UNMC Graduate Studies honored more than 80 soon-to-be graduates who were about to earn graduate certificates, master’s degrees, Master of Science degrees and Doctor of Philosophy degrees at its 2025 spring honors convocation May 9. The class of 2025 had these credentials officially conferred upon them the following day at UNMC’s Omaha spring commencement.
Click here to enjoy a photo album of the honors convocation.
Click here to watch a video replay.
The program included the traditional hooding of degree candidates by mentors.
The convocation also celebrated the achievements of the class of 2025, including special awards:
- UNMC Graduate Studies Service Learning and Professional Development Badges: Anum Akbar, PhD, bronze; Clara Sophia Mundry, PhD, gold; Pratima Raut, PhD, gold; Zachary VanRoy, PhD, platinum; Aaron Schwab, PhD, platinum.
- Graduate students of distinction: Morgan Busboom-Matulka, PhD; Amanda Macke, PhD; Meg Schaefer, PhD; Jake Son, PhD; Aaron Schwab, PhD.
- Thomas Jefferson Ingenuity Award: Hannah Harris, PhD.
- Thomas H. Rosenquist Graduate Student Award: Clara Sophia Mundry, PhD.
- Praesto Award: Jake Son, PhD.
Faculty member Moorthy Ponnusamy, PhD, was honored with the Graduate Student Association’s Distinguished Graduate Student Mentor Award.
Vipul Shukla, PhD, assistant professor, Northwestern University, a UNMC Graduate Studies alumnus, gave the keynote address.
“You are not the same person who walked into this institution years ago,” he said. “You have evolved into a thinker, a healer, a scientist who refuses to give up. And the world expressly needs that kind of resilience.”
He reminded the degree candidates that “science and freedom are intertwined,” and reminded them of the responsibility to build a better world, not just a better lab.