Proud Grads Honor Ancestors at 2025 Rites of Passage Ceremony

June 2, 2025

by Lauren Ferguson

A group of about 80 graduating Ramapo College of New Jersey students from diverse backgrounds honored the contributions and sacrifices of their ancestors in a special celebration on the College’s Mahwah campus.

The 9th Annual Rites of Passage Pre-Commencement Celebration was held on May 14, the day before Class of 2025 undergraduates were awarded their hard-earned diplomas.

The celebration was a reminder to students that they come from lines of strong, dedicated and determined ancestors, who have demonstrated that nothing is out of reach, and that by obtaining their degrees, they too are proving they can achieve whatever they put their minds to.

The students, wearing caps and gowns, filed into Friends Hall, as family members, friends, professors, college leadership and staff looked on. The room was adorned with flags from about 25 countries – representing the various countries of students’ ancestors, such as Ecuador, Guyana, Italy, Kenya and Pakistan.

Ramapo College faculty and staff supported graduates during the Rites of Passage celebration.

The event was held to celebrate graduating students – many of whom were the first in their immediate families to earn a college degree – but also to acknowledge those who helped pave the way for them to reach this milestone.

For information technology management major Esther Oduro ‘25, of Lodi, NJ, it was a chance to honor both her hardworking mother, Leticia Oduro, and her late father, Agyeman Oduro Bawuah, who immigrated from Ghana to the United States.

Oduro was chosen to give the graduate message. She explained that her father long stressed the importance of education, and following his death last summer, she and her mother struggled, but continued to push forward and persevere.

Oduro praised her fellow students for also battling through adversity and carrying forward the dreams of their families.

“We are … the grandchildren of fighters, the first in our families, the ones who carry the hopes of entire villages, whether those villages are in Newark, Ghana, Paterson, or in the Bronx,” she shared. “I’m the daughter of Leticia Oduro, and I would not make it without her hard work, perseverance, and dedication.”

“This moment isn’t just yours. It belongs to every single person who sacrificed so you could thrive,” she reminded her peers.

Esther Oduro ‘25 shared her family’s story during the Rites of Passage celebration.

By obtaining degrees themselves students are also helping to pave the way for future generations of their families. There is an incredible “ripple effect,” said Costin Thampikutty, Associate Director for Campus Inclusion and Intercultural affairs.

“We are always told, ‘You’re the future, you’re the future, you’re the future,” he said, before telling students to also think about how their accomplishments will affect the people who will come after them.

The event featured an original poem from social work major Candice Anderson ‘25, of Paterson, NJ, and a keynote address from Keith Dawkins ‘94, chair of the Ramapo Foundation Board of Governors, and president of the Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios.

Dawkins shared thoughts on leadership, touching on the importance of a person’s impact, selflessness, agency and resilience. “Be resilient. You will be tested. You will be challenged. You will have mountains to climb,” Dawkins told the crowd. “You will get up those mountains because of the sheer force of your will.”

The celebration also included a libation ritual where liquid is poured in special patterns while homage is paid to ancestors. During the ritual, a group of students cited affirmations about ancestors before pouring water from a vase into a bowl. “For our esteemed ancestors, their sacrifices, strength, resilience, and the incredible legacy that they left behind, we honor you and ask for your continued guidance and support as we enter this next phase in our lives,” one student recited.

Students participated in a libation ritual while paying homage to ancestors.

Biology major and aspiring doctor Ekaprana Ramesh ‘25 of Monmouth Junction, NJ, a member of the South Asian Club, said sharing the event with her parents was “momentous.”

“I’ve been so honored to have an Indian heritage where we respect education and wellbeing for the future, and to be here with family to celebrate, not just education, but also culture and heritage is so momentous for me,” she said.

Each participating student was presented with a stole to wear to commencement to represent a cultural organization they belong to on campus, such as the United Asian Association, Organization of Latino Unity, and Ebony Women for Social Change. After they were given their stoles, Ramapo President Dr. Cindy Jebb shook each of the students’ hands.

She told students that through each phase of her own life – cadet, soldier, mother, grandmother, civilian and college president – she has been sustained by remembering the people, places and values that shaped her.

“I wish the same for you, that is remembering and honoring, because it is important to know that whether your roots stretch across continents, cultures, or generations, they are a source of infinite strength and direction,” Jebb said. “And when we honor our roots and each other’s, we in turn become stronger, wiser, and we build community.”

Law and Society major Victor Oluwagbemi ’25 received his stole.

The Rites of Passage Pre-Commencement Celebration was held on Arching Day – when over 1,000 family members and supporters turned out to cheer for their graduating students as they walked under the historic Havemeyer Arch, and down rock wall-lined Mansion Road to close out their tenure as Roadrunners.