JRS Europe Director at Georgetown University Graduation Ceremony on migration, hope and hospitality

On 14 May 2026, Alberto Ares, SJ, Director of JRS Europe, served as one of the keynote speakers at the Class of 2026 Commencement of Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM), together with Dr. Elizabeth Ferris, a leading migration scholar at Georgetown University. The ceremony brought together graduates of Georgetown’s Graduate Certificate in Refugee, Migration, and Humanitarian Emergencies from the School of Foreign Service and Georgetown University Law Center.

In his address, Ares congratulated the graduates on completing a demanding Jesuit formation and invited them to face the future of migration work with hope and hospitality. He reflected on migration as one of the defining moral and political challenges of our time, and urged the new graduates to remain close to the reality of displaced people, to navigate complexity without losing clarity, and to remember that this work cannot be done alone.

Drawing on his professional experience, Ares stressed that hope is not simply optimism, but a discipline that helps people remain present in difficult contexts and continue defending human dignity even when change is slow. He also described hospitality as a way of “seeing the other,” standing in proximity with refugees, and shaping policies and institutions so that people are not reduced to systems, procedures or categories.

Before the commencement ceremony, Ares also met with Dr. Beth Ferris, one of the most respected migration experts in the United States and internationally, and a Research Professor at Georgetown’s ISIM. Their conversation was an excellent opportunity to share reflections on the reality of migration in Europe, the work of JRS Europe, and the academic contribution of the University Institute for Studies on Migration at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid.

For JRS Europe, the Georgetown commencement was also a reminder of the importance of forming professionals who can combine academic excellence, legal expertise and a deep commitment to accompaniment and human dignity. In a field shaped by displacement, uncertainty and polarisation, Ares’ message highlighted a simple but powerful challenge: keep hope alive by making hospitality real.