Ringing in a New Chapter: The Spring 2025 Gong Ceremony

The gong rang out across campus once again, heralding the completion of another cohort’s theses. Under a bright spring sun, friends, community members, and thesis advisors gathered to celebrate the Spring 2025 graduating class.

One hour after the final thesis submission deadline, students announced their research topics and struck the gong—some timidly, others with the full force of four years of study—and received a crown to mark this academic milestone.

This year’s presentations traverse a striking range of themes—from carnival as a global form of dissent and the intricacies of queer Afrosurrealism in film to the impact of teacher quality in Pakistan.

When Dr. Florian Becker, BCB’s Managing Director, introduced the event, he noted how the diversity of the student body is reflected in the breadth of places explored in the thesis—Egypt, Ukraine, Chile, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to name a few. Others shifted their focus from geography to ideas, exploring Homer’s Odyssey, architectural photography, or the feasibility of large-scale organic farming.

Before the first gong was struck, Prof. Dr. Catherine Toal, Dean of the college, set a reflective tone by describing this as one of BCB’s most “solemn” traditions, reminding everyone of the bittersweet significance of the moment—these are the students’ first steps away from BCB, an exciting yet poignant transition.

Before the commencement ceremony in May, graduating students will present their theses before advisors, second readers, and anyone interested in witnessing the final stage of their scholarly journey. Find the schedule for the thesis presentations here. Students who developed a creative component will showcase their work in an exhibition on April 24.

With that in mind, congratulations to all of our Spring 2025 graduates—we wish you the very best as you enter this new chapter and look forward to all you will accomplish.

By: Mishel Jovanovska '25

Post Date: 04-23-2025