MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A new wave of West Virginia University graduates have officially walked the podium as part of the 2025 Spring Commencement Ceremonies.
Over 500 graduates participated in three ceremonies that were hosted on Friday at the WVU Coliseum as part of 2025 Commencement Weekend. Families from all parts of the Mountain State as well as various parts of the United States took part in the celebrations and sang the traditional closing song ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ to commemorate the completion of a journey that took close to half a decade to complete, or longer. They will be followed by thousands of other graduates of the 4,100 students scheduled to walk the podium over the weekend.
“I’m happy to be done, but I’m happy to have done it,” said WVU School of Pharmacy graduate Conner Combs from Follansbee, WV, who took part in the ceremonies Friday afternoon. “I feel like it’s kind of just bringing all the last six years together into one day, and it was a good way to end it.”
The WVU College of Law kicked off festivities on Friday, where they were followed by ceremonies hosted for the WVU School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, School of Public Health, and School of Dentistry. Doctoral and master’s program graduates from the WVU School of Medicine were recognized during Friday’s closing ceremony that took place in the late afternoon. For several students who graduated on Friday who will either take part in internship programs or head straight into the job market, WVU Commencement Weekend is a great opportunity to reflect on their time at the university.
“I’ll remember the camaraderie; we were really a tight family, and everyone was so understanding and helpful,” said WVU Law School graduate Tori Pettri from Seth, WV, discussing her time at WVU.
On Saturday, the WVU College of Creative Arts and Media will celebrate their graduates during the first of three commencement ceremonies that will take place at the Coliseum starting at 9 a.m. The second ceremony will commemorate graduates from the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is scheduled to start at 12 p.m., with the third celebrating graduates from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics starting at 4:30 p.m. Each of the ceremonies will give students a chance to take in the moment and enjoy the time with their friends and loved ones.
“I’ll miss really being here, and (I’m) feeling nostalgia about the university and graduating for the last time and not knowing if I’ll come back,” said WVU Law School graduate Michele Champeau from Reston, VA. “So it’s been great, and I’ve really enjoyed it, try to make the most out of my time here.”
WVU Commencement Weekend will conclude on Sunday with three of the larger ceremonies that are scheduled to be hosted at the Coliseum. The final day of ceremonies will kick off with WVU College of Applied Human Sciences at 9 a.m., with the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources celebrating at noon, and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences concluding ceremonies at 4:30 p.m. WVU President Gordon Gee is also scheduled to make his final commencement speech during the final on Sunday, which is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 graduates. For those walking the podium this weekend, it’s a time to reflect while also looking forward to the future.
“It feels great, I’m excited for the future where hopefully I’ll be building my future here in West Virginia, so I look forward to it,” said WVU School of Medicine graduate Donovan Weekley from Lexington Park, MD.
Livestreams will be available for the final six ceremonies on the WVU Commencement Weekend website.