This year’s 147 graduates are entering positions in academia, NGOs, government, and the private sector, joining a global network of more than 5,800 alumni working to address today's urgent environmental challenges.
In his keynote address to the Yale School of the Environment Class of 2025, Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp ’75 acknowledged the challenges ahead but also emphasized how much the graduates can — and will — do to sustain and accelerate meaningful progress.
“You're graduating into a moment when the risks of our world are real and undeniable. Chaos is worsening while the rules that safeguard us from pollution are under attack,” Krupp said during YSE’s diploma ceremony in Kline Courtyard on May 19. “But here's the thing, despair is understandable, but it's not acceptable for me or for you, not if we want to make progress. So, yes, see the world for what it is. Learn everything you can about its problems, contradictions, and pain points. Don't look away, look closer. That's the first act of courage.”
Full coverage of Commencement 2025, including a photo gallery, graduate spotlights, and the YSE ceremony livestream video.
Citing an array of EDF initiatives as examples, such as the organization's work in India fostering sustainable development, the launch of the first-of-its-kind satellite MethaneSAT, and efforts to ensure passage of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, Krupp urged the graduates to take bold steps, partner with unexpected allies, and most importantly, be willing to listen.
“There's something courageous about taking a beat, listening with intention and building trust, and about being willing to sit across the table from people you don't agree with and listening to find a way forward anyway,” he said. “That's how change happens, not all at once, but because some people like you refused to believe that the story was over.”
The day began with a procession from Kroon Hall to Old Campus, where YSE students joined 4,400 fellow graduates from across the university at Yale’s 324th commencement ceremony.
The students, many sporting the environmentally themed mortarboards that are a tradition at YSE, then returned to Science Hill to this year’s diploma ceremony, which was moved to Kline Courtyard to accommodate ongoing construction around Kroon Hall.
The 124th graduating class included 11 PhDs, 99 Master of Environmental Management, 18 Master of Environmental Science, 13 Master of Forestry, and six Master of Forest Science students. Twelve students received joint degrees with other Yale schools, including the Divinity School and the Schools of Engineering and Applied Science, Architecture, and Management. Three students received joint degrees from Tsinghua University; three received MEM and JDs from the Elizabeth Haub Law School at Pace University; and one received a MESc and JD from Vermont Law School.
There's something courageous about taking a beat, listening with intention and building trust, and about being willing to sit across the table from people you don't agree with and listening to find a way forward anyway.”
YSE’s PhD graduates have accepted postdoctoral positions at leading institutions around world, including at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, ETH Zurich in Switzerland, and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. Others are headed to major consulting firms such as McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group. Master's graduates will be entering demanding doctoral programs or working on climate solutions in a wide array of roles, including as planning leadership developer at Ford; North America Sustainability Manager at FMG Global; diplomat and global environment affairs expert in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan; climate science fellow with Thomson Reuters; business developer with NextEra Energy, and analyst with Shanghai International Trust Fund.
Dean Indy Burke, noting the school’s 125 anniversary, told the graduates that she was particularly inspired by their “intrepid resilience” and encouraged them to find collaborative solutions.
“Graduates, today we celebrate your accomplishments in developing expertise in addressing complex environmental challenges. You will be leaders for change, and soon! I hope you wield your credential carefully, and with humility,” Burke said. “I know that you can build bridges toward collaborative solutions through respecting, listening, and seeing the good in others.”
Each of this year’s class speakers — Fiacro Jimenez Ramirez ’25 MEM, Steven Ring ’25 MEM, Nicole Israel-Meyer ’25 MEM, and Nataniel Warszawski ’25 MEM — noted the close-knit community they had created as YSE students, one that will provide a lifetime of support.
“I have seen how each one of you pursues your vision of excellence and how despite the many differences we have, we still build a community of openness and understanding,’’ said Jimenez Ramirez, who is among the first cohort of Three Cairns Scholars to graduate through the Three Cairns Program for the Global South at YSE.
"I ask you to reflect on the light that brought you here and made you a part of this struggle that keeps you pushing forward. In these rivers and roads that are ahead of you, I ask you to rely on the unbreakable bonds you have cultivated in this school. And most important, don't back down. We need you,” he told his fellow graduates.
Terry Baker ’07 MF, chief operating officer at the Society of American Foresters and president of the YSE Alumni Board, welcomed the graduates into the school’s alumni community — now more than 5,800 strong — with a pinning ceremony.
Reminiscing about all he had learned since he graduated from YSE, Baker said, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
The day closed with a reception and luncheon for the Class of 2025 and their families, who came to New Haven from 29 countries to attend the event.
“This is a dream come true,” said George Oge Aniegbunem ’25 MEM. “I've been inspired a lot by my professors and by my fellow students. I ended up learning so much from my fellow students. I hope to use this degree to create impact, not just in society (today), but also inspiring younger generations to do more, to aspire to greatness.”
