Working and having grit were some of the key themes offered to this year’s graduating class of LIM College at a commencement held last week at David Geffen Hall in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center. Nearly 500 students participated in the 86th annual commencement exercises. Students donned caps and gowns to collect their master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees.
The keynote address was from Luisa Herrera-Garcia, chief officer of development and production sourcing at Alexander Wang. Herrera-Garcia, who is a member of the LIM College class of 1988, was given the college’s Distinguished Achievement Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree. Her message to graduates was poignant and positive.
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“Greatness comes with a great deal of humility and hard work,” she said. “Remember the importance of working as a team and always lead with empathy. Being humble can be your greatest asset. If you spend most of your time being passionate about what you do, respect and admiration will follow.”
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Herrera-Garcia told graduates to never measure one’s success by someone else’s progress. “We all have different paths and journeys in this business and just because you don’t get there fast, it does not mean you are not on your way.”
She then recalled her own career path and said, “There were countless dues paid, many sleepless nights, working relentlessly with my teams to meet deadlines and having my collections ready for runway, market weeks and European market presentations. One of the milestones of my career was helping John Varvatos launch his brand and seeing it become a household name and reach the highest level of success. John became a mentor and a friend for many years, and I am forever grateful to him.”
When LIM College President Ron Marshall took the mic, he talked about the importance of having “grit” in terms of the combination of passion and perseverance. “Throughout the year, I meet students and families and hear about the incredible circumstances that bring students to LIM, the obstacles that had to be overcome, and the sacrifices made to get you to our college,” he explained. “Some of you, like me, are the first in your families to pursue a college degree. Some of you came halfway across the world. Some of you worked jobs — maybe more than one — while you earned your degree.”
Marshall said as opposed to other more traditional colleges, “students come to LIM knowing that their purpose and their passion is fashion. We may never know the depth of challenges you have faced, but we do know that you have persevered through it all. Grit is going to set you apart from others who have not discovered their passion, let alone had that passion fuel their every action day after day.”
The commencement included recognition of alumni and faculty. Velissa Vaughn, who earned a Master of Professional Studies degree from LIM College in 2016, was given the Shining Star Alumni Award. Vaughn is the owner and founder of JXV Collective, and the founder of H.E.R. Tunnel, which is formerly known as @WNBATunnel. Brandon Smithwrick from the class of 2018 received the Rising Star Alumni Award. Smithwrick is the director of content at Kickstarter.
Emaan Choudry of Portland, Ore., was the undergraduate class of 2025 student speaker and Jade Black of Montreal, Canada, was the graduate class of 2025 speaker.
Dr. O’Rita Johnson was posthumously awarded the Adrian G. Marcuse Award for Teaching Excellence. The award is named in honor of LIM College’s president from 1972 to 2002, and is given to a faculty member who performs in exemplary fashion in the classroom and consistently embodies LIM College’s core values.
“The much beloved Dr. Johnson, who passed away earlier this year, was the Assistant Director of LIM’s Math Center and a faculty member in the Arts & Sciences department,” the college said in a statement, adding that Dr. Johnson’s son was present on stage to accept the award.