Dr. Reshma Kewalramani, CEO and president of Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., received an honorary degree from UMass Lowell during Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 17 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. With Kewalramani, center, are Joseph Hartman, UMass Lowell provost and vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, left, and UMas Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. / HENRY MARTE photo for UMass Lowell

LOWELL – Use your voice and passion to uplift the world around you.

That was the message to the 4,447 members of UMass Lowell’s Class of 2025 this weekend, as the university awarded 4,451 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees to the graduates in three ceremonies on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

Degrees to the graduates were awarded from the university’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Francis College of Engineering; Kennedy College of Sciences; Manning School of Business, and Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences. Members of the Class of 2025 hail from 42 states and 98 countries. Among the 4,447 graduates, 234 achieved a cumulative academic grade-point average of 4.0, 839 were the first in their families to attend college and 73 are connected to the military.

The youngest to earn their diplomas are 18-year-old siblings Franziske and Edward Hoene of Woburn, who received their bachelor’s degrees – Franziske in biomedical engineering, and Edward in civil engineering. They will stay on at UMass Lowell to pursue master’s degrees. The oldest graduate, John Doherty of Andover, is 83, and a new holder of a master’s degree in history. The graduates join an alumni community some 100,000 strong.

Punctuating the events was the presentation of honorary degrees to Vertex Pharmaceuticals President and CEO Dr. Reshma Kewalramani and John O’Halloran, president of University County Cork, Ireland.

In three ceremonies on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, UMass Lowell awarded bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees to 4,447 Class of 2025 graduates. Degrees were awarded from the university’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Francis College of Engineering; Kennedy College of Sciences; Manning School of Business, and Zuckerberg College of Heath Sciences. / HENRY MARTE photo for UMass Lowell

Kewalramani was recognized for her contributions to innovation and science. A leader in the development of transformative medicines for illnesses such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, she is a physician and specialist in internal medicine and nephrology. Today, she is the only woman leading a biopharmaceutical enterprise worth more than $100 billion. Committed to a more sustainable planet, O’Halloran is a member of the Royal Irish Academy, a leading ornithologist and international leader in ecological research and education. UCC’s longstanding partnership with UMass Lowell – focused in areas such as wind-power research and sustainability – inspired Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s administration to establish the Clean Energy and Environment Legacy Transition Initiative at UMass Lowell and Boston University.

As thousands of parents, family, friends, mentors and teachers and alumni gathered to salute the graduates, Commencement celebrated academic excellence and innovation, civic engagement and public service. These themes were perhaps best expressed by the graduates themselves, as three members of the Class of 2025 served as Commencement speakers:

Mubarak Ayinla ’25 of Lowell, spoke during the Friday afternoon ceremony, where he received his doctoral degree in organic chemistry. At UMass Lowell, he worked to develop gels that can repair themselves automatically, modified bacterial molecules aimed at overcoming antibiotic-resistant infections, and materials designed to remove pollutants from the environment. He is a two-term president of the university’s Graduate Student Association.

“While I was building systems for environmental remediation and gas storage, I was also learning to build a framework for my own life,” he said of his UMass Lowell experience.

2025 UMass Lowell Commencement student speaker Sameera Jangala of Woburn, who received her bachelor’s degree in biology, addressed the crowd during the Saturday morning ceremony. / HENRY MARTE photo for UMass Lowell

Sameera Jangala ’25 of Woburn, delivered her address at the Saturday morning ceremony, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology. She works as a faculty assistant at Shine in Math Academy, where she teaches children English and math, and has worked extensively as a nursing assistant in the neurosurgical intensive care unit at Beth Israel Lahey Health.

Passion manifests in many ways, according to Jangala.

“There is no one box that we fall into, and there is no limit on who it is that we can become,” she said. “Keep adding more to your manuscript, as there is no word count on what you are able to accomplish.”

Sydney Selby ’25 of Boulder, Colorado, offered remarks during the Saturday afternoon ceremony, where she was awarded a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. A cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, she completed an internship with UMass Lowell Police Department, where she became certified in self-defense, aided in community policing efforts and gained a valuable firsthand look at policing operations. She is continuing her studies at UMass Lowell, in pursuit of a master’s degree in security studies. Next spring, she is due to commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.

After comparing and contrasting UMass Lowell’s three vibrant campuses, Selby concluded “all of UMass Lowell” has become the graduates’ home.

“Years from now, we may find ourselves spread across the nation, even the world. But we’ll always be united by the time and memories we shared here together,” she said.

The Commencement was UMass Lowell’s first since it was named a Carnegie-classified Research 1 university, a designation that recognizes the institution’s research excellence and places it among the top 7% of colleges and universities nationwide.

“We’re innovators at UMass Lowell,” Chancellor Julie Chen reminded the graduates. “No matter where you’ve come from – or where you’re going next – each of you has new tools to help solve the big challenges, locally and globally. Those tools include the characteristics you have as River Hawks: hard work, teamwork, innovation and service to your professional and broader community.”

Awards and Recognitions

Still other student award winners, Chancellor’s Medal recipients and distinguished alumni were feted throughout the weekend-long celebration.

Recipients of a Chancellor’s Medal for Outstanding University Support included:

• Brooks Automation Inc. of Chelmsford, a leading provider of semiconductor manufacturing and laboratory automation solutions. Brooks supports UMass Lowell in many ways, including hiring graduates, providing internships to students and, most recently, establishing a campus makerspace.
• Draper, the nonprofit engineering and research company that is the anchor tenant in the Lowell Innovation Corridor Network (LINC).
• The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, an economic development agency focused on strengthening the competitiveness of the state’s tech and innovation economy. UMass Lowell collaborates with MassTech on a variety of endeavors that serve as catalysts for innovation and economic growth.

Individuals bestowed with a Chancellor’s Medal for Public Service and Civic Engagement included:

• Mark Cochran, retired CEO of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union of Lowell;
• Richard Howe Jr., retired register of deeds for Middlesex County; and
• S. Army Lt. Col. Adam Caruso, an Army Special Forces officer assigned as the U.S. Special Operations Command’s technology liaison for Boston and the New England region.

Recognized for their impact in their respective professions and in the community, Distinguished Alumni Award recipients were:

• Richard Grande ’72, ’80, an executive director and advisor at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management;
• Valerie Barry ’84, ’87, a medical researcher who later taught middle school math and science;
• James Barry ’88, who had a successful, 30-year career in the medical device industry;
• Patricia Talty ’78, retired co-founder of the law firm Talty & Talty PC and adjunct professor; and
• Francis Talty ’77, retired lawyer, UMass Lowell faculty member and assistant dean.

Additional awards were granted throughout the two-day celebration. A complete list of distinguished guests and graduating seniors with top academic achievements can be found on the UMass Lowell Commencement website.