View the main University of Connecticut Commencement Program via this link. 

Banner Carrier | Joss Robinson

Joss Robinson is a filmmaker, video editor, and digital media designer from Framingham, Massachusetts. He is completing his BFA in Digital Media & Design at the University of Connecticut, where he earned a 4.0 GPA and was named a 2025 Babbidge Scholar. His senior thesis film Becoming—a personal meditation on transformation—was selected for the Trinity, UCTV, and Massachusetts International Film Festivals, and won UCTV’s Best Editing award. Within the Department of Social Critique and Inquiry, Joss currently works as a Multimedia Specialist for UConn's Asian and Asian American Studies (AAAS) and is a key contributor to the AAAS Curriculum Lab. He also led production as Project Manager for the UConn Humanities Institute’s fellowship video series. In 2024, he served as the sound mixer for My Lost Connections, an experimental animation featured at conferences and festivals in the U.S., France, and the Philippines. Joss is grateful for his time at UConn and excited for the opportunities ahead. 

National Anthem Singer | Grace Murphy

Grace Murphy, soprano, is graduating with a BM in vocal performance. In her time at the University of Connecticut, Ms. Murphy was a 2024 winner of the Department of Music’s Aria and Concerto Competition. She has performed with UConn Opera Theater, portraying Diana in Orphée aux Enfers and covering roles in The Beautiful Bridegroom, as well as various opera scenes. She has also been a member of the UConn Concert Choir and Collegium Musicum. Outside of UConn, she has been an active performer with the Connecticut Gilbert and Sullivan Society, portraying leading roles in Patience and The Yeomen of the Guard. She has also appeared in the chorus of Connecticut Lyric Opera and as a soloist with the Farmington Valley Chorale. Ms. Murphy is an active church musician, singing as a cantor and member of The Schola Cantorum of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, and has sung in such venues as St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. 

UConn Saxophone Quartet

Julia Kaliszewski BM ‘25, soprano saxophone
Gregory Logan BA ‘25, alto saxophone
Mark Paine BM ‘25, tenor saxophone
Chandler Creedon BM ’24, GCRT ‘25, baritone saxophone 

Established in 2008, the UConn Saxophone Quartet is the premier chamber ensemble at the University of Connecticut. While its members intensively study classical saxophone, they enjoy performing a wide variety of music including jazz, pop, and rock, as well as classical music spanning from the 1800s to today

Alumni Speaker | Angelica Durrell '11

Angélica (Angie) Durrell, an Ecuadorian-born violinist, educator, and social entrepreneur, is the founder of INTEMPO, an award-winning organization making music education accessible and inclusive in Connecticut. Recognized as one of Musical America’s Top Movers and Shakers, Angie has performed for Pope Francis and at the Wounded Knee memorial site. She has premiered pieces at the Jorgensen Center and the Composers Now Festival. As an inaugural Sphinx Leaders fellow, she has spoken at prestigious institutions like Princeton and the University of Michigan. Angie was the first Latina commissioner of Stamford’s Arts and Culture Commission and has led partnerships with Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the U.S. Department of State. Currently, she is the Director of Programs for the Office of the Arts at Harvard.

Commencement Speaker | Jacob G. Padron

Jacob G. Padrón is the Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Founder of The Sol Project, a national initiative amplifying Latinx playwrights' voices. He has held senior artistic positions at The Public Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Padrón has produced notable works, including Suzan-Lori Parks’ Jacob G. Padrón is the Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Founder of The Sol Project, a national initiative amplifying Latinx playwrights' voices. He has held senior artistic positions at The Public Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Padrón has produced notable works, including Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays at Center Theatre Group. He teaches artistic producing at Yale School of Drama and co-founded the Artist AntiRacism Coalition. Jacob holds degrees from Loyola Marymount University and Yale School of Drama.at Center Theatre Group. He teaches artistic producing at Yale School of Drama and co-founded the Artist AntiRacism Coalition. Jacob holds degrees from Loyola Marymount University and Yale School of Drama.

Student Remarks | Kat Corrigan

Kat Corrigan is graduating with her BFA in Acting. During her time at UConn, she co-founded a theatre company, Jump the Creek Productions; studied at Theatre Academy London; and produced her own adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull.  Kat played leading roles at Connecticut Repertory Theater, the producing arm of UConn Dramatic Arts, including "Agatha" in The Moors by Jen Silverman and "Beatrice" in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. After graduating, she will be assistant directing Hurricane Diane by Madeleine George at Hartford Stage.  

Student Remarks | Aurora Courcy

Aurora Courcy is graduating with a B.F.A. in Design and Technical Theatre, where she has focused on Stage Management and Prop Design and earned a minor in Puppet Arts. Throughout her academic career, she committed to supporting the Dramatic Arts community, serving as an SFA tour guide, spearheading holiday engagement events, and working on multiple student-led plays and films. She was the President of the United States Institute of Technical Theater UConn student chapter and has worked on eight Connecticut Repertory Theater shows across various Stage Management teams. Between semesters, she worked at regional theaters such as Hartford Stage, Barrington Stage Company, and the Arts and Ideas Festival in New Haven, Connecticut. Across all her creative endeavors, she draws inspiration from her love of fantasy, nature, reading, and travel. 

2025 Class Print Artist | Julie Wakefield | ‘EVER-EVOLVING’

Julie Wakefield is graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, concentrating in Graphic Design, and a minor in Music. Born and raised in Southington, Connecticut, she has been an artist her entire life and played the trumpet for 15 years. At UConn, Julie has spent much of her time supporting the School of Fine Arts, earning the 2023 Paul Zelanski Award of Excellence. She has developed expertise in graphic design, drawing and printmaking, with her intaglio print selected for the 2024 Boston Printmakers Student Exhibition. Julie was a section leader in the UConn Marching Band and traveling member of Pep Band for three years, later working as a student administrative assistant and graphic designer for the program. She also supported UConn Music through graphic design and theater operations at von der Mehden Recital Hall. Outside of the School of Fine Arts, Julie contributed to UConn’s 2025 Yearbook and magazine at Nutmeg Publishing. After graduation, she aims to create impactful visual designs and become a teaching artist.

'EVER-EVOLVING' reflects the journey we’ve all taken as students at UConn’s School of Fine Arts. The winding sidewalk symbolizes the ever-evolving path of growth, challenges, and discovery that has led us to this moment. In the distance, Horsebarn Hill stands as a familiar beacon, grounding us in the shared experience of this campus. Floating above the path are objects representing the creative disciplines that define our experiences. Here, you have torn down ideas, rebuilt them stronger, pushed boundaries, and started over. Whether you have spent your time pressing keys on a laptop or a piano, staging a scene to perform or to paint, creating elaborate codes made of numbers, symbols, or music notes, you have unlocked pathways to the world in which you want to live. As we step forward into new chapters, this print serves as a celebration of the circulation of creativity, kindness and dedication that brought us here and will guide us into the future.

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Dean's Office Staff

Arts + Arts History Faculty and Staff

Digital Media & Design Faculty and Staff

Dramatic Arts Faculty and Staff

Music Faculty and Staff

Keep us updated on your career, milestones, and accomplishments by submitting a class note!

   

Vice Provost Amy Gorin, Rodney Rock, Gary Yakstis and the staff at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, Colleen Bridgeman, Emily Cole, Dylan DelMastro, Arielle Hill-Moses, Celeste Jacobs, Rick O’Toole, Quoron Walker, Amanda Wilde, Kelly Crossen, Meredith Friedman, Christianne Smith, Jessye McShee,  Ricardo Brown, Susan Tolis, Heather Elliott Famularo, Phil Dwire, Louis Hanzlik, John Richardson, and Megan Monaghan Rivas.

All musicians who participated in today’s ceremony.

Student Graphic Designer:
Johan Velez '25, B.F.A. - Art, Graphic Design - Congrats, Johan!