Bronx native Rokya Samake graduates from Bates College

2015 Aug 4

Rokya Samake, the daughter of Drissa Samake of Bronx, N.Y. and Carolyn T. Hebert of New York, N.Y., graduated after majoring in politics and African American studies at Bates. She is a 2011 graduate of Thurgood Marshall Academy.

Bates College graduated 484 students from 32 states and 37 countries. Cumulatively, the Class of 2015 performed 80,000 hours of community service, exemplifying Bates' commitment to community learning and civic action.

Manjul Bhargava, winner of the 2014 Fields Medal for mathematics and a professor at Princeton University, delivered the address at Bates' 149th commencement ceremony. In his speech, Bhargava celebrated the liberal arts education through an exploration of his own fascination with the unities among music, poetry, and math. Above all, he told graduates, "Keep learning about other disciplines. And don't just appreciate the connections between different realms of human endeavor that you find but actively look for them - because they're definitely out there." He was joined by fellow honorands Mark Abelson, Thomas Moser and Joan Benoit Samuelson.