Highlights from the 2025 SJMC Spring Graduation Celebration

UW–Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication spring graduation celebration was held Friday, May 9, with over 200 undergraduates, eight professional master’s degree recipients, three research master’s recipients and six Ph.D. recipients celebrating at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. These graduates, along with their families and friends, heard from Director Kathleen Bartzen Culver, Professor and Director of Graduation Studies Mike Wagner and keynote speaker David Grossman (BA’87), all congratulating them on their hard work and dedication to the fields of journalism and mass communication.

Throughout the celebration, a major theme emerged: community. Both Grossman and Culver spoke of the importance of surrounding oneself with people who lift you up, especially in times of uncertainty and change.

“We don’t always get to choose what happens to us in life. But, if you’re lucky, you will get to choose who is by your side when it happens,” said Grossman. “Pick your who carefully. Your colleagues, your mentors, your partners, your friends … surround yourself with people who challenge you to grow, who support you when you struggle, and who celebrate your successes as their own.”

Grossman also focused his keynote address on navigating uncertainty. He provided graduates with three key lessons to take with them as they embark on their careers:

Trust your intuition.

Surround yourself with people who lift you up

Ask yourself: “Are you living the life you desire?

“Remember that the most powerful impact you’ll have won’t be through the words you write or the campaigns you create, but through how you show up in the world: how you listen, how you connect, how you lead,” Grossman said. “And no matter what this life throws at you, I know you’ll meet it with compassion, conviction and courage.”

Culver’s closing remarks also shared three core characteristics of an SJMC Badger graduate that set them apart from others entering the job market:

Grit. SJMC grads are mettle-tested and battle-ready for the workforce. They know how to integrate work with their lives

Sense of purpose. Our grads know how to use their voices to create the world that they want.

People. SJMC graduates know the power of community.

“We’ve made you ready for whatever job or career you’re going to go into, graduate school, whatever it may be. But all of those things that you will do, they matter, but your people matter more,” Culver said. “Sometimes you’re going to lose your way and when you find your way back, you’re going to rely on those people and you’re going to realize that after all your successes that a job makes you a living and your people make you a life.”

We are so proud of all our graduates and their incredible accomplishments. We cannot wait to see what they go on to achieve next.

Please visit our Spring 2025 Graduation Celebration event page to learn more about our graduates’ memories and takeaways from their time at SJMC and to view our event program. Watch David Grossman’s full remarks as well as the entire graduation celebration on our YouTube channel. Photography from the event will be available for free download in late-May.