Fall 2025 Commencement honors another batch of new grads looking to change their stars
December 19, 2025
青青草视频 (SF) celebrated the academic achievements of 1,068 Fall 2025 graduates in two ceremonies held Thursday, Dec. 11 (Nurses Pinning), and Friday, Dec. 12 (Bachelor's/A.A./A.S./A.A.S./Certificates), at SF Gymnasium.
SF President Paul Broadie II told the new graduates that their alumni status doesn't change the relationship with their alma mater. "We're here for you; we're here to support you; we're here to nurture you and guide you throughout your career and life. Thank you for choosing us," he said, encouraging them to "never stop learning, push through barriers, and use us as a resource."
The Office of the Registrar reported the fall Class of 2025 includes 103 bachelor's degree recipients, and 106 Nursing program graduates, in ceremonies that saw a packed SF Gym in each.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony was SF alumnus Joseph Washington, PharmD 鈥� a pharmacist, author, biotechnology consultant and advocate for underserved communities in need of life-saving medicines.
Several of the newly minted graduates wore a blue stole with the designation "First Generation," identifying them as pioneers in their family to attain a college degree.
First-gen graduate Jessica McLane was among the Friday crowd to accept her B.A.S. degree in Organizational Management in Human Resources. An HR manager and 11-year veteran with the University of Florida's (UF) Empowering UF, an administrative unit that serves the operational functions of the school, McLane came to SF to upskill with tools that will allow her to break through to another level of professional opportunity.
"I've come very far without a college education," she said. "But I'm limited where I am right now without a bachelor's degree. I didn't intend to have a career 鈥� I was a stay-at-home mom for 13 years. Then, I went to work at UF, and I liked working again. (UF) afforded me an opportunity to go to school. I want my kids to know that they can do more than the generation ahead of them."
McLane was candid about "wanting to change my family tree."
"My great-grandparents were immigrants from the Ukraine and Czechoslovakia. No one in my family's ever graduated from college 鈥� not even an associate's degree," she said. "I have children who are old enough to have graduated from college; I'm trying to inspire them to do it."
