WVU marks Commencement with new president, graduates and celebratory ‘Let’s Go!’

A new era began inside the Hope ColiseumSaturday (Dec. 20) as West Virginia University President Michael T. Bensonspoke from the gold and blue Commencementstage for the first time, and hundreds of August and December graduates took their first steps as Mountaineer alumni.

"This celebration is one I look forward to each season, and today is especially meaningful," the University's 27th president told graduates, family members, friends and other guests.

Noor Ibrahim Abdulhay, a doctoral graduate in epidemiology from the WVU School of Public Health, was the first student to cross the Commencement stage under President Benson's leadership - a milestone moment that served as the inaugural degree conferral of his presidency.

"Since I started in July, I've come to understand Mountaineers are hard-working, proud, loyal, gritty and welcoming people. That pride is especially evident today," Benson said.

Among those embodying the spirit of determination was Kylee Reyes, an Arkansas City, Kansas, native and graduate from the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics who successfully balanced her role as a bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency while pursuing her master's degree in forensic and fraud examination.

Emily Chittester, a DuBois, Pennsylvania, native and sport management major from the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences, also knows the value of hard work and grit after turning her passion for sports into a career. She gained experience as an intern for both the West Virginia Black Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers while earning her bachelor's degree and a minor in mathematics.

An NFL veteran, Tavon Austin, a multi-year All-American who was considered one of college football's most explosive all-purpose players during his time with the Mountaineers from 2009-12, graduated with a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree from the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

Echoing Benson's sentiments regarding the Mountaineer spirit, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul Kreidersaid, "Today marks a milestone achievement in your lives. Graduating from college or graduate school is a major accomplishment. You have worked hard, overcome challenges and celebrated numerous victories along the way. All along that journey, you persevered."

Benson also took a moment to recognize the first-generation college graduates.

"At its core, higher education is the great equalizer, providing an opportunity to improve standings in life and knowledge of the world," he said. "My grandfather was the first in his family - the oldest of 11 - to go to college, and that forever changed the trajectory of his life, and the lives of all the children and grandchildren who followed."

Krystal Hughes, a Caldwell native from the WVU School of Pharmacy, has achieved two significant milestones. A dedicated researcher doing lab work since the age of 15, Hughes is the first in her family to attend college and the first student to simultaneously complete a master's degree in clinical and translational science and a doctoral degree in pharmacy.

As the graduates prepared for the traditional turning of the tassel, Benson urged them to embrace the collective joy or "we mode" that Mountaineer alumni share.

"It's the ineffable feeling of togetherness that comes out of activities like yelling 'Let's Go!' together, having a conversation with a stranger after spotting a 'Flying WV' in the wild or singing 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,'" he said.

"Such rituals make our lives worth living and the foundations for these traditions have been laid during your time here at WVU."

Other notable mentions included the following:

• Chancellor and Executive Dean for Health Sciences Dr. Clay Marsh reminded the graduates to treat others with compassion and uphold the Mountaineer Values as they enter their respective fields.

• Continuing the tradition of honoring outstanding faculty members, two were selected by the president, interim provost and chancellor to serve as Commencement Faculty Grand Marshals.

Serving in the role for the 9 a.m. ceremony was Dr. Sally Hodder, director of the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, professor in the WVU School of Medicine, and associate vice president for clinical and translational science at WVU Health Sciences and Chancellor's Preeminent Scholar Chair.

Presiding for the 2 p.m. ceremony was Valerie Wayda, associate dean for student success and academic affairs in the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences.

• An advocate for ways to support persistence in STEM courses among college students, Sydney Kudlak from Moundsville cites participation in undergraduate research as one of her proudest accomplishments while working toward a biology, pre-medical degree within the WVU Eberly College.

• A Mississauga, Ontario, native, member of the men's soccer team and finance major, Marcus Caldeira achieved remarkable success on and off the pitch. By maintaining a 4.0 grade point average, he earned a spot on the Academic All-America First Team, becoming the first WVU student-athlete to be a three-time First Team member.

• Jessica Grant, an Ashland, Pennsylvania, native, is fulfilling her love for the outdoors and passion for STEM as one of the first graduates in the new environmental engineering program in the WVU Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

• Driven by a passion for serving her country and a family legacy of military service, Victoria Weser, a WVU School of Nursing graduate, will attend Navy Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island.

• With the goal of working within the Appalachian food revitalization movement, Calder Funk from Martinsburg successfully completed a degree in anthropology with a minor in creative writing from the WVU Eberly College, which included a capstone project looking at cooking within culture.

• A 2025 Mountaineers of Distinction recipient from Hurricane, Isabella Hart dedicated more than 500 service hours to supporting patients receiving end-of-life care at Amedisys Hospice Care while pursuing a dual mechanical and aerospace engineering degree in the Statler College.

Find a WVU Commencement media photo gallery.

Watch recordings of the ceremonies in the WVU Commencement webcast archive.

-WVU-

ta/12/20/25

MEDIA CONTACT: Shauna Johnson
Executive Director of Strategic Communications
WVU Strategic Communications and Marketing
304-293-8302; [email protected]

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