Monday marked Penn's 269th Commencement ceremony, celebrating more than 6,000 graduates from the Class of 2025 across the University's 12 schools. The occasion brought together the entire Penn community, from students and professors to alumni and administrators, for a morning of tradition and reflection. Here’s a look at the ceremony, in photos.
Beginning around 9:15 a.m., graduates and alumni proceeded from Penn Park to Franklin Field, where the stage was set for the formal ceremony. As students trickled in, they stopped and posed with fellow Quakers while friends and family took pictures from the stands.
The graduating students were followed by University administrators, the Board of Trustees, and this year’s honorary degree recipients. After an opening prayer and the national anthem, Penn President Larry Jameson commenced the ceremony by addressing the current challenges facing higher education and highlighting Penn’s recent achievements and breakthroughs.
Looking out over the crowd, a sea of caps and stoles reflected the diversity of degrees being awarded, with each color signifying a different school or program. Some students added personal flair, decorating the tops of their caps with messages and designs.
Following remarks from University leadership, Commencement speaker and 1996 College graduate Elizabeth Banks took the podium. She spoke candidly about her time at Penn, sharing lessons on risk-taking, failure, love, safety nets, and personal agency. She encouraged graduates to use the safety net afforded by their new degrees to take risks and create opportunities. She closed her speech with a fitting send-off for the Class of 2025, and a nod to her iconic role as Effie in the film series “The Hunger Games”: “May the odds be ever in your favor.”
In the final portion of the ceremony, deans from Penn’s 12 undergraduate and graduate programs formally presented their students to Jameson, who conferred upon them the rights and privileges of their degrees.
After singing the alma mater, caps flew into the air, and the new graduates exited Franklin Field — concluding the ceremony, along with Penn’s graduation weekend.
