Speaking from a wheelchair, Commencement speaker Crystal Emery (SFA), who became disabled while attending UConn as an undergraduate, invited graduates of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on May 6 to “use me as an example of how you can move forward in life.” A black woman who has overcome challenges of both race and disability to succeed as a producer, author, and filmmaker known for producing socially conscious works and stories that celebrate the triumph of the human spirit, Emery said, “I am living testimony that you can challenge the status quo.”