Brilliant Skies, Bright Future: UMW Celebrates Class of 2025

A bird’s eye view of the University of Mary Washington’s Ball Circle revealed a sea of blue on Saturday morning. Mortarboards, decked out with photos and flowers, ribbons and paint, signified the personalities, experiences and aspirations of the members of the Class of 2025.

Campus filled with the excitement of more than 900 graduates, along with their family and friends, gathered in the thousands to watch the ceremony, which was also livestreamed. Not a single cloud dotted the sky, providing the perfect backdrop for the streamers and confetti that arced over the grads at the end of the ceremony.

Kayla Workman of Beaverdam, Virginia, described the day as bittersweet. A historic preservation major who works as an editorial assistant for the Marine Corps Association at Quantico, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in library information sciences at the University of Alabama. The Hobbit quote she’d added to her cap said it all: “I think I’m quite ready for the adventure.”

Business administration majors Cody Faust, whose family hails from Ukraine, and Ian O’Hare of Stafford helped adjust each other’s regalia before taking their places on Jefferson Square. “Time flew by really fast,” said O’Hare, who plans to enter the Air Force. “The next thing you know, I’m getting ready to cross the stage with all of my friends.”

Kaylah Christina Lightfoot of Kansas City, Missouri, likened her college career to the blooming of a flower, like the pink and white ones she’d pasted to her mortarboard. A political science major with a digital studies minor, she detailed her journey, from her first year to the leadership roles she held in student organizations to the moments before graduation. “Literally, I have blossomed,” she said, “and now I have arrived.”

Nathaniel Harvey of Glen Allen, Virginia, a double major in music and physics who plans to pursue a career in audio engineering, said reality hadn’t yet set in. Amber Bearon of Fredericksburg, an elementary education major who’s already snagged a job teaching kindergarten at Hartwood Elementary School, said she’s ready to start the next chapter of her life.

Rachel Walker of Hampton, Virginia, who completed requirements for a degree in biomedical science in December, returned to campus to receive her degree along with her classmates. “It’s just like a community and a family here,” she said, “and I wanted to see all my friends together in the same place one more time.”

Graduates get handshakes and high-fives from faculty members lined up on either side of Campus Walk to cheer them on. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Mary Washington President Troy Paino addresses the crowd during the three-hour ceremony that was filled with plenty of pomp and circumstance. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Business administration majors Cody Faust (left), whose family hails from Ukraine, and Ian O’Hare of Stafford formed a lasting friendship during their time at UMW. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Faculty and students process along Campus Walk during the University of Mary Washington’s 114th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10. More than 900 students received bachelor’s and master’s degrees during the three-hour event. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Graduate Kaylah Lightfoot likened her college career to the blooming of a flower, like the ones she’d pasted to her mortarboard. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

The University awarded 457 Bachelor of Science degrees, 291 Bachelor of Arts degrees, 40 Bachelor of Liberal Studies degrees, 49 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees and 43 Bachelor of Science in Education degrees. It also awarded six Master of Geospatial Analysis degrees, 59 Master of Business Administration degrees, 20 Master of Education degrees and one Master of Science in Elementary Education degrees.

Among the graduates were nearly two dozen members of the original cohort of the Presidential Emerging Leaders Program, launched in fall 2021 to help first-year students make meaningful connections while developing their leadership profiles. The initiative speaks to UMW’s mission to ensure students are equipped to excel after graduation.

“Much of our work centers on preparing you for success in a 21st-century global economy,” University of Mary Washington President Troy Paino told the crowd, “but UMW’s mission is rooted in a public purpose. Yes, it is important that you succeed in your chosen career, but it is also important that you succeed in life, can engage across difference and have the wherewithal to contribute to the communities we share.”

He continued: “The education you received here is premised on the belief that you can shape that future. It is easy to forget that our nation is a 250-year-old radical experiment. The American republic is founded on the modern tradition of freedom, tolerance, minority rights and the rule of law. While our nation’s history is riddled with examples of falling short of these ideals, its redemption is in the ongoing pursuit of the proposition that all humans are created equal and free and that everyone follows the same rules and enjoys the same basic human rights. Your Mary Washington education is about keeping that experiment alive.”

See the President’s Remarks at the 2025 UMW Commencement. (The segment starts at 1:16 in the full Commencement video).

UMW alumna and Superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools Melanie Kay-Wyatt delivers the keynote address. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Elementary education major Amber Bearon has already secured a job teaching kindergarten at Hartwood Elementary School. The stole she is wearing was made with fingerprints of her former elementary school students. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Class President Shadwick Yoder shakes hands with Mary Washington President Troy Paino after speaking to his fellow graduates from the podium.

Decorated mortarboards gave glimpses into graduates’ personalities and student life, and members of the Class of 2025 expressed a range of emotions – including relief – during the University of Mary Washington’s 114th commencement ceremony. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

The weather showed up for hundreds of University of Mary Washington students who graduated under sunny skies on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW alumna Melanie Kay-Wyatt, the first Black woman to serve as superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools, delivered the keynote address. Returning to the Ball Circle commencement stage for the third time – she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1992 and a Master’s of Education degree in educational leadership in 2007 – she reminded the crowd of the power we each hold as individuals.

“As I look out at this sea of graduates,” she said, “I feel immense pride in the deep commitment this University has towards shaping not just scholars, but empathetic leaders in a diverse world.” Kay-Wyatt recalled the gradual integration of the University, her own time in class with the late civil rights pioneer and Mary Washington history professor James Farmer, and the influence of her grandmother, who encouraged her to study at UMW.

And she urged the soon-to-be graduates to think of the person who had made the biggest impact in their own lives. “Embrace the gifts they imparted in you and share them with the world.”

The entire University of Mary Washington community came together to celebrate the years of work that resulted in more than 900 students receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees during the 114th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW graduate and historic preservation major Kayla Workman plans to pursue a master’s degree in library information sciences at the University of Alabama and a future in archival work. She decorated her mortarboard for Saturday’s Commencement ceremony with an inspirational quote from The Hobbit. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Blue skies provided the perfect backdrop for the streamers and confetti that showered graduates at the end of the ceremony. Photo by Amy Jessee.

UMW Board of Visitors Rector Lee Murray ’04 addressed the members of the Class of 2025, recounting his own graduation on Ball Circle 21 years ago. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

President Troy Paino excitedly acknowledged graduates as they walked across the stage during the University’s 114th commencement ceremony. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

The three-hour ceremony was filled with plenty of pomp and circumstance, with the grand marshal carrying the official academic mace, the bagpipes of the Eagle Pipe Band and the singing of the alma mater.

UMW Board of Visitors Rector Lee Murray ’04 addressed the members of the Class of 2025, recounting his own graduation on Ball Circle 21 years ago, and praised them for all they’d achieved both in and out of the classroom. “Congratulations on earning the right to be here … ” he said. “After this exciting day, you will begin the rest of your lives.”

Class President Shadwick Yoder, a political science major with a minor in environmental sustainability, spoke from the podium – and from his heart. He praised the University community for preparing him and hundreds of his classmates for whatever life holds.

“The bond we built here is stronger than most relationships we’ve formed … ” he said. “The world should watch out because the Class of 2025 is coming, and we have big plans ahead.”

The Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award for students and several faculty honors were also announced during Saturday’s ceremony.