Commencement weekend will be May 16-18 in Ryan Center

April 30, 2025

Among the numerous speakers graduates will hear from during the University of Rhode Island’s spring commencement weekend, none may be more meaningful to them than those who have shared the journey with them, literally and figuratively.

Last spring, as the University rolled out a new commencement format instituting individual ceremonies for each academic college, student speakers were included in each commencement, sharing their individual, and often universal, experiences. This month – as URI celebrates the achievements of about 3,300 graduate and undergraduate degree recipients – student commencement speakers will again be a big part of the pomp and circumstance in the eight ceremonies during commencement weekend,May 16-18. All ceremonies will be held in the Ryan Center on the Kingston Campus.  

This spring’s student commencement speakers are: Puja (Diya) Banerjee, Lucia Caito, Colby Constantine, Jennifer Melgar, Klara Nelander, Lauren Peckham, Joceline Rodrigues, Sarina Thapar, and Helene Tjoumakaris.

GSO’s representative, Puja Banerjee

Banerjee, who is from Agartala, a city in the Indian state of Tripura, will be graduating with a Ph.D. in oceanography from GSO, and plans to pursue a career where she can apply her research, data analysis, and project management skills beyond academia. 

She says graduation is the culmination of years of hard work, resilience, and constant pursuit of knowledge. “Although it certainly feels like a sudden void, especially when you’ve been working towards a goal for so long, it also gives us the courage to step into new challenges and embrace new dreams,” she added. “Graduation reminds us that every ending is also a beginning, filled with new opportunities to redefine ourselves and our paths.”

To learn more about URI’s Commencement Weekend or to view a full schedule of ceremonies, visit: uri.edu/commencement/.