{"id":18370,"date":"2025-06-05T17:27:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T21:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=18370"},"modified":"2025-07-16T16:31:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T20:31:20","slug":"wilmington-universitys-class-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/05\/wilmington-universitys-class-of-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilmington University\u2019s Class of 2025\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column18370_625a43-45{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column18370_625a43-45 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18370_625a43-45 dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p>Wilmington University celebrated its 54th Commencement ceremonies on June 1-2, 2025, awarding more than 3,900 academic degrees at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graduates, spanning ages from 18 to 73, represented 61 countries on continents including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. More than 2,100 completed their degrees entirely online. The online graduating student residing the furthest distance from Delaware lived in Japan. Additionally, 680 students graduated from Wilmington University\u2019s corporate partner organizations. All graduates automatically joined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/alumni\/index.aspx\">Wilmington University\u2019s Alumni Association<\/a>, comprising 75,000 members.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Commencement speeches highlighted the vital roles of encouragement and support from loved ones, mentors and the University community.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Speakers&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Eight ceremonies represented the WilmU colleges. Speakers included:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ms. Mari Biscieglia<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/education\/elementary-education-bs.aspx\">B.S. in Elementary Education, K-6<\/a> (College of Education &amp; Liberal Arts)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mr. Thomas Burt<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/digital-communication-master.aspx\">M.S. in Digital Communication<\/a> (College of Technology)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dr. Kathleen \u201cKate\u201d Gemma<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/business\/dba.aspx\">Doctor of Business Administration<\/a> (College of Business)&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ms. Abigail Hammer-Rupp<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/digital-communication-master-curriculum.aspx\">M.S. in\u00a0Digital Communication<\/a> (College of Technology)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ms. Kushi Santosh Khandoji<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/technology\/computer-science.aspx\">B.S. in Computer Science<\/a> with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence (College of Technology)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ms. Summer McMenamin<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/health\/health-sciences-master.aspx\">M.S. in Health Sciences<\/a> with a concentration in Population Health (College of Health Professions &amp; Natural Sciences)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mr. Nicholas Phillips<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/behavioralscience\/behavsci.aspx#\">B.S. in Behavioral Science<\/a> with a concentration in Emotional Intelligence (College of Social &amp; Behavioral Sciences)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mr. Paul Seiverd<\/strong> \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/business\/organizational-leadership.aspx\">B.S. in Organizational Leadership<\/a> (College of Business)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Summer McMenamin<\/strong>, who graduated with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/health\/health-sciences-master.aspx\">Master of Science in Health Sciences<\/a> with a concentration in Population Health, represented WilmU\u2019s College of Health Professions and Natural Sciences. Ms. McMenamin is vice president of the Delaware Dental Hygienists\u2019 Association and the Delaware Grassroots Representative for the Oral Health Progress and Equity Network.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ms. McMenamin reflected on the graduates\u2019 tenacity to earn their degrees. \u201cMany of us, including me, are first-generation college graduates, breaking cycles and building legacies,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of us are caregivers, showing up for others while barely holding it together ourselves. Some are parents, who fit in our studies late at night after bedtime stories and packing lunches. Others have worked full time, squeezing in assignments between shifts, patients and family responsibilities. And many of us \u2014 we were doing all of the above, all at the same time.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Paul Seivard<\/strong> represented the College of Business. With over three decades of leadership experience, Mr. Seivard is a senior manager in supply chain operations at Macy\u2019s, overseeing a direct-to-consumer distribution center. At WilmU, he graduated magna cum laude with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/business\/organizational-leadership.aspx\">Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership<\/a>, and he is a Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society member.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWilmington University gave us the flexibility to do this on our terms,\u201d Mr. Seivard said. \u201cWhether we were logging onto class from the breakroom at work or writing essays at midnight, this school met us where we were and helped us to get us to where we wanted to be. For some, this degree is a start of a new career. For others, it may be a step up the ladder. And for some, like me, it\u2019s a personal victory \u2014 a reminder that dreams do not come with expiration dates. This moment, this milestone, is ours.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are a graduating class of different faces and diverse backgrounds with unique stories and dreams, but we all found a place at Wilmington University,\u201d said Speaker <strong>Kushi Santosh Khandoji <\/strong>during the College of Technology undergraduate programs ceremony. \u201cWe chose a university that became our second home, where faculty made it their mission to share knowledge, support our growth and encourage us every step of the way \u2014 a university that gave us the confidence to succeed. Throughout our journey to commencement, we also formed connections and friendships that will stay with us for a lifetime.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was frightening and hard and exhilarating, but we did it,\u201d reflected Speaker <strong>Mari Biscieglia<\/strong> during the College of Education and Liberal Arts ceremony. \u201cWe made choices, encountered opportunities and overcame challenges that helped make us who we are today. Class of 2025, we have arrived at our moment.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Wilmington University congratulates the Class of 2025<\/strong> for their academic accomplishments and wishes them continued success as they embark on the next chapter of their lives and careers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WilmU Commencement 2025\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cXSh3hWMyvw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wilmington University celebrated its 54th Commencement ceremonies on June 1-2, 2025, awarding more than 3,900 academic degrees at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18371,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[1003,179,71,78,8,280,99,357,14,76,358,15,359],"class_list":["post-18370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-2025-graduates","tag-alumni","tag-college-of-business","tag-college-of-education-liberal-arts","tag-college-of-nursing-and-health-sciences","tag-college-of-social-behavioral-science","tag-college-of-technology","tag-commencement","tag-wilmington-university","tag-wilmington-university-alumni","tag-wilmington-university-commencement","tag-wilmu","tag-wilmu-grad"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":68,"label":"EVENTS"}],"post_tag":[{"value":1003,"label":"2025 graduates"},{"value":179,"label":"Alumni"},{"value":71,"label":"College of Business"},{"value":78,"label":"College of Education &amp; 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