At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduation ceremony, Megha Vemuri, an Indian-American student and president of the Class of 2025, used her speech to show strong support for Palestinians and criticize MIT’s connection to Israel.
Wearing a red keffiyeh—a scarf that shows support for Palestine—Vemuri addressed the graduates, their families, and teachers. She said, “You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine.”
Her speech came at a time when many students across the United States are protesting against the war in Gaza and universities’ relationships with companies or groups linked to the conflict. Vemuri talked about how this has caused uncertainty for students and schools.
She criticized MIT for working with the Israeli military and said this was a serious problem for the university’s values.
What Megha Vemuri Said in Her Speech
She said, “The Israeli military is the only foreign military that MIT works with. This means that Israel’s attack on the Palestinian people is supported not just by our country but also by our school.”
Even though some university leaders disagreed, she praised students who stood up to support Palestine.
“Last spring, MIT students and the Graduate Student Union voted strongly to end ties with the Israeli military, which they called ‘genocidal.’ You asked for a permanent stop to fighting in Gaza and stood with pro-Palestine activists on campus,” she said. She also recognized that these students faced threats and pressure, especially from university officials, but still stood firm.
Vemuri added, “We are watching Israel try to destroy Palestine, and it is shameful that MIT is involved in this.”
She compared the lives of MIT graduates with students in Gaza: “While we get ready to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza.”
She said that as future scientists, engineers, and leaders, they must support life, help aid efforts, call for stopping the sale of weapons, and keep asking MIT to end its ties with Israel.
At the end of her speech, she asked her classmates to turn their class rings outward—a tradition that means graduates are ready to face the world.
Her last words were serious and clear: “We must do everything we can to stop this.”
