The graduates gathered one last time to line up for their final walk together past the Rocky statue and into Kimmel Arena.
Then it was time for the grads (and Interim Chancellor van Noort!) to give Rocky one last pat for good luck.
The AfroMusics Ensemble and Highland bagpiper played the graduates in, with excitement from the graduates and all their supporters—from family and friends, to faculty and staff.
Sam Shepard, this year's Manly E. Wright Award winner, offered remarks to their fellow students:
"We’ve seen each other through not only this degree, but through this chapter of our lives. Through a pandemic, through losses of loved ones, through fear and joy and stress and now, graduation.
You all know this, you’ve felt this, you’ve lived this... I trust in our future, not because I know what’s next. Not because I’m leaving with goals accomplished. But because I’m leaving having been lavished with love.
I was caught at UNCA. We were caught at UNCA. For that I am turned over and filled with and made soft, with gratitude.
I love you all. I am here because of you. Because of us."
Special honors and recognition were given to entrepreneur and philanthropist Joe Brumit, who received an honorary degree; Professor of New Media Lei Han, who received the UNC Asheville Distinguished Teaching Award, and Professor of Philosophy Keya Maitra, who received the 2023 Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.
At last, the big moment had arrived. It was time for the students to walk across the stage, receive their diplomas, and officially become UNC Asheville graduates.
"As UNC Asheville graduates, I am confident that you will make your mark on the world as global citizens, lifelong learners, educated problem solvers, and change makers," Interim Chancellor van Noort said in her charge to the graduates. "And you will be successful because you also know what it means to make an impact, to foster resilience, and to persevere.
"You will make us proud. You already have. Wherever you go, put your ambition into action and rise to meet any challenge."
The new graduates shared hugs with their families and friends, bade farewell to UNC Asheville, and set off on their next big adventure.
You can relive the full ceremony (or skip ahead to cheer for your favorite graduate again!) via the live-stream recording:
SpaceX, carnivorous plant studies in grad school, and a year volunteering in Israel are just a few of the exciting adventures in store for our graduates. Find out more about their post-graduation plans in our "What's Next?" series.
Congrats, Bulldogs! We can't wait to see what you do next!
© 2026 UNC Asheville
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