Bard Graduate Selected As Baccalaureate Speaker

Brandon LaBord, a member of Atlanta’s first Posse from Bard College, was selected by the senior class committee to be the 2013 baccalaureate speaker in recognition of his positive influence on Bard’s campus community.

Brandon was the president of the Black Student Association and the founder and director of Building Up Hudson, a tutoring and mentoring program to assist the academic and social development of youth from Hudson, New York. Under Brandon's leadership, Building Up Hudson also raised funds to provide three scholarships to local high school seniors.

In his remarks during baccalaureate, Brandon encouraged his classmates to celebrate their success and use their accomplishments as motivation for tackling future challenges.

“I challenge you to approach all endeavors with confidence, knowing that you have peered into the eyes of your own adversity and have unwaveringly refused to back down,” said Brandon during his graduation address.

Brandon was also honored with the Katherine-Lynn Mester Scholarship, awarded by the administration to students exhibiting great compassion and hospitality. 

This summer, Brandon serves as the office manager and a workshop instructor for the Exploration Summer Program at Yale University, an enrichment program for high school students. He is currently a Peace Corps nominee with a tentative departure in 2014.