Nearly 19,000 trekked through Trask Coliseum over the weekend to watch 2,918 Seahawks (2,204 undergraduate, 628 master’s and 86 doctoral students*) officially graduate as the spring UNCW Class of 2024.
“Seventy-five years ago, Wilmington College, as our institution was known at the time, held its first-ever graduation ceremony, awarding 14 degrees. Today, for our first-ever, graduate-only ceremony, we will present degrees to more than five hundred graduates,” said UNCW Chancellor Aswani K. Volety during the first of five ceremonies.
Chancellor Volety paused during the graduate ceremony to remember a Seahawk we lost too soon. Jaime Jay “JJ” Young, who was in his last semester of the Executive Master of Public Administration program, passed away in February.
A native of Fort Plain, NY, he held bachelor's degrees in criminal justice and psychology from LeMoyne College. He served on the UNC Greensboro Police Department and was recognized in 2020 with the UNC System Officer of the Year Award for Outstanding and Exceptional Service. His wife, Amy, and two children, Gracie and Maverick, were present to accept his posthumous degree.
Tyler Stevenson '24 sang the National Anthem for three of the ceremonies and Hayley Jones '25 for two. Provost James J. Winebrake presented special distinctions and honors. The graduates hailed from 36 states and nine countries.
UNCW Senior Class President Jackson Porter ’24 (business major, concentration in accounting) delivered greetings on behalf of the class:
“There have been many obstacles along the way. We experienced the adjustment of life during the pandemic and the readjustment to go back to in-person. Throughout all of it, I think we all became the best version of ourselves. We are thinkers, problem-solvers, dreamers and doers. As we move on to our next steps, it is important to thank those who helped us be successful Seahawks: our amazing faculty, our families and the friends we made along the way. I want to encourage everyone to hold onto these connections as you continue in your life as a forever Seahawk.”
Remarks for the undergraduate ceremonies were delivered by:
The ceremonies were also livestreamed and are available now for online viewing.
*Numbers current as of March 20, 2024; subject to change.
This article has the following tags: myUNCW myUNCW - Faculty & Staff myUNCW - Students CHSSA - College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & the Arts WCE - Watson College of Education CSB - Cameron School of Business CHHS - College of Health & Human Services Academics CSE - College of Science & Engineering