Joe Wilensky

Senior chimesmasters Ilia Karp, left, and Keiran Cantilina (head chimesmaster) perform in McGraw Tower as graduates assemble on the Arts Quad below for the Commencement academic procession.

Joe Wilensky

Rizpah Bellard ’15 decorated her mortarboard with any ivy theme to denote her college (Agriculture and Life Sciences) and her sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha).

Joe Wilensky

Visitors sneak a peek into Schoellkopf Stadium before the start of Commencement.

Joe Wilensky

Soon-to-be graduates make their way toward Schoellkopf Stadium for the 2015 Commencement ceremony.

Under brilliant blue sky peppered with wispy clouds and comfortable temperatures, Cornell University graduated its 147th class May 24, sending about 6,000 accomplished women and men into the future. Together on campus for the last time, seniors assembled on the Arts Quad to smile, hug and share the joy of the day as they processed to Schoellkopf Stadium.

Cornell Chimesmasters Keiran Cantilina ‘15 and Ilia Karp ’15 led playing of the chimes Sunday morning as thousands of graduates assembled on the Arts Quad.

Cantilina said the Cornell Chimes “has meant a lot to me. It’s been a home when I didn’t have a home, it’s been a source of musical inspiration, and it’s also been a source of being able to connect to alumni, which has been really interesting and really great.”

Karp and Cantilina performed in cap and gown for the first several selections, but for the “Jennie McGraw Rag” – which kicked off the academic procession – they shed their regalia for the fast-paced piece, then dashed downstairs to join their colleges in the procession.

Swathi Jayavel ’15 and Rebant Srivastava ’15 successfully negotiated a brand new selfie-stick on the Arts Quad to get McGraw Tower into the photo.

Far above Cayuga’s waters, Ben Solaski '15 walked from the Arts Quad to Schoellkopf Stadium. Solaski is the great great grandnephew of Archibald C. Weeks, Class of 1872, the lyricist of Cornell’s “Alma Mater.”

Joining the parade of soon-to-be graduates were Lynne Howard ’15 and Spencer Nixon ’15, both of the School of Hotel Administration (SHA). Both contemplate careers in law, and Howard will attend the University of Maryland Law School in the fall.

Another SHA senior, Max Tave ’15, handed Kukui nut leis to fellow graduates. Oil from the Kukui nut is used for light and brings good luck in Hawaii, where Tave hails from. Tave has a marketing job at Red Bull.

At the College of Human Ecology, Dean Alan Mathios chatted with a very happy graduates: Renee McKee ’15, who will pursue chiropractic work, while Angela Goscilo ’15, Grace Altamura ’15 and Nolan Reese ’15 will pursue advanced programs in dietetics.

Rizpah Bellard ’15 decorated her mortarboard with any ivy theme to denote her college (Agriculture and Life Sciences) and her sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha.) Decorated on the mortarboard of the ILR School’s Tali Nusbaum ’15: the Douglas Adam’s book title, “So long and thanks for all the fish!” She will head to Israel for a year.

Olya Homonchuk ’15 has a mantra: “Never doubt yourself.” Her home is Ukraine and she’ll attend Oxford University next fall to study comparative social policy.

At the Arts Quad on Saturday, May 23, crowds gathered for ice cream. Sean Salmon ’15 expected almost a dozen family members for Commencement Weekend. He graduated with a computer science degree and will work as a software engineer for Pandora.

Eating ice cream, Steven Tsai ’15, who majored in bioengineering, had his brother, Jason Tsai, on campus again. Jason visited campus for Slope Day.

On Saturday evening, the Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club gave their final performance of the year at the Senior Days Concert. The groups sang “Felices Ter,” by Randall Thompson; “Armottoman Osa,” by Mia Makaroff; and the fiery Meguru, a Namibian song arranged by Mike Brewer. Both groups have had a busy sesquicentennial year with 63 performances in 21 cities, including Los Angeles, London, Washington (Kennedy Center) and New York City (Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.)