Commencement concludes and graduates recess

Graduates wave to friends and family in the stands, family and friends cheer, and the stands begin to clear. Students — now alumni — will meet up with their parties in the streets outside Fenway Park.

Thank you for following our live updates from today’s commencement.

Finale ends, fireworks explode and the recession begins

Fireworks far above home plate conclude commencement, and, in the crowd, guests hold up cards that spell out a phrase across the entire width of the ballpark:

“HUSKIES FOR LIFE”

Chief Marshal Ondrechen removes the ceremonial mace and signals all to rise.

The Northeastern Pep Band plays “All Hail Northeastern” as the recession begins.

Finale begins as newly minted graduates celebrate

The Nor’easters kick off the finale before being joined by dance troupes, cheerleaders and musical groups in a combined performance.

A massive banner falls over the Green Monster wall in Fenway park, “Congrats Huskies!”

The women’s Beanpot champs also make a surprise appearance.

Groups included in the finale are: 

• The Nor’easters
• Northeastern University Pep Band 
• Northeastern University Wind Ensemble
• Dance Team 
• Revolve Dance Crew
• Kaliente Dance Group
• Rangila Rhythms  
• Northeastern University Dance Company 
• Northeastern University Cheerleading  
• Northeastern University Bhangra Club 
• Kinematix Dance Team
• Pitch, Please!

All told, over 200 student performers are part of the epic finale.

Graduates receive degrees, shift tassels, embark on a new journey

Provost Madigan invites the graduates to shift their tassels, symbolizing that they have received their degrees.

Senior Vice President for University Advancement Diane Nishigaya MacGillivray officially welcomes the graduates as alumni.

“You came together around shared experiences and interests, classes, co-ops, clubs,” she says. Or maybe you were just thrown together, and came to discover that the most meaningful connections are the accidental ones.”

Provost announces degree conferral on the students

Provost David Madigan invites college deans to confer degrees on their respective graduates: 

“Mr. President, it is my privilege to report to you that the candidates assembled here have qualified in all respects for the degrees in course,” Madigan says. “They have successfully completed curricula offered by the several schools and colleges of Northeastern University and have been recommended by the faculty and the council of deans to be awarded appropriate degrees in recognition of their academic accomplishments.”

The deans are coming up individually to greet the students of their respective colleges and to confer their degrees.

The deans are: 

• Gregory Abowd, Dean of the College of Engineering
• David De Cremer, Dunton Family Dean of the D’Amore-Mckim School of Business
• Carmen Sceppa, Dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences
• Elizabeth Mynatt, Dean of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences
• Elizabeth Hudson, Dean of the College of Arts, Media, and Design
• Hazel Sive, Dean of the College of Science
• Kellee Tsai, Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities

As each dean presents their candidates to the president, the students of their college cheer.

Aoun thanks Grainge and Nor’easters perform

President Aoun thanks Grainge for his speech and presents him with a citation, noting how Grainge has a superpower for uncovering “talent wherever you may find it. Who knows, the next Ed Sheeran could be here on this stage right now.”

Northeastern graduates building ‘a future we haven’t seen”

Grainge wraps up his speech by calling on the graduates to remember that they are in a unique position: There has never been a graduating class quite like them. He encourages them to remember that “those who truly succeed are not the loudest — they’re the ones with their heads down, grinding, unsure if it will even work, but going for it anyway.”

Together, the Northeastern University graduating class of 2025 will take part in “a future we haven’t seen, a future we cannot fully imagine and won’t truly understand until you build it.”

Grainge also gave a shout out to his wife, Sofia Richie, in the stands, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Record exec Elliot Grainge says ‘No’ can be the best incentive

After an introductory sizzle reel that featured surprise shoutouts to the Northeastern grads from Cardi B and Ed Sheeran, Grainge—who Northeastern president Joseph E. Aoun described as “a powerhouse of talent who has turned his Northeastern experience into a successful career”— begins his speech by encouraging recent graduates to persevere despite the odds.

“The two greatest things people have said to me,” Grainge says, are “‘That’s impossible,’ and ‘No.’”

It was this pressure, seeing a variety of projects not come through, that eventually convinced him to launch his own record label, 10K Projects, he says.

“You can’t control other people’s opinions. But you can control how you respond.”

Aoun presents graduates with four foundations to their education

Aoun tells graduates that a Northeastern “education is your lifelong bedrock. Four strong foundations I call ‘the four Cs’ make it unique.”

These foundations, he says, are curiosity, creativity, context and community.

These unique foundations were bolstered and expanded by Northeastern’s experiential learning, he continues.

“Creativity moves the human spirit,” Aoun says, while “AI has no awareness of context. It is locked in its data sets, while humans travel through the infinite contexts of life.”

Meanwhile, curiosity can serve as a “compass as you continue learning.”

Ultimately, while the first three pillars “can help us accomplish great things — community is why we accomplish them,” he says.

“When we learn about the world, we learn about ourselves.”

Human passion for learning fueled by Northeastern, Aoun says

President Joseph E. Aoun takes a few moments to thank all the mothers in the audience — today is, after all, Mother’s Day — before also acknowledging the alumni in the Fenway Park audience, sitting above home plate, who graduated over 50 years ago.

Graduates also applaud the faculty and staff that helped them reach this point.

Aoun also remarks on the “values illuminated by our student speakers” — once again highlighting Northeastern’s Latin motto — “light, truth and courage.”

“Your Northeastern experiences,” Aoun says, “fueled your inherently human passion to learn.”

D’Amore welcomes Aoun to the stage

“Our next speaker is someone you all know well,” D’Amore tells the graduates. “He’s an expert on AI, a distinguished educational leader, and, most importantly, a huge fan of selfies with students.”

The graduates laugh — many of them have selfies to prove how true this is.

President Joseph E. Aoun takes the stage to riotous applause and cheers.

Undergraduate student speakers take the stage

Introduced to the stage by Northeastern Chancellor Ken Henderson, all three student speakers are members of the graduating class of 2025. They speak of the importance of Northeastern’s motto — lux, veritas, virtus — and the importance those words have come to represent to them.

“Light, truth and courage,” Jizelle Dorego says, translating Northeastern’s Latin motto to English, “define my Northeastern experience.”

Daunte Pean says that Northeastern gave him “the motivation to try new things, push past my comfort zones and be my best self.”

The student speakers stand on the stage above a banner proclaiming the very motto they describe.

“Northeastern switched on the light that showed me no matter where I am, I have the power to make things better simply by showing up with purpose,” Luke Brothers says.

They conclude by shouting, “Huskies for life!”

Madigan remarks

Chief Marshal Ondrechen introduces Provost David Madigan, who recognizes the class marshals from each college, recognized at commencement for their academic excellence.

Madigan intenerates the graduates by praising their achievements, but also notes that their commencement “isn’t just a culmination — it’s a launching point. Today, revel in this achievement. Tomorrow, go forth and make your mark as Northeastern graduates.”

Seven graduates present multi-faith invocations

Chief Marshal Ondrechen introduces Alex Levering Kern, the director of the Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service. Kern takes the stage to welcome seven graduates who are presenting multi-faith invocations.

• From the university’s Protestant Community — Munin Mundt
• From the university’s Muslim Community — Maha Sidi
• From the university’s Jewish Community — Ariana (Ari) Eiseman
• From the university’s Hindu Community — Sribindu Sreepada
• From the university’s Buddhist Community — Nicholas Lombardi
• From the university’s Sikh Community — Meher Khanna
• From the university’s Roman Catholic Community — Emma Wong

Mia Martin sings the National Anthem

Chief Marshal Ondrechen asks the guests to rise, Northeastern ROTC takes the stage and the Color Guard posts its colors.

Mia Martin, class of 2025 and member of the award winning Pitch, Please! a cappella group, now sings the National Anthem to a rapt audience.

Commencement kicks off with thunderous hype video!

A video celebrating Northeastern, its students and especially the class of 2025 — scored to a mashup of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC and “Supercut” by Lorde — sets commencement off with a bang and sparks cheers from both the audience and the graduates.

President’s platform party proceeds to the stage

President Joseph E. Aoun proceeds to the stage with the rest of his party, including provost David Madigan and chancellor Ken Henderson. They enter to the Northeastern Wind Ensemble playing “Pomp and Circumstance.”

Many students wave the flags of their home countries as the ceremony proceeds. This year’s undergraduate and graduate ceremonies contain representatives of all 50 states and over 125 countries.

Graduates are seated and colleges raise their flags

The faculty cadre leads a group of graduates from each of Northeastern’s seven undergraduate colleges — who carry the flags of their respective schools — to the stage.

The flag bearers are:

• For the College of Engineering — Carina Davis
• For the D’Amore-McKim School of Business — Jason Singer
• For the Bouvé College of Health Sciences — Aleena Jacob
• For the Khoury College of Computer Sciences — Wanru Shao
• For the College of Arts, Media and Design — Ashley DiLorenzo
• For the College of Science — Migue Van Louis Darcera
• For the College of Social Sciences and Humanities — Nasyve Beech

Graduates and their family and friends are packing the iconic @FenwayPark for @Northeastern's 2025 undergraduate commencement.🎉

Live updates: https://t.co/DXdX3fM6dg pic.twitter.com/mfgISFQ05s

— Northeastern Global News (@NUGlobalNews) May 11, 2025

Did you know… Northeastern held the first World Series?

Did you know that Fenway Park has held the baseball World Series eleven times? But the first was held at Northeastern, 122 years ago.

If you’ve ever wondered why there’s a statue to early baseball star Cy Young outside Hayden Hall, it’s there to mark the location of the 1903 World Series infield.

Northeastern University began holding commencement at Fenway Park in 2022, which is only a short walk from Northeastern University’s Boston campus.

Known as Friendly Fenway because of the park’s intimate environment, Fenway Park is the home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, and has been since 1912. Before that,

the Red Sox played at Huntington Avenue Grounds, which is now part of Northeastern’s Boston campus. The team owner built Fenway Park in 1911, and it opened with the new season in 1912.

A gorgeous day in Fenway Park

There’s perfect weather in Boston for today’s ceremony in Fenway Park, a sunny 68 degrees and a gentle breeze out of the northwest. Blue skies over the Green Monster.

Grad students told to wonder, ‘How will you be remembered?’

In this morning’s graduate commencement, Northeastern’s over 5,000 grad students were addressed by David Roux, philanthropist and trustee to the university.

“How will you be remembered?” Roux asked the graduate students. “You won’t be remembered for who you are, for what you have, but for what you do and how you do it.”

Memory can be a fickle thing, he reminded them, but “showing up matters, because it’s the personal touch that makes people feel most connected.”

In 2020, Roux and his wife Barbara Roux launched the Roux Institute in Portland, Maine. The Roux Institute will celebrate its commencement on June 13.

Northeastern celebrates commencements all around the world

Over 50,000 guests are expected in Fenway Park for today’s graduate and undergraduate ceremonies. Commencements are also planned for Northeastern’s global campuses, including Seattle, Silicon Valley, Toronto and Vancouver through the end of May, with more leading into June.

Northeastern’s Oakland campus celebrated its commencement at the end of April with student speaker Teddy Johnstone. “I believe that language and storytelling, paired closely with compassion, are the best ways to weave strong bonds,” Johnstone said.

“Never doubt your wisdom or doubt its necessity. This world needs your brilliant mind and your open heart to set it free.”

Congratulations to all our graduating Huskies!

You've done the Red & Black proud, know you'll always have a home with us! pic.twitter.com/iC4yUbMwLW

— Northeastern Huskies (@GoNUathletics) May 11, 2025

This year’s commencement features three undergraduate student speakers

The undergraduate speakers are Luke Brothers, in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Jizelle Dorego, in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business and Daunte Pean, in the College of Engineering.

Together, the student speakers will give voice to how their experiences at Northeastern have changed them. 

Brothers is a member of the Huntington 100, majored in health science and recently served in a co-op at the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab.

Dorego majored in business administration, worked in a TA Associates co-op and was the co-president of WeInvest and WeBuild.

Pean is also a member of the Huntington 100 and majored in mechanical engineering. He attended a dialogue of civilizations in Panama and recently worked in a co-op at Deloitte Consulting, where he will continue after graduation.

The graduates enter Fenway Park!

In addition to their individual stories, the class of 2025 will remember winning their third-straight Women’s Beanpot title, the opening of a state-of-the-art research building on Columbus Avenue and a Last Lecture given by professor William Sharp.

Live music from the Majestic Brass Band, Wind Ensemble and Pep Band is welcoming graduates as they process onto the field. 

Many of them are waving at families and friends in the stands. Others are taking selfies with their friends on the field of Fenway Park.

The procession is led by Chief Marshal Mary Jo Ondrechen, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology. She is also carrying the university mace.

Elliot Grainge is the undergraduate commencement speaker

The CEO of Atlantic Music Group, Elliot Grainge is this year’s undergraduate speaker. Grainge graduated from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2016, and in the past ten years he has built his own independent record label and amassed dozens of platinum records and hits.

“This university and my experience in Boston in general helped shape not only the way I think about business and creativity but helped me build a foundation as an independent thinker and entrepreneur,” Grainge recently told Northeastern Global News.

How Fenway Park transforms for Northeastern’s commencements

Pre-show welcomes guests and livestream begins

Livestream coverage of the 2025 undergraduate commencement begins.

Emcee Sam Iannone, class of 2027 and one of Northeastern’s social media ambassadors, comes out to the “Rocky” theme and playfully spars with Paws. He welcomes families and friends to Fenway Park. 

“We’re at the most iconic venue commencement could be held at!” 

Music is raising the energy as the crowd makes its way inside, and Northeastern dance groups take the field. 

Northeastern photos and videos are playing on the New Balance board above right field. 

Northeastern mascot Paws and Red Sox mascot Wally have also been spotted waving to the crowd.

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Historic Fenway Park is open for graduates’ families and friends

Fenway Park is open and guests are arriving for the undergraduate ceremony, which commences at 4 p.m. 

Northeastern Global News will be providing live updates throughout the afternoon.

Concession stands will be open until the ceremony begins at 4 pm. Water will be available throughout.