This year, the senior class elected Gabby Diaz ’25 for The Bucknellian’s Outstanding Senior award. From all of her hard work and accomplishments on campus, it is clear that Diaz is the exact student who deserves the award and exemplifies what it means to be an “Outstanding Senior.”
Ever since Diaz stepped foot on Bucknell’s campus, she made it her mission to make a difference in a major way. From her first year, Diaz has been involved in many cultural organizations, namely LACOS (Latine Alliance for Community & Opportunity for Students), which has brought her immense pride throughout her time at Bucknell. Diaz says, “seeing people put so much creativity and energy into creating and developing culturally relevant programming that both people within their communities and outside enjoy” is one of the highlights of her Bucknell experience.
Speaking with her last week, and witnessing some of her accomplishments since first year, I could clearly see this passion within her. When asked about her favorite Bucknell memory, Diaz further emphasized her love and appreciation for LACOS, specifically planning and organizing the annual LACOS Gala, not only because it’s such a great celebration of culture but because it’s also a celebration of community.
All of this makes me extremely excited to hear Diaz’s commencement speech on graduation day, as she made Bucknellian history by being the first person to win the Outstanding Senior award and be the student commencement speaker in the same year. This isn’t surprising given Diaz’s amazing work ethic and all around efforts to make the Bucknell community a better place to live in for all.
But it hasn’t always been easy for her, as Diaz has faced her fair share of challenges during her time at Bucknell. She said that there have been instances where there is a “hyper invisibility” as a woman of color and first generation college student, and early on, this was quite draining and a daunting obstacle to take on. However, if we all adopt Diaz’s attitude and willingness to grow, the Bucknell community will grow and thrive as a result.
When describing how she overcame some of these adversities, Diaz gave a thoughtful and insightful answer. “I thought about the organizations that have brought me joy and have been able to sustain me throughout all of these challenges.” She expressed gratitude to multiple cultural organizations on campus that have supported her throughout her Bucknell journey, such as LACOS, BSU (Black Student Union), SASA (South Asian Student Association), APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) and more. Early in her Bucknell career, Diaz vowed “to devote 100% to making sure that these organizations are equipped with the resources and knowledge to better support themselves.”
One way that Diaz said that we as students can better provide this type of support is to read and educate ourselves on challenging topics. “I think that within and outside the classroom, we need to be engaging with diverse perspectives,” Diaz said, “and alternative perspectives that we don’t consume on the day-to-day.” She emphasized the importance of education, specifically reading and critical thinking in regards to marginalized communities. Reading, essentially, allows us to think wider and “critically enough that we can develop something or transform something that would allow us to sustain communities that are underrepresented.”
This interest in reading and critical thinking is apparent in Diaz’s honors thesis, which examined the political impact and importance of libraries across the country, specifically alternative libraries that aim to serve people in underrepresented communities and “book deserts,” which are areas where books and other printed materials are difficult to obtain. Diaz was inspired by her love of libraries as a child and the fact that libraries are political spaces— they distribute books and ideas, and even the idea of a “late book fee” has political connotations to it. “I had to face some of the impacts of the political rhetoric and policies that are impacted by access to libraries,” Diaz said.
Through her research and dedication to making Bucknell a better place, Diaz is also the ideal candidate for student commencement speaker. Who better to speak on behalf of the student body than someone who embodies the virtues of critical thinking, empathy and determination?
For her commencement speech, Diaz was inspired by Marcus Scales, the Director of Multicultural Student Services. During her spring break trip to Cuba, Scales gave her a piece of advice about appreciating things in the moment before they are gone, which prompted Diaz to reflect on her own experiences at Bucknell.
When writing her speech, Diaz wanted to emphasize the importance of slowing down in times of change and transition. But to her, it’s a balance between enjoying the present and looking to the future. “I want to slow things down, but I don’t want to get too caught up in the present,” she said. She doesn’t view the commencement speech as a chance to merely hear her own voice, either, which would be so easy for anyone else to do. Rather, she wanted a speech that appealed to the Bucknell community while sharing her own point of view, her own voice. “Slowing down is a privilege,” she said, “but it’s also what allows us to transform society.”
As Diaz prepares to take the commencement stage, she wants to be a beacon of hope and inspiration as she delivers her speech. “I didn’t think it was just an opportunity for myself, but an opportunity for students who are coming from underrepresented backgrounds,” she said. She doesn’t view it as a burden, but as an opportunity to inspire other people. “I am the first in my family to walk across a college graduation stage, and I have younger family members coming from home. They’ll get to see that, and that’s the responsibility that I see. I’m showing others. I’m showing some of the family members and kids that they are also capable… It’s more than just for myself.”
Looking back on her experiences at Bucknell, Diaz had this message to any incoming and current students: “Invest your energy into communities because they can’t sustain themselves without your thoughts, your feelings and your actions.” As we inch closer to graduation, it is clear that Gabby Diaz has invested her own energy, joy and compassion into the Bucknell community, and it is all the better for it.
