Sunny Skies and ‘Joy’ for First of Two Lawn Ceremonies

Ryan Lynch wanted a challenge, so she transferred to the University of Virginia.

“The No. 1 thing I was looking for when I transferred was a community of people who would push me,” Lynch said.

Ryan Lynch says UVA pushed her until the end of her last semester on Grounds. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

The Philadelphia native, the daughter of two UVA alumni, transferred from Hampton University after her first year of college – and quickly found what she was looking for.

Soon after arriving on Grounds, she joined CRAVE, a student fashion group, and served as its co-president during her third year. She became a lifeguard through UVA Recreation and started a swim program. She pursued a double major in behavioral neuroscience and media studies, an academic track that challenged her until her final days on Grounds.

Cloudy skies over Charlottesville clear just in time for graduating students to walk the Lawn. (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)

“My parents always said, ‘You’ll be a lifelong learner if you graduate from the University of Virginia,’” Lynch said. “That’s been true in the classroom, but also so many other aspects over my three years here. UVA will push you; it will teach you a lot about yourself, and it will give you a community of people that support you.”

On Saturday, Lynch and more than 4,000 other graduating students from the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education and Human Development and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy received their degrees. The cloudy skies in Charlottesville cleared right on time for the graduates to walk the Lawn. Lynch can now say she has worn the honors of honor and graduated from Virginia.

Two students pose for a selfie during Final Exercises. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

University President Jim Ryan acknowledged the challenges the Class of 2025 has overcome as well as their triumphs.

“There is, after all, much joy to be found in this world, as you have already shown us. Most importantly, you have made this university a better place, and I have no doubt you will do the same for the world you are about to enter,” Ryan said.

UVA President Jim Ryan addresses the students and their loved ones before the conferring of degrees. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

University Professor Michael Suarez, director of the Rare Book School, addressed the graduates. He spoke to the importance of American universities as beacons of academic freedom and “incubators” of innovation that have led to everything from a phone’s GPS system to synthetic insulin.

Saturday’s keynote speaker, University Professor Michael Suarez, celebrates “the accomplishments, the perseverance and the character of the Class of 2025.” (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)

“Two hundred years ago, the University of Virginia made a promise to itself and a pact with the nation to be a place where students’ lives are changed, where the citizens of these Grounds leave better equipped for outstanding service of the common good,” Suarez said. “My hope is that the combination of your hard work and our educational partnership has given you the ability to land a job, or go to grad school, certainly. But my deeper ambition for you is that our conversations over these years will have broadened your understandings and enlarged your hearts.”