MESSAGE FROM LINDA POWELL

Dear Graduates,

Congratulations, Class of 2023!

Ten years ago, my father founded the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership because of his deep faith in City College and its students. Dad’s story is the story of many of our students: that you can come to this school from a poor community, the child of immigrants, the first in your family to attend college, and you can leave equipped to change the world.

No matter what career you choose, the education you received here gives you the skills to lead, to communicate a vision, to excite others into working with you, to execute a plan. Apply those skills to the service of your community, wherever you may find it. Seek out places that need your talent. Devote yourself to lifting up others. Fulfill the faith that we have in you.

Dad graduated from City College in 1958, and he never forgot where he came from. And—while it may have taken him 50 years!—he came back and gave back. Remember that this college, this campus, your classmates, and your fellow alumni will always be a part of your community. Trust each other, call upon each other, work together, and support one another. While you are graduating today, we are not saying goodbye, we are saying welcome, as you join the thousands of extraordinary Colin Powell School alumni who graduated in the last decade.

While I am not a City College graduate, I have been a proud member of this community since the Colin Powell School’s founding. I cheered with Dad at every commencement and I continue to share the pride in you that I see in your families’ eyes. I know in my core that when we invest in you, we invest in our future and in the future of this country.

Go forth and carry on Dad’s legacy! Have big dreams, set high standards, never stop learning, and believe in yourself as we do. I hope you’ll wear the mission and the legacy of the Colin Powell School with pride and that in the years to come you will help us advance that mission by your words and deeds. Together, we may make the world better for those who come next.

With heartfelt congratulations,

Linda Powell Chair, Board of Visitors