REMINDER! You can view the ceremony live on YouTube by click here! A replay will be available after the ceremonies as well.
Hello to all friends, family and colleagues of the Cullen College of Engineering's Spring 2025 graduation class! We’ll be providing live updates and pictures before, during and after today’s ceremonies. Check this space frequently, as well as our Instagram account.
The crew today is Stephen Greenwell and Alex Keimig, writers; Jaxon Lara, photographer and videographer; Hunter Corfield, communications and social media manager; and Carl Apple, executive director of communications.
As part of our graduation coverage, we profiled eight different graduates from a variety of majors. Read those stories, as well as coverage from past years, on our Commencement landing page. Have questions about this year’s ceremonies? Read more on the official page for the Cullen College of Engineering Commencement ceremonies.
Want to share a picture or have your story featured? Come say 'hi!' to one of us! Or, contact us by email (sjgreen2 [at] central.uh.edu (sjgreen2[at]central[dot]uh[dot]edu) or amkeimig [at] central.uh.edu (amkeimig[at]central[dot]uh[dot]edu)) or message us on social media, preferably Instagram.
Coverage will start around 7:30 a.m., as graduates are scheduled to begin mustering in the Athletic Center. It will continue through the start of the second graduation ceremony. Thank you for following along with us today!
8:30 a.m. – For Ana Alavarez, a Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering graduate that’ll be working at Mars Wrigley, today’s ceremony is bittersweet. (Pardon the pun.)
“I’m excited. It’s a long time coming, but also bittersweet. I came from a small town to the big city, and Houston has become my home town.”
Alvarez exceled at UH, not just in the classroom but also serving as the president of the Society of Women Engineers as well. At Mars Wrigley, she will work as a continuous improvement specialist, focusing on chocolate.
When asked who’s been instrumental in her success, she said, “My parents, my older brother, Janice [Quiroz Perez, director of the Career Center], and all of the classmates that have support me along the way.”
Liliana Villarreal is a first generation graduate, earning her degree in Civil Engineering. She’ll have 10 family members watching her when she walks today.
“It’s a little bit surreal,” she said. “I didn’t think the four years were going to go by so fast, and now it’s here. It’s definitely hitting now.”
Villarreal will be using her degree to help with the development efforts of Quiddity Engineering, a firm in Bellaire. She was celebrating before the commencement ceremony with her friends Emily Navarro, also from Civil Engineering, and Kathleen Reihani, a Biomedical Engineering graduate.
9:00 a.m. – Pichpiseth “Seth” Long, an international Civil Engineering graduate from Cambodia, is “excited to finish off [his] degree” and mark the occasion at this morning’s commencement ceremony.
“It’s been a long journey,” he said. In fact, Long’s parents flew in from Cambodia to join him for this morning’s events, and he thanks them for their support in his studies and is excited to spend time with them. “I’d also like to thank my professors, Dan Burleson, Brian Metrovich, and Frank Claydon.”
Ymonni Simms, a Computer Information Systems graduate, wants to thank her mom and her family for “always supporting” her. Simms is a Dean’s List student and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and is eager to begin the next chapter of her life after walking the stage this morning.
Zuhayr Haq is graduating with his degree in Digital Media this morning and couldn’t be more excited.
Haq’s cap, which was painted by an auntie, reads “Alhamdulillah” – all praise to God – in Arabic calligraphy. “I’m Muslim, and whenever we begin something, we say bismillah – in the name of God – and when we finish something, we say alhamdulillah. These last four years… I think we’ve all really gone through it and have been waiting for this moment – for new beginnings. It’s not the end. It’s just the beginning,” he said.
Haq is grateful to his parents and his family for all of their support.
The ceremony in the Fertitta Center is soon to begin – stay tuned for more!
9:35 a.m. – Victoria Nhu Nguyen will be receiving her third degree today, this one in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. She is following in the footsteps of her father, Vu, who also earned his degree in Mechanical.
“I want to thank God for this blessing of graduating,” she said. “The only reason I’m here today is because of God and my family.”
Nguyen said that she decided to pursue MAE after receiving advice from her father. After graduating, she’ll be working for POWER Engineers, which has an office in the Woodlands.
“I found out I really loved it,” she said, of earning her bachelor’s degree following two associates degrees. “I’ve had fun learning the fundamentals and I’m so grateful to be here.”
Nguyen also wanted to thank two professors that had been important in her academic success – Christiana Chang and Farah Hammami Ep Kammoun, both Instructional Assistant Professors.
Sanaia Kaye Washington and Abbas M. Salim, Computer Information Systems graduates, were playfully ribbing one another while they waited in the Athletic Center. Salim insisted that Washington became friends with him because of his “natural brilliance,” while Washington laughed and said he was lucky to know her.
“I’m excited, I’m ready to walk that stage and get it over with,” Washington said. She is considering two different offers for a job after graduation.
Salim said he has a final interview for a position next week. He’s also looking forward to the ceremony as a culmination of the past few years.
“It’s been a hard, long process, but fulfilling,” he said.
Salim wanted to thank Chris Feriante, a full-time lecturer, for his instruction. Washington thanked José C. Martínez, an Instructional Associate Professor.
The graduates have made the walk over to the Fertitta Center, so our next update will be from inside the building!
10:50 a.m. – Festivities are well underway here in the Fertitta Center! While Dean Pradeep Sharma got the ceremony underway, it was the introduction of the College’s oldest graduate – James Martin, Mechanical Engineering Technology – that really brought the house down.
“He’s only 74 years old,” said J.R. Rao, Senior Associate Dean.
Also recognized was the youngest student, Camilia Flores, 19; and the Outstanding Student of the Senior Class, Parsa Tari.
In the crowd, we spoke with Sabrina Abedin, Bruk Mesfin and Reja Raza, who were there to see their friend Oluwadurotimi “Timi” Agbesanwa graduate with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. He will be attending medical school at Texas A&M.
Mesfin said they had watched Agbesanwa, who they’ve known since middle and high school, balance his academics while also serving in a variety of groups.
“It’s a great feeling to see him recognized,” Mesfin said. “It’s rewarding. He truly deserves it.”
Abedin added, “He’s really grown in the right direction. He’s extroverted and he really lights up that room when he’s in it.”
Jason Scott attended commencement with his girlfriend, Yola Perez Ruiz, to watch her son Jonathan Izquierdo Perez walk. His younger brother Alex was also there to see him.
“I’m proud him,” Scott said, adding that Perez was a first generation graduate. “It’s a really proud moment for his mother, obviously.”
Shweta Mohandas, Swasthi Nair and Ash Nair were at commencement for a pair of friends – Devika Mathilakath, a Civil Engineering graduate, and Nikhita Menon, a Biomedical Engineering graduate.
“We’re really proud that they graduated,” Mohandas said.
The group knows each other thanks to family connections, and they all grew up with one another. It has spanned multiple graduating classes as well. Mohandas earned her undergraduate degree in 2018, Mathilakath and Menon are earning their bachelor’s degrees today, and Ash Nair is still in high school.
“I’m the youngest one, and they’re people I’ve grown up with and really admired,” Ash Nair said.
Menon and Mathilakath are the only ones who attended and graduated from the University of Houston, with the others attending Texas A&M and the University of Massachusetts.
“I guess for them we’ll say ‘Go Coogs!’ today,” Swasthi Nair said, laughing.
We’re about two-thirds of the way through the first commencement ceremony, so we’ll likely have our next update after. A reminder that a link to the livestream is at the top of this blog!
12:15 p.m. – Nicholas Russell earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, and he had several family members there to cheer him on – his mother Michelle, his dad Stewart, his grandmother Cindy, his brother Trevor, his sister-in-law Daniela, and his fiancée Sarah Adams.
“It’s very emotional,” Adams said. “I was super proud of him.”
After graduation, his family said that Russell would be starting at Intuitive Machines. He’s the second UH grad in the family, as Trevor Russell is a 2019 graduate of the Geology program at NSM. He’s now a Physics teacher at Clear Creek ISD.
“It’s nostalgic to be here, and I’m glad I got to see him walk across the same stage as me,” Trevor Russell said.
Isabella Chavez was celebrating with her friends Catherine Duong and Giselle Crisanto outside the Fertitta Center after the ceremony. Chavez earned her degree in Biotechnology today.
“I’m excited, scared, nervous, everything,” she said, laughing. She’s looking to put her education to use in the pharmaceutical field, especially manufacturing.
Crisanto is a fellow Cougar alum, a graduate of the Psychology program, and Duong is a Kinesiology student. They met through mutual friends, describing Houston as both bigger and smaller than it seems.
“We’re so excited for her,” Duong said. “She’s work very hard, endlessly for this. It’s great to see more women in STEM.”
Colton Warren earned his degree in Computer Engineering. Joining him was his sister Allison, stepmother Elaina, father Clayton, and partner Brett Robertson.
“I’m really excited, but also really overwhelmed,” Warren said, laughing. “It’s a bittersweet moment, but also it’s the end of an era for me and my friends.”
“He’s been talking about this for ages, and I’m so proud of him graduating,” Allison Warren said.
Clayton Warren added, “I’m proud of the work he put in, and the dedication he had to studying and earing his degree.”
Warren has an opportunity in the aerospace industry that he’s pursuing. At UH, he had many professors that helped him graduate, but two stuck in his memories – “Dr. Dave” Shattuck, an associate professor, and Fritz Claydon, the associate department chair and his professor for Intro to Engineering.
“Dave Shattuck was my professor for Circuits 1,” he said. “The energy he brought to that class was excellent. It was my first major class and really inspired me.”
We’re in the break period between the two ceremonies right now, so we’re taking the opportunity to recharge. But we’ll be back with more photos from the first ceremony, as well as interviews with graduates, families and friends for the second.
1:50 p.m. – Isabella Arguello is earning her second degree from the University of Houston today. Her first was in Creative Writing, and now she’s adding a M.S. in Human Resources Development.
“This is my second time graduating at UH,” she said. “I’m hoping to be someone’s HR rep, and to do onboarding and all those related tasks.”
She identified Maryam Charmchian-Langroudi, a lecturer, as being important in her academic success.
“She was super helpful,” Arguello said.
Sri Divya Mandadapu is walking for her Master of Science degree in Engineering Data Science. She was taking a breather from the crowds in the Athletic Center with her friend, Tulasi Shetlem, a Computer and Systems Engineering graduate. Shetlem’s brother was also graduating with the same degree today.
Mandadapu and Shetlem both described themselves as excited and exhausted. Mandadapu said the new nature of her program attracted her to it, with Shetlem mentioning a similar reason for her courses.
Shetlem wanted to thank Amaury Lendasse, formerly at Cullen and now the chair and professor of engineering management and systems engineering at Missouri S&T. Mandadapu credited her success to instruction from Xin Fu, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
2:10 p.m. – For Rituja Vats, who is graduating with her Master of Science in Construction Management this afternoon, her professors have made all the difference in her experience at UH – and not just for academics.
“They were really great, and even apart from their subjects, they actually taught us how to go forward and how to move out into the professional field in ways that helped us succeed. I got an internship and then a job from that – not just education regarding the subject, but about how to succeed after getting your degree. That was amazing.”
Rituja now works for OGC Construction and Renovation LLC in Florida.
Pedelson Finda, an international student originally from Angola, has just earned his Master of Science in Human Resource Development in the Cullen College of Engineering’s Technology Division.
Though it has been difficult to be away from his family, who are still in Angola, Finda is grateful for all of their support over the years. “I couldn’t have done this without them,” he said. Now newly graduated, he looks forward to working in both the dental industry and in finance as a strategy analyst in the future.
For Han Ngo and Shayne Douglas Sensenbach, who have both earned their PhDs in Chemical Engineering, succeeding in the sciences is all about people.
“I really enjoyed my five years here a lot, and I think that’s because of my professor, Dr. Mehmet Orman. He really created a healthy environment, and my lab mates did as well, which is really important when you’re working those long hours,” said Ngo.
“So did I,” agreed Sensenbach. “I think the people you work with are really, really important. A lot more important than a lot of people realize, especially starting grad school. People know that they really want to do research and what field they want to be in, what discipline they want to study, but equally or more important are the people you end up working with on a day-to-day basis. That makes a huge difference.”