Meet the 2025 Senior Commencement Speaker
- Jennifer Ward
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
By Summer Tyler
Joshtina Maynard is the senior commencement speaker for the 2025 commencement ceremony.
In her speech, Maynard shares essential insights on connecting with her fellow students. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining good mental health as her class transitions from college to the next chapter of their lives. In addition to being a high-spirited student, she also expresses her love for music and performances. Maynard is a psychology major from Brooklyn, NY.
What made you decide to come to Purchase?
"I didn’t know about Purchase until my high school counselor said, 'I think you’ll like Purchase.' I thought the campus and the people were really nice. At first, my major was biochemistry. I didn’t find an interest in it; I didn’t enjoy it. I found out about the psych department. I realized I enjoyed psychology, the mind, the human brain, and its thousands of capabilities, and so I changed my major."
You performed at this year’s Afrodisiac. What has your experience been performing? What impact do you think it’s had on yourself and others?
“I love singing, so I enjoy Afrodisiac. I performed because I wanted to leave with a banger cause I’m a senior. I also wanted to show other majors that you don’t have to be a music major to create something that people are gonna love. If you want to do something that you wanna do, do it. I did Afro not only because of the community but also because you don’t have to be a music major to do music; that’s why I did it.”
Do you make your own music?
"I do. I have a song out; it’s called 'Not Your Source.' [Joshtina on Apple Music and Spotify] There are so many musicians on there who really did a good job. It’s a single. Right now, I’m working on another single, and I’ve also performed it at Afro. It’s called 'I won’t be needing you,' and hopefully, it’ll come out at the end of this semester or the summer.”
What made you want to apply to be Senior Commencement Speaker? What was the process like?
“I saw the opportunity, and I was like 'you know what, let me try.' I never thought I would be chosen, honestly. I just picked it because I thought it was gonna be a great opportunity to speak at graduation.
I read the rubric of what to write, what not to write. I wrote a short paragraph of my idea of what I would want my speech to be. And then they told me that I was the finalist, and I was like, 'Oh, I can’t believe it.' After that, they told me that I got it and I was really happy. It was something that I did not expect.”
“I wanted it [nomination of Senior Speaker] to be a secret because I wanted to surprise my family and friends. I didn’t want the hype of it all. I wanted people to enjoy the moment and for the moment to be theirs. I genuinely want people to really hear what I say."
Talk about your speech. What did you want to say? What do you want students to feel after your speech?
“I want them to feel content, at peace. In my speech, I talk about my trials and how, because of my trials, I’m able to pursue them here. I feel like every Purchase student has been through the wringer, especially these four years, and coming to college after a whole pandemic. I talk about that a lot, and I also talk about mental health, about really owning your feelings and that being not okay is okay. Trying to figure out where in the world you’re going next is okay. I feel like we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We are so supportive towards other people. But when it comes to ourselves, we kind of give ourselves the bottom of the barrel sometimes, and we say it’s okay, but it’s not okay, and that's normal. Not knowing and not having a plan; that’s okay. Life is more than just having answers; it’s about figuring them out at the end of the day.”
“When I was younger, I had to get brain surgery. I had to learn how to walk and talk again and think for myself. It was kind of a hindrance, but it was very humbling. I had to understand that situation and my predicament; it was 'it is what it is.' I had to deal with it, I had to heal, I had to grow, and I had to learn from this experience. I feel like people should understand that it’s okay to have a humbling moment and that it’s fine, you’ll learn from it, grow from it, and blossom from it, and you’ll be a huge tree.”
Are you looking forward to graduation? Do you have any plans?
“I can’t wait to graduate, but I’m also really nervous. I plan on going to grad school, but I’m taking a year off and working. I plan on getting my master’s, and then after my master’s, I plan on going to med school abroad in London, so, hopefully, that goes well!”
How has your overall experience been while attending Purchase?
“Being at Purchase is a hate/love relationship. I feel like the people, the community, the relationships that you build, and student life on campus are what I love about it generally. It’s just frustrating with the limitations that we sometimes have as students. The thing I will remember most about being at Purchase is the friendships that I’ve created, the networking that I’ve created, the people that I’ve worked with, I feel like I will never forget those people because of Purchase, and I thank Purchase for that.”