From Valedictory Exercises Friday afternoon to Batten’s signature Academic Regalia Ceremony on Saturday and Final Exercises on Sunday, this weekend marked the first return to the full custom of in-person UVA graduation since 2019.
Valedictory Exercises
Friday’s Valedictory Exercises in John Paul Jones Arena led the university’s 193rd Final Exercises weekend. During the ceremony, keynote speaker and UVA basketball legend Ralph Sampson told members of UVA’s Class of 2022 to make their mark on the world by staying motivated and having a plan, and by staying in touch with UVA after they graduate.
Valedictory Exercises also featured ceremonies honoring a handful of students, faculty and student organizations for their dedication to the UVA community. Among those honored were Batten student Elizabeth Aramayo, who received the Cultural Fluency Award for her strong understanding and appreciation of the cultural diversity at UVA including her work as director of alumni engagement for the Batten Latinx Network, and student Domenick Bailey, an undergraduate research assistant for Batten professor Brian N. Williams who was honored with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for his outstanding contributions and service to UVA.
Academic Regalia Ceremony
On Saturday, Batten’s Class of 2022 and their families and guests gathered at James Monroe’s Highland for the school’s signature Academic Regalia Ceremony and reception. The ceremony was hosted by Batten’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Public Policy and Economics Jay Shimshack and featured a commencement address by General Paul M. Nakasone, Director of the National Security Agency. Dean Ian Solomon was regrettably unable to attend due to illness.
As part of the ceremony, the undergraduate and MPP graduating cohorts each selected a class speaker to deliver remarks to their fellow students. Natalie Abbey (BA ’22), a Global Development Studies double major and co-founder of BRIDGE (Bringing Race Into Dialogue with Group Engagement) at UVA, was selected by her classmates to represent the undergraduate cohort. Alexandria Pinckney (MPP ’22), a native of Peachtree City, Ga., who earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Georgia in 2020, was chosen by her classmates to speak on behalf of the MPP class.
A recording of the full ceremony is available here.
Final Exercises
More than 4,500 students walked the Lawn and received degrees Sunday, including 87 students who fulfilled the academic requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership and 91 students who fulfilled the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Public Policy. The keynote speaker was Dr. Taison Bell, a UVA alumnus and director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at UVA Health.
