The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Spring 2021 graduates might well be remembered as a class of record setters.
The 1,892 degrees they will collectively earn, for starters, are the second most ever awarded for a single semester.
Individual Commencement ceremonies for the University’s eight academic colleges and Graduate School are being held Friday and Saturday at the Cajundome and Convention Center.
Ceremonies for the colleges of the Arts, Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Allied Health Professions, and Sciences were set for Friday. Ceremonies for the colleges of Business Administration and University College, and the Graduate School are Saturday.
All told, the University will confer 1,536 bachelor’s degrees, 316 master’s degrees, 38 doctoral degrees and two certificates. The number of master’s and doctoral degrees set another record – the most in University history.
The Spring 2021 class is also notable for diversity. It includes the largest number of graduates of Hispanic descent and the largest number of graduates of Asian descent. It also includes seven Black graduates who earned doctoral degrees, the most awarded in a single semester.
Graduates are from 54 Louisiana parishes, 34 states and U.S. territories, and 37 foreign countries.
They’re also an accomplished, determined group, said Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president.
During the College of the Arts’ ceremony, Savoie noted that the COVID-19 pandemic filled graduates’ final semesters with “extraordinary challenges.”
“But when challenge arrived, you overcame it. When uncertainty abounded – as the world changed rapidly around you – you answered with courage, resilience and an unmistakable Ragin’ Cajuns resolve,” Savoie said.
The Spring 2021 class also stands out for academic achievement.
Narges Firouzshahi is UL Lafayette’s Outstanding Master’s Graduate. She earned a master’s degree in speech language pathology from the College of Liberal Arts.
Alex Zappi is the University’s Outstanding Graduate. A chemical engineering major, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Engineering.
Twenty-seven undergraduate students were recognized as summa cum laude graduates for achieving 4.0 GPAs. The group is the largest ever to earn perfect GPAs. Honorees, listed by college, are:
College of the Arts
- Kevin Hilbun, music
- Danielle Kemp, industrial design
- Isabella Mire, visual arts
B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
- Britney Hatfield, accounting, finance
- Laura Landry, accounting
- Jordan Morse, finance
- Wanlin Zhang, accounting
College of Education
- Regan Robichaux, elementary education
College of Engineering
- Alyssa DeLattre, chemical engineering
- Eli Finnegan, mechanical engineering
- Alex Zappi, chemical engineering
College of Liberal Arts
- Angela Comeaux, English
- Josie Lamm, speech pathology and audiology
- Mackenzie McEntee, psychology
- Kendra Wilson, political science
- Jessica Zeringue, psychology
College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions
- Zaha Bush, nursing
Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
- Christopher Bayard, mathematics
- David Broussard, computer science
- Emma Domangue, biology
- Noelle Dunn, biology
- Alaina Guilbeau, biology
- Sabriah Haq, biology
- Maxwell Kane, mathematics
- Alexandra Nguyen, biology
- Diana Nguyen, computer science
- Te Anne Yap, computer science
View a list of Spring 2021 graduates.
Learn more about Spring 2021 Commencement.
Spring 2021 Commencement ceremonies for each academic college and the Graduate School will be livestreamed via links that can be found on the Cajundome's website.
The individual ceremonies will also be livestreamed on the Facebook pages for seven academic colleges and the Graduate School. The ceremony for one academic college, University College, will be livestreamed on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's main Facebook page. Links to each of those Facebook pages can be found here.
Photo caption: The University of Louisiana at Lafayette will award a total of 1,892 degrees to Spring 2021 graduates during individual Commencement ceremonies for the University’s eight academic colleges and Graduate School. Ceremonies are being held Friday and Saturday at the Cajundome and Convention Center. Photo credit: Rachel Rafati / University of Louisiana at Lafayette