Congratulations, Fall 2022 Graduates

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)

 

Richman named senior speaker at Grady Convocation, Banks named UGA Commencement student speaker

Lindsay Richman sits at a desk during her internship with Seacrest Studios.
From January to June 2022, Richman worked as a production intern for Seacrest Studios. (Photo: Submitted)

Lindsay Richman, a senior public relations major from Alpharetta, Georgia, has been named the senior speaker during the fall 2022 Grady College Convocation, while her peer Michael Banks, a senior journalism major and Grady College Ambassador from Suwanee, Georgia, has been named the University of Georgia student speaker for the fall 2022 undergraduate commencement ceremony. 

Richman will graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in Spanish. She is a Dean’s List and Hope Scholarship recipient.

Most recently, Richman worked as an internal communications intern at Inspire Brands, where she spearheaded Buffalo Wild Wings’ weekly internal newsletters and pitched, wrote and edited content for internal stakeholders, among other tasks. Before that, Richman was a production intern at Ryan Seacrest Studios, interned for a congressional campaign and wrote for The Red & Black. 

Richman also serves as an executive board member at The American Cancer Society at UGA. 

Michael Banks stands on front of the fountain on North Campus.
Banks has interned with both the United Nations Foundation and the U.S. Department of State. (Photo: Submitted)

Banks, a Jere W. Morehead Honors College student, will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs. He also completed a certificate in global studies and minors in anthropology and business. 

Currently, Banks is working as a virtual foreign service intern for the U.S. Department of State. Previously, Banks interned with the United Nations Foundation, McKinsey & Company and Historic Athens, among other companies and organizations. 

Grady Fall 2022 Convocation will take place on Dec. 15 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. Graduates will have their names read in front of family, friends, faculty and staff as they walk across stage at the Fine Arts Theatre. Following the ceremony, graduates and guests will be invited over to Grady College’s Schnitzer Family Media Lawn for a reception starting at 3 p.m. More information is available hereGraduating students planning to attend the convocation need to register here no later than Dec. 6, 2022.

The UGA Fall 2022 Commencement ceremony will occur on Dec. 16 at Stegeman Coliseum, 100 Smith St. The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. The graduate ceremony starts at 2:30 p.m. More information is available here.