On Sunday, May 18, 2025, graduates from UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies walked the historic Lawn under a beautiful blue sky with nearly 4,000 of UVA’s newest grads. After the procession, the school awarded 135 master in public safety degrees and 82 bachelor’s degrees – the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management - to adult learners who all traveled unique educational paths to reach such a culmination. Some journeys turned left where others turned right; many stopped and started along the way; but each required resilience, determination, courage, and commitment and the belief in a better future.
Selected bachelor's degree program speakers, Timothy Richard, a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies graduate, and Kristen Simpson, a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management graduate, congratulated their classmates for their perseverance in making the most of the few hours between life’s many demands.
Richard spoke to the life-changing potential of second chances, both offered and self-created, for those who are willing to make the most of them. Like many of his classmates, Richard believes UVA offered him a second chance to achieve something deeply meaningful, and he called on his classmates to use their success to lift up others.
Simpson recalled the late nights spent studying, the classmates who held babies during online classes and the group that collectively refuses to be defined by circumstance. Praising her son, whose love and support carried her through her journey’s challenging days, she acknowledged what her son learned along the way and challenged graduates to continue showing up as the example they have set.
Michelle Swift earned the Bachelor of Professional Studies’ highest grade point average, and Michael Smith received the program’s outstanding capstone award.
Matthew Martin, Timothy Richard and Catherine Tincher earned the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies highest grade point average. Robert Bridges and Timothy Richard received the program’s Stephen T. Thornton outstanding capstone award. Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies graduate, Brittany Toth, received the Edgar F. Shannon award from UVA's ever-mysterious Z Society. Each year, this award is given to the "best" graduating students from each of the University's schools.
In the words of Mark Erath, Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management instructor, all graduates deserve the “force of nature” award.
Congratulations to all graduates of the University of Virginia!