Mark A. L. Mason Sr., the chief financial officer (CFO) of investment bank Citigroup and vice chairman of the Howard University Board of Trustees, told the class of 2028 and other attendees to use their voices, allow themselves to grow and recognize the value of relationships in a 31-minute convocation oration last week.
“You have more influence than you think. You can use that voice to protest, [but] the highest of all is to use our voices to propose different ideas and inspire change,” the Howard alumnus said, referencing the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and how his children’s voices pushed him to use his platform.
“Young people are often closer to the changes happening in the world than those of us that are older. We’ve seen that across generations and around the world, [and] we value what you see and think,” he added.
The vice chairman, who earned a degree in business administration at Howard in 1991, encouraged students to take advantage of the school’s resources during his speech. Opening Convocation is an annual event signaling the beginning of a new school year. This was Howard’s 157th.
“The Howard team has spent a lot of time working to ensure that your transition from the support systems of home to the community of Howard is as comfortable as possible,” he said.
During his time at Howard, Mason said he struggled with figuring out what exactly he wanted to do, shifting his focus from medicine to accounting then finance.
“I only discovered my calling here because I have the support and the space to learn and grow,” he said. “Some of you may have a destination in mind. Some of you may not. Allow yourself the freedom to explore, cultivate and taste with that invention.”
Mason said he wished he was on campus the night of the presidential election debate. He imagined students yelling “HU” all over campus. Additionally, he told students to vote and encouraged their friends to do the same, while also nodding to the Howard alumna running for office.
“Studies show that you have the most influence on whether your friends vote, and the youth vote will be the difference maker in several key states,” Mason said. “I’m not telling who you should vote for because ‘HU? You already know.’”
Among the attendees were the largest incoming class of 2028, the Royal Court, faculty, staff, returning students and members of Howard’s early learning program.
Sydney Daruvalla, a freshman political science major from Austin, Texas, sat in the front rows behind the students of the early learning program and shared her views of the gathering.
“I really liked what the keynote speaker said about his reasons for coming to Howard, about how this is a whole community of excellence,” she said. “It pushes further on what you believe you could do and how it’s a community that really supports you and impacts you to reach further beyond what you possibly think you could.”
Kevin Webb, a senior compliance specialist in the Office of Audit and Compliance, talked about how convocation reminds attendees of their “why” and how he plans to use his voice.
“I come to convocation every year. I think it’s a great way to set the tone for the year for all of us, for faculty, staff and students. All of us who are part of this Bison community,” Webb said.
Webb thought that Mason’s speech was inspiring and motivating.
“It reminded us of the legacy and the history. I really liked the message about how we use our voice in whatever role we’re in,” he said.
Abira Imanke, a junior nursing major from Houston, was taking a picture at the end of convocation with her College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences cohort. This was her first time attending.
The group decided to go because they find pride in the Howard motto: “Truth and Service.”
“I felt very inspired. It kind of renewed my drive to succeed and graduate with my bachelor’s at Howard University,” Imanke said. “I know, especially as a nursing student, [that] it can get very tiresome and you forget why you came to the school and why you’re doing this.”
Like Webb, Jennifer C. Thomas, the associate professor of the Media, Journalism and Film department of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications and director of the Annenberg Honors Program, always goes to convocation when she can.
“It sets the standard on the expectations and it inspires hopefully the students, notably the baby Bison, who are starting for the first time. But it reminds us why we’re here, ‘Excellence in Truth and Service,’ so I think the speaker did a good job reminding us about that,” Thomas said.
CASCADE president Da’Quan Cooney, a junior Bachelor of Fine Arts musical theater major from Atlanta and former Mr. College of Fine Arts for the 2023-2024 academic year, also shared his view.
“I do try to make an effort to come to convocation. Now that I’m not on Royal Court anymore, I’m not obliged to. I try to make a conscious effort to come to support the university that has given me so much,” he said.
According to Engage, CASCADE, which stands for the Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality, is Howard University’s LGBTQ+ student organization whose mission is to “celebrate, uplift and advocate for all LGBTQ+ students on campus.”
“[HBCUs] are microcosms of the real world. Any situation that you go through, any conflict that you might encounter, is very representative of the real world, and because you dealt with it at Howard, you’re going to know how to deal with it outside of this university,” Cooney said.
Copy edited by Jalyn Lovelady
