Stern, whose documentaries focus on social justice and overcoming adversity, encouraged students to take risks, learn from their mistakes and incorporate the arts into their education.
"You never know when the things you love will come together to create inspired thinking and unexpected outcomes," Stern said. "The disciplines you will learn at Dartmouth will give you the ready tools for creating."
Stern said that the supportive environment she found at Dartmouth gave her "the confidence to experiment," which she credited with inspiring her future career as a filmmaker.
"I don't have any easy answers for you today," Stern said, encouraging students to "push forward and don't pull back," even though a straightforward path is not always apparent.
Folt focused her address on the importance of collaboration and the value of community in the learning process.
"How you learn to interact together is going to determine how far you go as individuals," Folt said, noting that these connections strengthen the Dartmouth community and make it more vibrant.
Folt opened her speech by congratulating freshmen on earning their "seat" at Dartmouth but encouraged them not to get used to "sitting down." Instead, she asked students to "stand up" for what they believe.
Students should engage in research while at the College and use what they learn at Dartmouth to find comprehensive solutions to the world's increasingly complex and interrelated problems, Folt said.
"You've come here to learn how to think critically, how to grow beyond what you've imagined, and then you've come here to share the fruits of all that learning with the wider world," she said.
Folt concluded by expressing her hope that students will learn to integrate their academic, social, extracurricular and spiritual lives at Dartmouth.
Preceding Stern, Kantaria opened his speech by calling on members of the Class of 2016 to distinguish themselves from previous Dartmouth classes, citing past accomplishments like the Class of 1888's establishment of the Homecoming bonfire tradition and alumni's founding of companies and institutions such as Grassroots Soccer and Boloco.
Kantaria urged students to use their education to give back to the Dartmouth community and the world at large, nothing that he hopes members of the Class of 2016 will fulfill their potential as students and as members of the global community during their four years at the College.
"I challenge each of you to harness whatever your passion may be," Kantaria said.
Kantaria encouraged students to "learn to embrace, not fear, failure" and not to lose sight of their goals.
"The greatest debt you will carry with you after Dartmouth is not a financial one," he said. "It is the burden of making something with your Dartmouth education that benefits our world. Let the heavy weight of this burden guide you."
In formulating his speech, Kantaria said he wanted to inspire students and give them one or two messages to which they could relate and take forward during their freshman year and throughout their Dartmouth career. Kantaria said that speaking at Convocation was an "incredible experience," though he had difficulty fully capturing the message he wanted to convey to freshmen.
The ceremony also featured performances of "America the Beautiful" and the "Alma Mater" by the Gospel Choir and Glee Club.
Students expressed mixed opinions of the ceremony, with some saying that the event was poorly timed.
"The timing was difficult," Ben Hawley '16 said. "It was hard to change into formal clothes and make it on time after class."
The speeches' focus on overcoming obstacles was an appropriate message for students who may struggle with transitioning to college, Mick Zloof '16 said.
Staff writer Michael Riordan contributed reporting to this article.
