Intro Title
Todd Snyder advises the Class of 2022 to be creative, curious, persistent and nice.

LIM College held its 83rd annual Commencement exercises in Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield on May 23 at 2:30 p.m. Over 570 students received master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees at the College’s first in-person ceremony since 2019. 

Designer and entrepreneur Todd Snyder gave the keynote address. Snyder also received an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree and was presented with LIM College’s Distinguished Achievement Award. 

Snyder offered LIM’s new graduates four keys to success.  
 
“It always comes down to four simple steps,” he said. “One is be creative, no matter what it is you’re doing.”  

The second was curiosity. “Always be asking questions, learning as much as you can along the way.” 

The third point was to be persistent. And the last piece of his advice was to be nice. “Being nice is probably the most important thing... You have to have respect not only for your boss, but the people around you,” Snyder said. 

In her address to the graduates, LIM College President Elizabeth S. Marcuse likened the ceremony to another major Central Park event, the finish of the annual New York City marathon, saying, “Earning your degree was your own personal marathon… I hope you will draw upon the confidence you’ve developed, the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired, and the life lessons you’ve learned—to aim for that promotion, to build that thriving business, to follow through on that desire to make our world more equitable and sustainable, or to reach whatever goal is guiding you. Because you have proven that you do have it in you to cross the finish line, however far away it may seem at the start.”

LIM College presented its Maxwell F. Marcuse Award to Lisa R. Bannister of the Class of 1994. Bannister is the Vice President, Home Digital for Ralph Lauren. Named for LIM’s founder, the Maxwell F. Marcuse Award is the College’s highest alumni honor. 

Lauren Gallo, Class of 2009, Senior Director, Brand Marketing and Creative at Nike received the Shining Star Alumni Award and Elisabeth Gil, Class of 2015, Senior Manager, Global Brand Supply Chain for Estee Lauder Companies received the Rising Star Alumni Award.

honored alums with Liz Marcuse and Todd Snyder at 2022 commencement
2022 graduates at commencement

Kanika Talwar from Farmingdale, New York was the undergraduate Class of 2022 Valedictorian. Kanika is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Fashion Journalism at Central Saint Martins in London, and she is a freelance fashion journalist whose work has appeared in outlets such as PAPER Magazine and Modern Luxury.  

Iana Radvanskaia was the undergraduate Class of 2022 Salutatorian. Originally from Moscow, she is the College’s first international Salutatorian and is planning to move to Italy after graduation to continue developing her career in fashion PR and influencer management.  
 
Professor John Deming of the Arts and Sciences Department received the Adrian G. Marcuse Award for Teaching Excellence. Named in honor of LIM College’s president from 1972-2002, this award is given to a faculty member who performs in exemplary fashion in the classroom and consistently embodies the College’s core values. Deming is also faculty advisor for The Lexington Line, the College’s student-run publication. 

Said Snyder of his experience as keynote speaker, “I was honored to be asked to speak at a graduation for a college whose alumni I’ve worked with, and been impressed by, over the years. Right now, we have a LIM intern who’s just became a full-time member of our merchant team. We’re all impressed with how quickly he’s gotten into the swing of the business."  

LIM College’s 2022 Commencement ceremony is available for on-demand viewing at: www.limcollege.edu/commencement