Credit: Oscar Cartagena / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg will hold its fall 2025 commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 9:30 a.m. at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
A livestream of the commencement ceremony for the benefit of graduates’ family members who may not be able to attend in person will be available. Visit the website for more ceremony details and the livestream link.
Penn State Harrisburg alumna Ariel Gardner will serve as keynote speaker at the ceremony. Gardner is a small mammal–ectotherm animal keeper at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. She began her animal care journey in 2010 as an intern at the Animal Hospital of Dauphin County, where she remained for more than a decade. In 2017, she began her exotic animal care work as an animal keeper at ZooAmerica in Hershey.
Gardner earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Penn State Harrisburg in 2019 and a master of science degree in veterinary biomedical science from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. In 2024, she earned a certificate in wildlife veterinary medicine and conservation from Purdue University.
After five years in the field of wildlife animal care, Gardner joined the Walt Disney Company in 2022 as a cast member at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. She received the People to Watch Award from the Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Society in 2023.
She contributes to conservation efforts involving species such as the purple martin through Disney Conservation fieldwork. Her past conservation fieldwork has included regal fritillary butterflies, kestrels, and barn owls in central Pennsylvania. Gardner also volunteers with Disney VoluntEARS and Give Kids the World.
Sumana Moosavi will serve as student speaker. Moosavi, of Clifton Park, New York, will receive a bachelor of arts in political science.
She worked in the Lambert Undergraduate Advising Center as a peer adviser, helping students navigate academic and personal challenges with confidence and clarity. She also served as a global community leader in the Office of Global Engagement, creating spaces for cultural understanding, inclusion, and belonging. Moosavi said the roles gave her a chance to uplift others and give back to the campus community.
With a passion for justice and public service, Moosavi will apply to law school following graduation, saying she wants to use her experiences and voice to advocate for others.