Tag: Graduation

Spring 2023 Grady College Graduates celebrate at Convocation

Posted on by Sarah Freeman

Spring 2023 Grady College graduates were celebrated by family, friends, faculty and staff at a Convocation ceremony May 10, 2023, at the Athens Classic Center.

More than 450 graduate and undergraduate students are graduating from the College this semester including more than 50 Ph.D. and Master’s students, nearly 100 advertising students, nearly 90 from the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies, nearly 110 journalism students and nearly 100 majoring in public relations.

Following a welcome from Dean Charles Davis, the audience welcomed the senior speaker, Victoria Marsha, an EMST graduate.

Marsha talked about recognizing what decisions may work for graduates and those that may not: “Take comfort in knowing that there are infinite possibilities for us…you make a choice and it’s not working, resist the regret and the urge to concede to those circumstances. Remember that it’s ok to seemingly work backwards, restart…that isn’t losing but rather starting fresh.”

She concluded her talk by imploring the graduates and audience to be kind. “These few words and choosing to remember that choices are moldable and not as binary as they may appear at first glance should hopefully provide you a great comfort. All of us are amazing creatures made up of every choice we have made and haven’t, they are all valuable parts of us, beautiful simply because you exist here today.”

 

Video coverage of Grady Convocation Spring 2023, filmed May 10 at the Athens Classic Center.
Pictures from the event can be found in the following UGAGrady Flickr albums:

Watch for more pictures on UGAGrady’s Flickr account of the Graduation Celebrations at Grady College.

  • Two people hug before the Convocation ceremony.
    A graduate is congratulated before the Convocation ceremony. (Photo: Jackson Schroeder)

Grady College graduate students and their families are invited to a celebration on the Schnitzer Family Media Lawn outside Grady College from Noon to 2 p.m. following their UGA Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 11.

Grady College undergraduate students and their families are invited to a celebration on the Schnitzer Family Media Lawn outside Grady College from 1 to 4 p.m., before UGA Commencement Ceremony for undergraduate students, on Friday, May 12.

 

Congratulations, Fall 2022 Graduates

Posted on by Sarah Freeman
Please visit our Fall 2022 Convocation landing page to view a roll call of graduates and social media aggregator.

Nearly 150 graduates and their family members attended convocation ceremonies Dec. 16, 2022. Convocation took place in the UGA Fine Arts Auditorium followed by a graduation celebration a block away at Grady College.

The ceremony honored nearly 180 undergraduate students, and more than 50 graduate students, which included MFA Narrative Nonfiction and MFA Film students who graduated at the end of the summer.

One student, Shuoya Sun, earned a Ph.D. in journalism after presenting her thesis paper, “The effect of arousal spike positions under skippable and non-skippable in-stream video advertising and the underlying psychological mechanisms.”

The highlight of the convocation ceremony was a brief speech delivered by graduating senior Lindsay Richman, a public relations and Spanish major, who talked about the power of embracing change.

Lindsay Richman delivers her convocation talk with a podium in front of her.
Lindsay Richman was chosen to be the senior speaker during Convocation. She challenged the audience to rewrite the rules and make changes when needed.

She talked about how she reinvented herself from a student who struggled in her early school years to one who rewrote her life script in high school, changing into an AP student. She had to regroup further when her mother died last May.

“The universe changes or eliminates the rules on us all the time,” Richman said. “You just have to see it.  I’m not saying you have to lose someone close to you to realize your potential. But when life goes “un-according to plan”…the experience can become a catalyst that transforms us or unlocks whom we might have become one day in the distant future.”

She concluded her time challenging the graduates to have the courage to change, if needed.

“Whether we have jobs lined up or no idea what’s coming next, we can ask ourselves every day, ‘Is this where I want to be?  Who I want to be?  Am I living a life I’m proud of?’ And, if the answer is no, change it.  Work for a better society.  For a better you.”

Richman’s speech can be viewed beginning at the 5:00 minute mark in the convocation ceremony video below.

 

Following the ceremonies, families walked down Baldwin street to the graduation celebration at Grady College, which included sweet treats, photo opportunities and a change to mingle fellow graduates, faculty and staff.

Please view the following UGGrady Flickr accounts to view pictures from the day:

  • Lindsay Richman talked about having the courage to rewrite rules and make changes. (Photo: Jackson Schroeder)

 

Grady College Spring Convocation/Graduation Celebration

Spring 2023 Grady Convocation Ceremony 

Athens Classic Center – Grand Hall 

Grady College’s Spring 2023 Convocation Celebration will take place in the Grand Hall, Athens Classic Center at 300 N Thomas St. Doors will open at 12:00 p.m. for the ceremony that starts at 1 p.m. 

All students wishing to participate in the ceremony must arrive for check-in before 12:45 p.m. You will receive your name card and wait for the processional to begin.  

Graduates will have their names read in front of family, friends, faculty and staff as they walk across the stage. Dress is professional. Caps and gowns are not worn for Grady Convocation. The ceremony will be live streamed.  

Due to the number of graduates and anticipated guests, tickets will be required. Graduates are limited to 8 guests for the ceremony.   

Tickets can be picked up in the Dean’s suite (room 207 in the journalism building) starting on Wednesday, April 12, at 10 a.m. If extra tickets remain, we will send a notification by noon on Wednesday, May 3, with instructions on how to pick up additional tickets.

Graduates do not need a ticket for themselves.

Spring 2023 Grady Graduation celebration – Graduate Students 

Thursday, May 11, 12pm – 2pm 

Schnitzer Family Media Lawn at Grady College 

Graduates and their parents are invited to celebrate with other graduates and faculty/staff at this drop-in celebration. Guests will enjoy light refreshments, having their name read as they cross our graduation stage. Tickets are not required for the celebration at Grady.   

Spring 2023 Grady Graduation celebration – Undergraduates 

Friday, May 12, 1 – 4pm 

Schnitzer Family Media Lawn at Grady College 

Graduates and their parents are invited to celebrate with other graduates and faculty/staff at this drop-in celebration. Guests will enjoy light refreshments, having their name read as they cross our graduation stage. Tickets are not required for the celebration at Grady.  

Questions regarding graduation can be directed to Karen Andrews, KarenA@uga.edu.  

Fall 2022 Grady Convocation Ceremony

Grady College’s Fall 2022 Convocation Celebration will take place in the Fine Arts Theatre at 255 Baldwin St. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. for the ceremony that starts at 2 p.m.

All students wishing to participate in the ceremony must arrive for check-in before 2 p.m. You will receive your name card and will be seated.

Graduates will have their names read in front of family, friends, faculty and staff as they walk across the stage at the Fine Arts Theatre. Following the ceremony, graduates and guests will be invited over to the Schnitzer Family Media Lawn at Grady College for a reception starting at 3 p.m.

Professional attire is recommended for the ceremony, and caps and gowns can be brought to the celebration on the lawn for photo opportunities.

Due to the number of guests anticipated, we will be using tickets at the Convocation ceremony only. Graduates are limited to 3 guests for the ceremony. If you have RSVP’d for more than 3 guests, they are welcome to attend the celebration on Grady College’s Schnitzer Family Media Lawn at 3 p.m. Tickets are not required for the celebration at Grady.

Questions regarding graduation can be directed to gradyabj@uga.edu.

For parking, please use the Hull Street Deck, the Tate Center Parking Deck, or other UGA surface lots in the area. Parking fees may apply in these decks depending on the day of the week and time of day. Please refer to on-site signage for access to surface lots. Most parking requires a five minute walk to the theatre. Acessible parking spaces are located behind the Fine Arts Building as well as the decks mentioned above.

Congratulations, Spring 2022 Graduates

Posted on by Sarah Freeman

We are bursting with pride for the graduates of the Spring 2022 class.

Please visit our Spring 2022 Graduation landing page featuring:

• Our virtual convocation with special speakers Eric Baker (ABJ ’90) and Delaney Tarr (AB ’22)

• A roll call of graduates

• Social media highlights from our graduates

Photos from our Graduation Celebration on the Grady College Lawn can be viewed in our photo album on Flickr.

 

Eric Baker, Delaney Tarr named convocation speakers

Posted on by Sarah Freeman

Grady College proudly announces speakers for its online 2022 spring convocation. Alumnus Eric Baker (ABJ ‘90) has been selected to deliver the charge to candidates and Delaney Tarr, a graduating journalism major, has been selected as the distinguished senior speaker.

The online convocation will be available for viewing on the UGAGrady YouTube channel, UGAGrady Facebook page or the Grady College graduation webpage starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 13.

Following a positive response from graduates over the past few semesters, the online convocation will be accompanied by a Celebration of Graduates from 2 to 5 p.m. on May 13, before the UGA Commencement at 7 p.m. at Sanford Stadium. Commencement ceremonies for graduate students will be held on May 13 at 9:30 a.m. at Stegeman Coliseum.

Eric Baker is senior prop manager with Universal Creative, where he contributed to multiple award winning projects including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park and Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida. He supervised the design, construction, art direction and installation of more than 106,000 pieces of props and set dressing. Prior to Universal, Baker served as creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering and was responsible for storytelling and playscapes of everything from Disney cruise ships to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Baker spent time on the Star Wars film sets, as well as traveling the world to find almost 100,000 pieces of props and set dressing that brings Galaxy’s Edge to life.  He graduated from Grady College with a degree in EMST (then Telecommunication Arts) and was active as a student with WUOG and the University Union.

Delaney Tarr is a senior from Coral Springs, Florida, studying journalism with a minor in women’s studies. Tarr has interests in broadcast news, political reporting and food writing, and her background in activism led her to pursue stories that uplift unheard voices in the community. She has spent her collegiate career writing for The Red & Black, UGA’S student-run independent newspaper. During the summer of 2021, Tarr interned with the independent news outlet The Pavlovic Today as a White House reporter and Gen Z voice reporter. She was named a 2022 McGill Fellow and was active in Phi Kappa, the debate society.

Online Convocation

All spring 2022 graduates are invited to submit a photo or short video clip to be included in the online convocation program. Details and a custom link for each graduate can be found in the emails from StageClip. The deadline to submit materials is May 6, 2022. Questions can be directed to Karen Andrews.

Graduation Celebration

Grady College’s Spring 2022 Graduation Celebration will take place on the College lawn and is open to graduates and their families.

Graduates can walk across the graduation stage, have their name read aloud by a faculty member and receive congratulations from Dean Davis.

  • AdPR faculty will be on hand to read names of AdPR graduates from 2 to 3 p.m.
  • Journalism faculty will be on hand to read names of journalism graduates from 3 to 4 p.m.
  • EMST faculty will be on hand to read names of EMST graduates from 4 to 5 p.m.

While these are dedicated times for each department, graduates and their families are welcome any time during the event and names will be called whatever time period is most convenient.

This drop-in celebration will feature light refreshments and will feature the online convocation ceremony playing on a loop throughout the event.

Visit the Grady College Graduation webpage starting May 13 for a list of graduates and messages of congratulations.

Visit the UGA Commencement for more details about the UGA ceremonies.

Hsiao and Esemuede named Grady Convocation speakers; Perry named UGA Commencement student speaker

Posted on by Sarah Freeman

Wendy Hsiao (AB ‘09) will deliver the Charge to Candidates and Eden Esemuede will be the senior speaker during the virtual Fall 2021 Grady College Convocation, available to view starting at 10 a.m. on Dec. 16, 2021.

Meagan Perry, a graduating public relations student and Grady College Ambassador, has been named the University of Georgia student speaker for the undergraduate commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. on Dec. 17 at Sanford Stadium.

Hsiao is an account director at Weber Shandwick in Atlanta. She specializes in media relations and works with clients including McDonald’s and Anytime Fitness. She has been profiled by several publications including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Atlantan Magazine and VoyageATL. She was recently named an honoree in the Top Women in Communications for the Leader category by Ragan Communications and PR Daily.

Hsiao earned her bachelor’s degree in communications and a certificate from the New Media Institute. She is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the Public Relations Society of America, ColorComm and the UGA Atlanta Alumni Association. She also serves as a mentor for the University of Georgia.

Esemuede will graduate this semester with a degree in Entertainment and Media Studies and a minor in communication studies. During her time in school, she has been involved as a volunteer with Grady Newsource and a variety of student productions. She is a HOPE scholarship recipient and Presidential scholar and is president of the On The Spot Improv group. Her career aspirations include going to law school and becoming an entertainment lawyer.

Perry is a Grady Ambassador and has been involved in the Public Relations Student Society of America Drewry chapter. She serves as an event coordinator for UGA CHAARG, a health empowerment organization, was on the summer staff member if the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center and moderated Grady College’s 2021 40 Under 40 panel. Perry has studied abroad in Madrid, Paris and Rio. Her capstone project is a year-long public relations initiative for the Athens Athletic Hall of Fame.

The UGA graduate student Commencement will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 at Sanford Stadium.

All Grady College graduates and their families are invited to a Celebration of Graduates on the Grady College Lawn on Thursday, Dec. 16 from 3 to 5 p.m. Students can drop-in and walk across the graduation stage, visit with other graduates and faculty and have a picture taken with Dean Davis. Light refreshments will be served. 

Spring 2022 Grady Graduation Celebration

Grady College’s Spring 2022 Graduate Celebration will take place on the College lawn.

Students can walk across the graduation stage, have their name read aloud by a faculty member and receive congratulations from Dean Davis.

  • AdPR faculty will be on hand to read names of AdPR graduates from 2 to 3 p.m.
  • Journalism faculty will be on hand to read names of journalism graduates from 3 to 4 p.m.
  • EMST faculty will be on hand to read names of EMST graduates from 4 to 5 p.m.

While these are dedicated times for each department, graduates and their families are welcome any time during the event and names will be called whatever time period is most convenient.

This drop-in celebration will feature light refreshments and will have the virtual convocation ceremony playing on a loop throughout the day.

For the latest on UGA’s Fall Commencement, visit: Commencement.uga.edu.

Our Graduation and Convocation website can be found here.

 

Fall 2021 Convocation & Celebration

Grady College’s Fall 2021 Convocation & Celebration will take place on the College lawn.

Students can walk across the graduation stage, have their name read aloud by a faculty member, and shake Dean Davis’ hand.

This drop-in celebration will feature light refreshments and will have the virtual convocation ceremony playing on a loop throughout the day.

Our Graduation and Convocation website can be found here.

For the latest on UGA’s Fall Commencement, go to: Commencement.uga.edu.

Congratulations, Spring 2021 Graduates

Posted on by Sarah Freeman

After a year like no other, we proudly recognize the perseverance, determination and tenacity of our graduates.

Our graduates are celebrated in a virtual convocation this year and an in-person Senior Sendoff on the Grady College Lawn on Thursday, May 13 from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Commencement Ceremonies for Grady and Terry College graduates take place Thursday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Sanford Stadium. The Commencement speaker is Maria Taylor (ABJ ’09, MBA ’13).

Please visit the following to celebrate the Class of 2021: