Official Start of the Spring Semester

Winter Convocation is the yearly celebration of the enduring legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. in Stretansky Concert Hall. New students will be welcomed into the 体育买球 community while returning students, faculty and staff will be ushered into the start of the spring semester.

Prior to Winter Convocation, all are invited to attend a pre-convocation reception in Mellon Lounge, beginning at 5 p.m.

Organized by the Division for Access, Equity & Belonging, the event celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. King. Throughout an evening of readings, poetry and song, featuring the Milton Hershey School Senior Division Choir’s New Horizons, attendees will explore the theme What Ties Us Together? — inspired by Dr. King in his 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

2026 MLK Convocation

Commemorating the Legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

WELCOME
Jonathan Green
President

INVOCATION
Nina Mandel
Director of Jewish Life

LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING
Led by Nevahn Oliver ’29
Jonathan Moser, piano
Audience participation is encouraged.

READING
“Reflections on Prophet Muhammad’s Final Sermon”
Read by Bilal Abdelnabi ’27

READING
“Unraveling”
Monica Prince
Associate Professor of Creative Writing

INTRODUCTION OF MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL
Nevahn Oliver ’29

MUSICAL SELECTIONS PERFORMED BY NEW HORIZONS
“United in Purpose” by Rollo Dilworth
“Abide With Me” by Brian Hanson

READING & REFLECTION
Stina Schaeffer ’04
University Chaplain

MUSICAL SELECTION
“Life Will Be” by Cleo Soul
Performed by Kayla Reed ’26 and Kai Knight ’27

READING
“Prayer for Peace” by Amy Kopkin Atkins
Read by Forest Mollica ’29

MULTILINGUAL READING
Excerpts from Dr. King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream”
Read by Tambrany Abdou Abdallah, Apoorva Bradshaw-Mittal, Li E., Natalia Hurtado, Noor Ismail ’29, Nina Mandel, Francia Moyer, Yar Nuul ’29, Stacey Pearson-Wharton, Janna Uhde, Vladyslav Vashchuk ’27, Yaroslav Vashchuk ’27, Tyler Young ’29 and Analucia Zarcone Minyety ’28

MUSICAL SELECTION
“This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie
Led by Stina Schaeffer ’04
Jonathan Moser, piano
Audience participation is encouraged.

CLOSING
María Muñoz
Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer

Lift Every Voice And Sing

Words by James Weldon Johnson,
music by J. Rosemond Johnson, arr. by Lloyd Larson

Lift Every Voice and Singwas publicly performed first as a poem during a celebration of President Lincoln’s birthday in 1900, by hundreds of African American schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School in Florida. Later set to music as an uplifting spiritual, it became a way for African Americans to express their patriotism and hope for the future.

Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

(Audience joins)
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.

New Students

• Brooke Allen
• Ella Briggs
• Allena Carl
• Salvador Garcia-Maqueda
• Caden Green
• Kirsten Keller
• Sora Kohyama
• Alice Lam
• Orianna Meza
• Noah Morcom
• Angely Ortega
• Olivia Ryan
• Maura Savoca
• William Scott
• Leighla Shingara
• Autumn Stephens

About Milton Hershey School Senior Division’s New Horizons Choral Ensemble

New Horizons Choral Ensemble, under the direction of Jen Wagner, is comprised of dedicated high school musicians from the Milton Hershey School who demonstrate a strong commitment to musical excellence and artistic growth. Under focused rehearsal and thoughtful musicianship, the ensemble performs a wide-ranging repertoire that highlights expressive singing, technical precision and collaborative artistry. The choir regularly competes at both local and regional levels, earning recognition for its high standards and unified sound. In addition to competitions, the ensemble proudly serves the community through performances that celebrate the power of choral music to connect and inspire.

Acknowledgements

A special thank you to Event Management, O&M Dining, Phi Beta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho and the Student Government Association for their assistance with tonight’s program.

MLK Planning Committee

Jed Carr, Amy Davis, Serina De Silva ’29, Joy Elder ’29, Michelle Harman, Nina Mandel, Nicole Pena ’28, Kayla Reed ’26, Dena Salerno, Stina Schaeffer ’04, Logan Sweet ’15 and Max Wigoda ’24