Director and Designer David Korins ‘99 Tells Graduates to Embrace Curiosity at UMass Amherst Commencement
UMass Amherst Undergraduate Commencement 2025 at McGuirk Stadium. Photo: umass.edu
Source: UMass News & Media
A global powerhouse in immersive storytelling and design, David Korins ’99 encouraged graduates at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s 155th Undergraduate Commencement today to step boldly into their greatness and put aside ego for the collective good.
“Fear is an opportunity killer,” he said. “You don’t need to be fearless; you just need to be one percent more curious than you are afraid.”
“Then let your curiosity lead you on a wild adventure to do what only you can do,” said Korins, who was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts before he addressed the approximately 4,200 undergraduate students and 16,000 family, friends and faculty at Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
Korins also suggested graduates reframe daunting obstacles so that they become opportunities; live their lives by design not default; and embrace bad ideas and be ready to surrender their favorite ones in the need for progress.
“Check your efforts against your own vision — the time you spend on autopilot, complacent or distracted — won’t magically add up to the life you hoped for. That’s default, not design,” said Korins.
Korins is perhaps best known for his theater work after designing more than 25 Broadway shows, including Tony Award-winning hits including “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” earning him four Tony Award nominations. In television, Korins has twice been the production designer for the Academy Awards broadcast, and was designer for “Grease: Live!,” winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design. He has created over 100 museum installations and collaborated with artists including Bruno Mars, Andrea Bocelli and Lady Gaga.
UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes told the Class of 2025, “You are part of an intellectual community that is grounded in teaching, research and service that benefits our communities and our world.”
“In fact, we say that UMass is here for the common good: We educate for the common good, we innovate for the common good, we engage for the common good, we connect for the common good and we steward for the common good,” observed Reyes. “Your success here shows that you have what it takes to make a difference. Embrace the unknown and work to forge new realities.”
Joseph Sullivan ’81, a member of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees, and Felicity Oliveira ’25, a student trustee and new graduate, joined distinguished guests.
“Stay fresh,” Sullivan told the graduates. “Remain curious, engaged and eager to grow. Stay energized and understand that the journey ahead will be bumpy at times. Embrace the fun times and the challenging ones. Always step forward with a clear mind, a loving heart, and a desire to do good not just for yourself, but for our community, our commonwealth and our country.”
Student Speaker
David Dagenais of Agawam, a Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) student who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology on the neuroscience track, represented the undergraduate Class of 2025 as student speaker at the ceremony.
“Only about one-third of Americans hold bachelor’s degrees and only about six percent of the world has a bachelor’s degree,” noted Dagenais, who qualified for the Dean’s List every semester, and won an Honors Research Grant and Honors Research Assistant Fellowship from CHC to support his research and honors thesis.
“We earned the privilege of attending UMass, one of the leading universities in the best state for education in the most prosperous country in the world,” added Dagenais. “We’re the future doctors, lawyers, scientists, business leaders and innovators that will bring the world to a better place. We should not take that opportunity lightly. It is now up to us to use that privilege and to use that opportunity that we fought for, that we were given, to change the world and each other for the better.”
Honorary Degrees
In addition to Korins, UMass Amherst also conferred an honorary degree upon another illustrious alumnus at the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony.
The Hon. Stephen P. Driscoll ’73, who served on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and was co-chair of its LGBT Caucus for 25 years; co-founded the National Stonewall Democrats in 1996 and served as its board chair for 10 years; and was the first openly gay member of the Electoral College—was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Public Service.
In addition to his career in politics, Driscoll taught at MIT for 15 years and, concurrently, was associate director and resident choreographer of the Opera Company of Boston and Opera New England. Driscoll established the Stephen P. Driscoll Musical Theater Endowment, which helps fund the production of musical theater at UMass. The Hon. Stephen P. Driscoll Collection of Political Americana and Popular Culture is an endowment in support of his lifelong collection, which includes thousands of election-related items dating back to George Washington, as well as hundreds of frames of buttons regarding the Vietnam War, women’s issues, militaria, the environment, religion, the arts, social causes and more. Many pieces were on display in Old Chapel in 2023–24.
Distinguished Achievement Awards
The university also recognized two accomplished alumni with Distinguished Achievement Awards at the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony.
Daniel J. Riccio Jr. ’86BS, ’24MS, was recognized for being a leader in designing, developing and engineering nearly all of Apple’s products—including the Apple Vision Pro and iMac—for almost 30 years. Riccio also pioneered efforts with spacial computing on the Apple Vision Pro, reporting directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook as vice president of engineering.
Starting at Apple in June 1998 as director of desktop product design, Riccio and his team delivered the first iMac in August 1998 and the G3 Tower in January 1999. He quickly moved up the ranks at Apple, first overseeing portables product design, then all product design, for the company. After serving as vice president of the iPad division, Riccio was promoted to senior vice president of hardware engineering, joining Apple’s executive team in 2012. Prior to working at Apple, he elevated Compaq to the top spot in the global PC market. Recently retired, Riccio has been an active member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Engineering since 2023.
Christine G. Savage ’92, partner and co-chair of the Government Enforcement and Compliance Group at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, was recognized for her professional accomplishments and service as a director and the secretary/clerk for the UMass Amherst Foundation’s Board of Trustees; her role as the former chair of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board; and for establishing the Dr. Charles W. Solt and Doris J. Solt Scholarship at UMass Amherst in honor of her parents and to support out-of-state undergraduates pursuing studies in the social and behavioral sciences.
Savage is considered one of the nation’s leading subject matter experts related to research compliance, integrity and security at premier academic institutions and their affiliated medical centers. She has been recognized as a leading lawyer by the Legal 500 in Education and by Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, Massachusetts Super Lawyers and Boston Magazine. In 2007, she was named one of Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” and, in 2010, she was named one of the “Top Women of Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
21st Century Leaders
Ten of the university’s most talented and accomplished undergraduates were honored for their strong academic records and exemplary achievements with awards naming them as 21st Century Leaders. Receiving $1,000 honorariums from the UMass Amherst Alumni Association were:
- Ridha Fazal Alam, of Shrewsbury, a member of the Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) and International Scholars Program, graduated with a degree in biology and a certificate for demonstrating global competencies. After winning multiple awards while at UMass Amherst, Alam was recognized for her outstanding contributions to fertility research and dedication to bringing together diverse cultures.
- David Akoh, earned a bachelor’s degree in informatics with a concentration in data science, was recognized for uniting numerous religious organizations and fostering a meaningful sense of belonging within the UMass campus community as a student leader and a resident assistant.
- Ryan Anthony Bahlous-Boldi, a Commonwealth Honors College student and computer science major, was born in Boston and attended high school in Dubai. He was recognized for conducting impactful research on artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning, including publishing numerous papers in scientific journals.
- Grace Cipollone, of College Point, Queens, New York, a Commonwealth Honors College student, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She was recognized for her devotion to food security advocacy in the fight against hunger and her role in bringing a food pantry to campus.
- Shakira Keyla Affoué Ebian, a Commonwealth Honors College student, was born in Boston and raised in Côte D’Ivoire, West Africa. She graduated with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and was recognized for her standing as a beacon of leadership and service on campus and celebrating diversity and advocating for underrepresented students in medicine.
- Jibrael Taino Harrell, of North Bergen, New Jersey, graduated with a degree in sport management after winning multiple grants and awards. He was recognized for creating an inclusive environment by hiring and leading the most diverse group of campus tour guides in recent history and for successfully leading the country’s largest, free in-person sport management career fair.
- Ilana Krebs, of Watertown, a Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) student, earned dual degrees: a bachelor’s degree with individual concentration in environmental microbiology and a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese. She was recognized for demonstrating integrity and empathy while addressing global health, climate and equity challenges through her research on antibiotic resistance.
- Chiruza Peter Muhimuzi, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, moved to Boston as a refugee in 2019. While earning his degree in biology, Muhimuzi started a nonprofit organization that aims to help more than 200 refugees, orphans and underprivileged students in Uganda and the DR Congo attend school by providing them with tuition and school supplies.
- Laleh Lea Panahi, of Marlborough, a Commonwealth Honors College student, earned dual degrees in operations and information management and journalism. She was recognized for her devotion to familial welfare and prison reform as a foster care advocate.
- Tess Weisman, of Northampton, double-majored in psychology and sociology and earned a certificate in criminal justice. She was recognized for her compassion, resilience and dedication to her fellow students as student government association president and work with the criminal justice system to create better societal outcomes.
Jack Welch Scholars
Two students were Welch Scholars throughout their time at UMass Amherst and were recognized for earning merit scholarships funded by the GE Foundation for all four years. The award is named in honor of alumnus Jack Welch, who drew upon his UMass Amherst undergraduate education in chemical engineering to forge a legendary career as a business leader, serving for two decades as chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric.
Honored at the ceremony were Liliangel Alvarado Arias, of Lawrence, who earned a degree in operations and information management, and Nare Parseghian, of Belmont, a Commonwealth Honors College student, who majored in biomedical engineering with a minor in engineering management.
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