; and Caroline Horne, assistant director of new student programs. The cording ceremony complements another new First Falcons tradition — a first-gen pinning ceremony — held earlier this year.

Among the first-generation student speakers was Kayla Gallegos ’23, a Quantitative Economics major with a minor in Sociology. Gallegos, who grew up in El Paso, Texas, told her story of developing a love for education despite facing challenges that included a lack of access to information, resources, guidance and funding. 

“Growing up in a single-mother household of four and facing financial hardships and a low-income community, I never felt that my dreams were limited,” Gallegos said. “In fact, witnessing the limitations of a constrained life only fueled my ambition to achieve my aspirations. I always knew that college was in my future.”     

Her mother’s support was unwavering, even when Gallegos set her sights on an east-coast college. “My mother never wanted to hold me back,” said Gallegos, who is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion student consultant at Bentley and is a project lead consultant for the Bentley Consulting Association, a student organization that provides pro-bono consulting services to developing organizations. “She understood that to change the trajectory of our family history and to achieve higher education, I needed to spread my wings and actually pursue my dreams.” 

The financial aid package that Gallegos received from Bentley was impactful. “When Bentley University sent me the acceptance letter and showed me the support that they were willing to give me, I saw a clear path for my future like I never did before,” said Gallegos, who will begin a full-time job as a consultant at Protiviti in Dallas following graduation. “Bentley University was the school that took a chance on me, invested in my future and showed me that I have the same chances as everyone else.” 

Speaker Anyfern González ’23 encouraged first-generation students to challenge stereotypes and labels. Acknowledging that many first-generation students struggle with “feelings of guilt for earning the privilege to pursue additional education,” she said: “We bring a gift to the world with our knowledge, expertise and experience. Each and every one of us has done our part and more to ensure that we cross the stage on May 20.” 

As the daughter of immigrants, González grew up translating legal documents and meeting with government officials, attorneys and doctors to ensure equal access for her family. Once she arrived at Bentley, she became committed to ensuring access to resources for first-generation students and will be the first Bentley student to graduate with a major in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She has a second major in Liberal Studies: Global Perspectives and a minor in International Affairs. González is a 2023 Dr. Earl L. Avery MLK Award winner and served in roles such as strategic initiatives intern in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, student director for the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center (BSLCE), captain of the Women’s Track and Field team and vice president for Coming Full Circle, an affinity group for female faculty, staff and students of color. 

“I am not defined by the labels set before me, but what I make of them,” González said. “To members of the Class of 2023, lead with resilience, humility and advocacy to ensure that we have seats at the table and feel emotionally and psychologically safe enough to speak up.” 

In her speech, González also recognized her mentor — Claudette Blot, Bentley’s associate director of mentorship and advising — encouraging students to “continue to break the barriers set before us — search for that one person to support you in every facet of your life, take up space in rooms where you are not welcome to ensure that you are heard and the value is appreciated in the work that you do. If all else fails, we have a community that we have built, and we cannot leave each other behind.”

Velasquez introduced a pre-recorded congratulatory video from various Bentley faculty members and alumni before marketing professor Isaura Beltre ’99, MSIAM ’02 spoke to students.  

“When I look into this room, I see leaders, I see creators, I see innovators, I see fighters,” said Beltre, who serves as associate director of the FirstGen Presidential Fellows program and faculty adviser to Coming Full Circle. Beltre shared her story of being a first-generation college student whose parents came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. “Sometimes we focus on the things we don’t have as first-generation students, but we come with so much that is not learned in the classroom,” she said. “When you mix that with your education and your drive, who's going to stop you? No one.” 

Beltre, who grew up in a diverse, low-income community north of Boston, was candid about the challenges it took to get to college and persevere in the corporate world, including as vice president for merchandising for the northeast at Macy’s. She shared a philosophy her parents taught her about education — “No one can take from you what you know” — and encouraged students to challenge imposter syndrome. “Whenever you doubt yourself or feel less than, just remember how smart you are, how creative you are, how grounded you are and how much you have worked — and will continue to work — to meet those goals. Always remember you deserve everything you have accomplished.”

In addition to being presented with their cord, students received a first-gen pin accompanied by the poem “Rise Above,” written by Nicole Espinal ’23. Espinal — a double major in Business Management and Liberal Studies: Diversity and Society with a minor in Psychology — is passionate about advocating for others and using her voice to drive change. She is vice president of the student organization La Cultura Latina, a student ambassador for the Center for Women and Business at Bentley, a BSLCE lead program manager and dresses coordinator for Dresses to Dreams, which provides free prom apparel and empowerment workshops to high school students.  

An excerpt from Espinal’s poem reads: “Let's hold on to hope, and never lose sight, / Of the light that shines within us, burning bright. / For we are warriors, with a heart full of love, / And nothing can stop us when we rise above.” 

Watch the recorded ceremony.