On Friday, May 16, Columbia Climate School’s fourth class of graduating students gathered to celebrate their accomplishments in the 2025 Class Day ceremony. The M.A. in Climate and Society cohort represents scholars from all over the world, with academic and professional backgrounds that are just as diverse.

“Today, the Climate School sends forth 116 new ambassadors for climate action. You are leaders grounded in evidence, driven by data and guided by a deep commitment to equity,” said Alexis Abramson, dean of the Climate School, in her opening remarks. “But you are not setting out on your own. You move forward together.”

While most of the students in the M.A. in Climate and Society program won’t officially graduate until they complete their summer internships or capstone projects in August, Class Day represents the culmination of their coursework and an opportunity to celebrate with their loved ones and peers.

“As we celebrate today’s achievements with family and friends, please take a moment to reflect on why you chose this path and this graduate program,” said Lisa Dale, director of the Climate and Society program. “What were your reasons last year? And what are your reasons now? Maybe they’ve changed. The world is changing all around us, sometimes dramatically, and your passion for a better future is more important than ever. Let that passion fuel your efforts as you move forward into leadership roles where you can make an impact,” she added.

“It’s been gratifying to watch you shape your time here, and I look forward to how you will shape our world for the better,” Jeff Shaman, senior vice dean of the Climate School, said, before introducing the elected student leaders of the Climate School cohort: Rishab Jain, Columbia Climate graduate council president, and Carissa O’Donnell, Climate School representative in the University Senate and Campbell Award recipient.

“Just a few months ago, we came to be part of something greater than ourselves. Though our era as students is concluding, we have devoted ourselves to a field that never stops learning, a field that impacts most everything around us and a field tasked with untangling one of the most challenging puzzles facing society today,” said O’Donnell. “It is now time to take the lessons and experiences of this year and cast them into broader communities and generate broader impact. … This cohort has been my classroom just as much as it has been my community. Thank you for being some of my greatest teachers,” she said.

Jain added: “Our biggest takeaway from this year, and we hope you all can agree, is that nothing can be accomplished in isolation. Looking around this room, I see students, family, friends, faculty members; we are all a part of something large and urgent. If we ever find ourselves with our backs to the wall, pushing for change in every corner of the world, let the company of our peers be our inspiration.”

Class Day student speaker Anyieth Philip Ayuen told the audience how proud he was of his cohort. Today, he said, “we stand at the intersection of celebration and responsibility. …This moment isn’t just about us. It is about the future we inherited and the future we choose to create.”

Speaking from his personal experience as a refugee from South Sudan, Ayuen said, “As a displaced person, I know the heartache of losing your home, your country, a sense of belonging, of losing the certainty of tomorrow to extreme events.” However, he continued, this history has only strengthened his resolve and taught him “that climate change is not merely an environmental challenge; it is a human crisis.”

Ayuen said he feels hopeful as he looks to his classmates: “We, the class of 2025, are not just witnesses to these [climate] events; we are the architects of solutions; we are the scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, consultants and advocates. We have just spent a year studying not just the ‘wicked’ problems of climate change, but the pathways to a just and sustainable future.”

“We know the future isn’t something we wait for—it’s something we build,” said Ayuen.

The graduates in this room already know what it will take to solve climate change, said Adam Met, musician, educator and climate advocate, in his keynote address. “They know they need to move away from fossil fuels as fast as possible. They know we need to reimagine our agricultural systems, our transportation systems, our waste systems, how we build things, how we grow things. They have all of these solutions already,” Met said.

The challenge and opportunity for all Climate School graduates when they leave this room, he said, is no longer figuring out what the solutions are, but how to make them a reality.

This summer, M.A. in Climate and Society students will continue this mission by tackling climate challenges across the globe, from resilience planning to sustainability consulting. One student is interning with BloombergNEF, supporting research on clean energy transitions. Another has joined G.E. Vernova’s sustainability team, contributing to corporate climate initiatives. A third is working at the New York State Research and Development Authority, helping shape New York’s energy future. And through a hands-on role with the Billion Oyster Project, one student is engaging communities in climate education and coastal restoration. A few capstone projects include program development at the Climate Imaginarium on Governor’s Island; designing green-financing models for circular economy solutions in India; and analyzing Indigenous-led nature-based climate solutions—just to name a few ways Climate School graduates will translate their education into meaningful action in the future.