Shari Cullen of Massapequa, New York, celebrated her daughter Emma Cullen’s undergraduate degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities by waving photographs of Emma as a 2-year-old. “It just amazes me that she went from that to this, in the blink of an eye,” said Cullen. Emma’s father and two siblings also waved headshots of Emma as a toddler when the graduate was up on the podium at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston’s Seaport District. “I’m a very proud mom today and always,” Shari Cullen said. She was not alone. Families bore flowers, teddy bears and beaming smiles for the bachelor’s and master’s degree students. Many families stopped to pose for photos in front of a sign that said 2026 flanked by two large red N’s.
The 812 graduates, who majored in everything from English and criminal justice to international affairs and sociology, have a ones have a lot to be proud of, said CSSH Dean Kellee Tsai. They made it through the COVID-19 pandemic that curtailed in-person schooling when the undergraduates were in high school and are facing the AI revolution head on in their professional lives. Tsai said it’s enough to bring to mind the 1987 R.E.M. song, “It’s the End of the World As We Know It.”
