“Class of 2025, are you prepared?”

This was the inquiry Hashim Sarkis, dean of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning, posed to the graduating cohort during the school’s Advanced Degree Ceremony at Kresge Auditorium on May 29. The reply was a resounding applause and cheers from the 224 graduates representing the departments of Architecture and Urban Studies and Planning, the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, and the Center for Real Estate.

After welcoming the audience filled with the graduates’ family and friends, Sarkis introduced the day’s keynote speaker, whom he described as the “ideal match for this class.” Acknowledging the “diverse array of graduates,” Sarkis invited Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and head of the Mary Robinson Foundation — Climate Justice, to the stage. Robinson, a trained lawyer, has had a diverse career beginning with elected roles in Ireland and later advancing to leadership positions on global matters concerning justice, human rights, and climate change.

Robinson enriched her speech with personal stories from her career, ranging from earning a master’s in law at the nearby Harvard University in 1968—a time marked by political turmoil in the United States—to establishing The Elders in 2007 alongside global leaders like former South African President Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid and human rights advocate Desmond Tutu, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

She recounted an “early lesson” while reflecting on her attempts to amend the contraception laws in Ireland at the start of her career in the Irish government. At that time, birth control was only prescribed to women who were married and had irregular menstrual cycles verified by their doctors. Robinson received thousands of letters of outrage and threats, asserting that she would ruin Ireland if she facilitated easier access to contraception. Despite the “hate mail” she encountered, the legislation she introduced succeeded; the letters were so disturbing that her fiancé, now her husband, burned them. This experience instilled in her the importance of adhering to her principles.

“If you truly believe in something, you must be ready to face consequences,” she advised the graduates.

As she concluded, Robinson encouraged the class to channel their “abilities and expertise toward tackling the climate crisis,” an issue she admitted she came to confront later in her career.

“You have had the opportunity to be at the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT,” Robinson stated. “Upon your departure, seek ways to take the lead.”