12-05-2025
Sun shines on Allegheny College commencement for Class of 2025 in its 210th year
May 10, 2025, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA…Allegheny College held Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2025 on Saturday, May 10, 2025. The festive celebration featured 307 students walking the traditional path from the David V. Wise Center down to historic Bentley Hall, for the program. There were more than 3,500 attendees.
Also participating in the ceremony was Allegheny Student Government President, Ella DeRose '27; Professor of Media Studies, Dr. Ishita Sinha Roy; Allegheny College Board of Trustees Chair, Steven Levinsky; and Allegheny College President, Dr. Ron Cole.
President Ron Cole addressed the crowd, focusing on the theme of leadership. He said, 'Leadership for purpose is empowering, inspiring, and supporting others toward a common goal, for a greater good. Helping to imagine a better future and then planting seeds for that future. To me, that's part of leading for purpose. In this I'm reminded of the saying that 'A society grows great when we plant trees in whose shade we will never sit.' Leaders for purpose do this - plant seeds and nurture growth for future generations. Let's plant seeds and let's also have gratitude for those leaders that planted seeds for trees that give us shade today.'
The Commencement address was given by Dr. Daniel Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a global nonprofit leadership and convening organization founded in 1949.
Dr. Porterfield said, 'As your lives rise, you'll see your alma mater rise. With this Allegheny education, you have developed a boundless power for doing good. Not only have you learned and grown, you've learned how to learn and grow. This is a growth mindset. The conviction that your talents are not finite. Growth matters today, in our rapidly changing world. With a growth mindset, we know that we have the power to discern and analyze change - that we can change ourselves and we can drive change.'
Graduates are headed to a variety of opportunities, just a few of which include:
Graham Kralic, PNC Bank
Mya Furbish, International Institute of New England
Austin Williams, PLS Logistics
Liz Driscoll, Paper Mill Playhouse
Matthew Degnan, Disney College Program
Adrienne Hanas, Glover Farms
Mitchell Dugan, Emergency Medical Technician
Walker Cunningham, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Aria Zong, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Sara Karns, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
Matilda Earwood, Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center
Azary Matsuda, United States Navy
Ethan Borsh, Northwestern University
Megan Robare, Duquesne University School of Pharmacy
Marissa Steury, Buckman & Buckman Law
The ceremony concluded with the singing of the alma mater and a reception for faculty, staff, students, and parents, where they could say goodbyes and share future plans.
On Friday the College held the AYA Rite of Passage Ceremony, which celebrates first-generation and historically underrepresented graduates of Allegheny College. The celebration was represented by the AYA, an adinkra symbol that represents endurance, resilience and the ability to overcome. Dean of Inclusive Excellence Heather Moore Roberson addressed the students, 'It's important for you to leave this place knowing that we, here at Allegheny, have been lucky, blessed, and privileged to have had you here as students. So when you are asked 'how does it feel to have attended Allegheny?,' please tell them, 'the honor, I assure you, was Allegheny's.' '
Honorary Degrees
The College awarded honorary doctorates of humane letters to two distinguished leaders: Dr. Daniel Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute (and Commencement speaker), and Allegheny Alumna Diane Sutter '72, President and CEO of ShootingStar Inc. Broadcasting in Los Angeles.
Prior to leading the Aspen Institute, Porterfield served for seven years as the President of Franklin & Marshall College. Porterfield previously served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Development and as an award-winning professor of English at his alma mater, Georgetown University, and as communications director and chief speechwriter for the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Porterfield imparted the idea of a life to the résumé graduates, saying, 'You'll always have a resume about what you do for work, but think about a life resume with four sections, each one with a question. When did I grow? When did I experience joy or love? When did I feel well and when did I feel pain? And when did I help someone else? A new section called purpose will rise as you go through life. Through your actions and your choices you will know why you are here. Most of us find our purpose not by abstract reason but actually by living in the world and reflecting on what feels right and most meaningful.'
Diane Sutter '72 told the students, 'You, the Class of 2025, are our future. Use your curiosity, talents, and creativity to create a lasting, positive legacy for those that come after you. And don't run away from change! Your life will be full of it. Embrace it!'
Honored with the Radio Ink Magazine Lifetime Leadership Award for outstanding service to the industry, Ms. Sutter was also recognized as one of the Most Influential Women in Radio for seven consecutive years (2017–2023). Additionally, she was named among the publication's Top 20 Leaders in Radio. Sutter currently serves as Chair of the Board of Visitors for the Center for Business and Economics.
In closing, President Cole told the graduates, 'All of us together in this extraordinary moment are united in community by memories, friendships, achievements in the classroom, in the lab, on the playing field, on the stage, and in the Meadville community.'
Notable
The 2025 Commencement caps a record year at Allegheny College for fundraising, new program launches, significant partnerships with Meadville organizations, the opening of Allegheny branch campus ALIC @Bessemer, and the highest number of applications received for the 2025-2026 school year.
