New York, May 30: At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Class of 2025 graduation ceremony, student body president Megha Vemuri delivered a fiery and politically charged commencement address that has since gone viral and drawn international attention.

Wearing a red keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, Vemuri used the stage to criticise MIT’s research collaborations with the Israeli military sharply and to denounce what she described as the university’s complicity in the ongoing war in Gaza. ‘No Situation Where We Stop War’: Benjamin Netanyahu Says Israel Defense Forces Entering Gaza With ‘Full Force’ in Coming Days to 'Destroy Hamas'.

Megha Vemuri's MIT Graduation Speech

Who Is Megha Vemuri?

Megha Vemuri, an Indian-American student from Alpharetta, Georgia, graduated with a degree in computer science, neuroscience, and linguistics. During her time at MIT, she was deeply involved in student advocacy and led initiatives like the Written Revolution while conducting research at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

Her remarks, delivered as the destruction in Gaza continues and amid international outcry over Israel’s military actions, drew stark contrasts between the celebration in Cambridge and the devastation overseas. “Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza,” she said. Mohammed Sinwar Killed: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Confirms Death of Hamas Gaza Chief and Brother of Yahya Sinwar.

“The Israeli occupation forces are the only foreign military that MIT has research ties with,” Vemuri declared. “This means that Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people is not only aided and abetted by our country, but by our school.”

In a speech that departed markedly from the traditional tone of commencement addresses, Vemuri praised months of pro-Palestinian activism on campus. She accused MIT administrators of responding to student protests with “threats, intimidation, and suppression.”

“You showed the world that MIT wants a free Palestine,” she told her peers, referencing votes by both the undergraduate body and the Graduate Student Union to demand an end to the university’s defence research collaborations with Israel. “It is a shame that MIT is a part of \[this war],” she added. MIT has not yet issued an official response to Megha Vemuri’s comments.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2025 09:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).