'I learned at Penn State Abington ... I am because WE ARE!’

ABINGTON, Pa. — The Penn State Abington campus community celebrated the Class of 2025 across two ceremonies on May 9, with Chancellor Gary Liguori reminding the 350-plus new graduates to lead by example. 

“Present yourself in a manner that will make your family, your friends, Penn State Abington, and even complete strangers, proud of you. Practice civility, especially when you disagree. And never forget that education is power, but a power that should never be misused. Be proud and be humble,” he said. 

Abington Class of 2000 alumna ShaVon Savage, the assistant superintendent of the nearby Cheltenham School District, returned to campus to deliver the keynote address and reflected on her journey.

“I want to leave you today with a saying I learned: Ubuntu. It means ‘I am because we are.’ This is a recognition that our well-being is intertwined with the well-being of others. ... It means we should continue to focus on our common humanity and remain compassionate, treat each other with dignity, and be respectful to facilitate our common survival,” she said.

“You have learned here all that you need to be successful. We can each be ourselves while still contributing to our larger communities. One thing I learned at Penn State Abington is that I am because WE ARE!” Savage said to rousing applause. 

Liguori highlighted a range of student accomplishments at the ceremonies, including: 

• New graduates who focused on community service, including participating in Alternative Spring Break in Puerto Rico, and others who organized food drives and partnered with a local nonprofit to bring holiday cheer to local families living with cancer. 

• Undergraduate research including two students who investigated a treatment for aggressive malignant tumors.

• A student whose business earned two second place cash awards in University-wide entrepreneurship competitions. 

• Students who set athletic records. 

• Fifty-two students completed their degrees with honors and 10 earned two degrees. 

• Ten new graduates received Schreyer Honors College medals for completing challenging coursework and a required thesis as the culmination of their honors experience. 

The highest achieving new graduates were named student marshals and valedictorians, leading the student processional and offering brief remarks to open and close the ceremonies: Leah Davis, Elisa Dosti, Madeline Fordham, Gabriella Gindoff, Madelyn Hrouda and Anastasia Volyanyuk. 

Each year, the senior class honors a faculty or staff member with the Ross Brinkert Lion Heart Award, named for a beloved Abington professor. The class of 2025 chose John Pachence, associate teaching professor and program chair for the Integrative Arts degree.

The ceremonies included brief remarks from Leilani Fox, class of 2004 and president of the Abington Alumni Society board. She presented the students with a free one-year membership to the Penn State Alumni Association and rocked the building with a “WE ARE!”     

Watch the Penn State Abington Class of 2025 commencement ceremonies on YouTube and view images on Instagram @psuabington and Facebook at Penn State Abington. 

About Penn State Abington

Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With more than 3,100 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 26 majors, accelerated master's degrees, undergraduate research, the Schreyer Honors College, NCAA Division III athletics and more.