The graduates crossed the stage on Saturday, May 20, as newly-minted alums of CFA’s School of Music, School of Theatre, and School of Visual Arts, having endured (dare we say) unprecedented times, persisting all the way to create art, inspire communities, and support each other.

As returning CFA alum and convocation speaker Kim Raver said, “the world needs art, it needs music, it needs stories, it needs beauty now more than ever.”

Tend to your spark

Television and film actor and producer Kim Raver, herself a BU alum, returned to Boston as the speaker of the 2023 CFA Convocation ceremony. Raver is known for her work on Grey’s Anatomy, Ray Donovan, Bones, 24: Live Another Day, Third Watch, and many other beloved shows in which she endeared herself to critics and viewers.

Raver reflected on the lessons learned in her time training at CFA School of Theatre and the wisdom earned in her years developing as an artist throughout her career. She shared with grads and their families valuable words on the power of perseverance… and the importance of making sure your couch fits through your door.

“It turns out no one can be the better version of you than you. Just to be clear. Being yourself does not simply mean showing up and saying ‘hey, here I am, take me or leave me.’ It takes work to find and cultivate that inner voice. And you started that here… Your time here has helped spark that light within you. And now it’s up to you how you tend to it, and you keep it alive. To be clear, being yourself, it doesn’t mean you resist opportunities to stretch and to grow.”

“The most valuable thing any of us have is human connection”

BU College of Fine Arts was honored to hear the words of undergraduate printmaking and art history student Lily Fine (CFA’23), who was selected as the student speaker for the 2023 CFA Convocation. Hear how CFA helped Lily grow as an artist and a person, and learn how “art comes from within.”

After taking some time to discern her path, and decide if staying in college was right for her, Lily took time to learn where she fit into the world outside of school, volunteering at a hospital helping distribute COVID-19 vaccines, “which made me hopeful that the world was working in the right direction.” She painted murals in her hometown “to bring color to quiet, lonely streets.” She spent six months walking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, “somewhere I thought I could find who I was.” Through all this, Lily found herself drawn to BU and returned to face the special challenges of art school before her junior year, alongside her community. It gave her the chance to reflect on her unique journey as a person and an artist.

“I was reminded of why I chose to come to BU in the first place: I love the community at the College of Fine Arts and beyond, I love the opportunities being at a larger university gave me, but I loved being able to return to my art school whenever I wanted to. College of Fine Arts at Boston University is an extraordinary place, with creativity oozing from every corner, and I’m inspired just by being in the buildings every day.”

Watch her hope-filled address to the grads, families, and friends.