UC grads prepare for what's next

“One studied neuroscience here. The other studied biomedical engineering at UC,” Schneider said.

Now her siblings, both UC graduates, will get to see her give the student commencement address on stage at Fifth Third Arena.

Schneider, a double major in operations management and marketing in UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business, is among those who will be recognized at the ceremony, which starts at 2 p.m. Friday. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are required. No purses or bags except clear plastic ones are allowed in the arena.

The ceremony will be streamed live.

This year’s summer commencement nearly tops the record set in 2022 for both graduates and degrees and comes on the heels of UC’s record spring commencement.

UC will confer 2,208 degrees upon 2,203 graduates, according to preliminary numbers from UC’s Office of Institutional Research. Some grads have earned multiple degrees.

UC will award 259 associate degrees, 751 bachelor’s degrees, 1,104 master’s degrees and 184 doctoral degrees. About 44% of degrees awarded are in science, technology, engineering math or medicine.

Summer graduates hail from countries on six continents as far away as New Zealand and 48 states, including Hawaii and Alaska.

More than 5% of graduates are military veterans or dependents of veterans. Ten will celebrate their birthdays on Friday. The youngest grad, earning an associate degree, is 18. The oldest grad, earning a bachelor’s, is 70. 

The graduating class of 2025 has a lot to celebrate, including its largest-ever enrollment last fall.

The UC Bearcat was named national champion for the third time at the 2025 College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship. UC’s beloved mascot previously won in 2022 and 2023.

UC’s disc golf team, the Discats, won its second national championship in three years through the Professional Disc Golf Association.

Meanwhile, UC alumni continue to shine. Two UC Bearcats won medals in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Team USA’s Jordan Thompson, a 2020 gold medalist, won silver in women’s volleyball while Annette Echikunwoke earned silver in the hammer throw. Kansas City Chiefs players Bryan Cook and Travis Kelce went to the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles. Major League Baseball player Ian Happ earned his third Gold Glove award in 2024 for the Chicago Cubs.

In the arts, four UC College-Conservatory of Music alumni last year were nominated for Tony Awards, including Dorian Harewood for his performance in “The Notebook,” produced by UC alumni Bradley Reynolds and Kevin McCollum, a three-time Tony winner. Also nominated last year were UC alumni Shoshana Bean (BFA Musical Theatre, ’99), Isabella Byrd (BFA Lighting Design and Technology, ’09) and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (BFA Musical Theatre, ’99). And seven UC alumni were featured on albums that won Grammys this year.

Student Schneider said for her speech she will share the many things she learned as a UC student.

“It’s based on the book ‘All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,’” she said. “And everything I really needed to know I learned at UC: accountability, teamwork, curiosity, confidence. Those are all lessons we need in life, not just in college.”