IUP to Celebrate Graduates With Ceremonies on Dec. 14

Indiana University of Pennsylvania will hold a commencement ceremony on December 14 for 563 graduates who have completed academic requirements for their degrees in December and January 2025.

The ceremony will include remarks by two students, including an Indiana County graduate receiving her master's degree and a Cambria County graduate receiving her bachelor's degree. The ceremony also includes recognition of 22 undergraduate students who completed their undergraduate studies with perfect 4.0 grade point averages, including an Indiana man. An Indiana County graduate will be presenting the Senior Class Gift.

The ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on the university's YouTube channel; the link to the broadcast is available on the IUP Commencement website. After the event, the video recorded during the livestream will be available on the website. The webcast will begin 15 minutes before the actual start of the ceremony.

Tickets are not required for the December commencement ceremony.

Of the graduates, 324 have earned bachelor's degrees, 202 earned master's degrees, 33 completed requirements for doctoral degrees, and there are four associate degree graduates.

Of the bachelor's degree applicants, 171 qualify for honors (3.25 or above cumulative grade point average). The total number of undergraduates by college are: 41 from the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs; 79 from the Eberly College of Business; 55 from the College of Education and Human Services; 94 from the College of Health Sciences; 52 from the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics; and seven from the University College.

IUP President Michael Driscoll will preside over the ceremony, and all students participating in the commencement ceremony will be recognized by name and congratulated on stage.

The undergraduate student speaker is Victoria Albert, an anthropology-archaeology and religious studies double major from Ebensburg. Albert, who also will be honored for graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, is the daughter of Christina Albert-Smith and Thomas Lambert. She is a 2013 graduate of Westmont Hilltop High School.

She completed an honors thesis for the IUP Department of Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences, won the 2024 Anja Olin-Fahle Award for Excellence, and is a dean's list student and provost scholar. She was selected for membership in Phi Kappa Phi honor society, the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success, and Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity.

She was a participant in the 2024 Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applying Research program and the 2024 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Undergraduate Anthropology Conference, the 2024 IUP Scholars Forum, and the 2022 Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative Conference. She worked with an IUP professor at an underwater archaeological site in Lake Ontario for two weeks in July 2023 and volunteered for a project with the Friends of Midland and the Friends of Lebanon to help plot cemetery markers using GPS.

She was selected to participate in the eighty-eighth and eighty-ninth Society for American Archaeology Ethics Bowl in the spring of 2023 and 2024 with graduate students.

Adriana M. Guth-Borowski, of Indiana, who will receive her master's degree in English composition and literature, is the graduate student speaker for the ceremony.

She is the daughter of Lorraine J. Guth and Alphonse J. Borowski and is a 2021 graduate of Indiana Area Senior High School. She completed her undergraduate degree at IUP and graduated summa cum laude. She was a member of the Cook Honors College, was an early admissions master's student, was selected for membership in Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society, and was a dean's list and provost scholar. She was honored as the student of the year as a second-year student by the Department of English (now Department of Language, Literature, and Writing). She was a member of the IUP Women's Ice Hockey Team, serving as team captain in 2022 and 2023, and is the English Graduate Organization webmaster. She completed the Washington Center program.

Lainey Albaugh, a sophomore vocal performance major from Huntingdon, will sing the national anthem at the ceremony. Daughter of Cheryl and Jim Lotten, she is a graduate of Huntingdon Area High School. She has been part of the cast for several IUP productions and is a member of the IUP Figure Skating Club.

Chrissy Lyttle, from Deckers Point Road, Marion Center, who is graduating with a double major of English education and Spanish with an English as a second language certificate, will present the senior class gift during the ceremony. Graduates who contributed to the senior class gift are recognized with crimson and gray philanthropy cords-a tradition that can be traced back to 1888.

Lyttle is the daughter of Kim and the late Mary Jo Lyttle and is a 2020 graduate of Marion Center High School.

She is the recipient of the 2022 Emerging Leader Award and the 2024 Legacy of Leadership Award and is a dean's list student and provost scholar. She has served as the president and student engagement chair of the IUP Ambassadors student-alumni group, was a Crimson Guide, a member of the Student Activity Committee executive board, a Welcome Week head leader, secretary of the National Council of Teachers of English, past president of the Residence Hall Council, member of Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society, a member of United: Young Adult Ministry, and Ándale Spanish Club. She was a Co-Op Store cashier and brand ambassador and was the student representative and assistant treasurer on the IUP Co-Op Board of Directors.

In the spring of 2023, she completed the IUP-Valladolid, Spain, study abroad program. She was elected the College of Arts and Humanities Crimson Homecoming Court representative for 2023. After graduating, she hopes to become a secondary teacher in the Indiana County area and will be continuing her studies at IUP in the master's in K-12 Health and Physical Education program.

IUP Alumni Association Board of Directors member Sara Barnett Lawer will offer greetings from the alumni association at the ceremony.

Lawer, of Indiana, earned a bachelor's degree from IUP in 2006 in education of exceptional persons and a master's degree in 2008 in student affairs in higher education.

In addition to Albert, students who completed their undergraduate studies with a perfect 4.0 grade point average include the following students:

• Kelsie Alexander, a criminology pre-law major from Kane. Daughter of Todd and Julie Alexander, she is a 2021 graduate of Kane Area High School. She is the recipient of an Academic Excellence Scholarship and was a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society. She was a Big Hearts Little Hands volunteer.
• Trinity Boland, a family and consumer science education major in the Cook Honors College from Patton. Daughter of John Boland and Anna Boland, she is a 2021 graduate of Cambria Heights High School. She received the Professional Studies in Education scholarship and won best post-secondary designer for the Runway Repurposed event. She was an IUP Crimson Guide and member of the IUP Marching Band, the Family and Consumer Sciences Education Student Association, and the Catholic Student Association.
• Lillie Bowman, a hotel, restaurant, tourism, and event management major from Everett. Daughter of Boyd Bowman and Erika Bowman, she is a 2021 graduate of Everett Area High School. She is the recipient of the Junior Leadership Award and Junior Academic Award. She was a Welcome Week leader and member of the Club Managers Association of America, College of Business Student Advisory Council, Eta Sigma Delta honor society, and Meeting Professionals International.
• Jennifer Dundore-Hindman, an education major from Mercer. She is a 2002 graduate of Grove City High School.
• Alyssa Keiper, a psychology major and child adult advocacy studies minor from Johnstown. Son of Joan Henry and Mark Keiper, she is a 2020 graduate of Conemaugh Valley Junior Senior High School. She was president of the Psychology Club.
• Austin Kuslock, a criminology major and political science and psychology minor from Hickory. Son of Ronald and Elizabeth Kuslock, he is a 2021 graduate of Chartiers-Houston High School. He received the AT&T Public Safety Scholarship and was a member of Alpha Phi Sigma honor society and the IUP Criminology Association.
• Michaela Lenhart, an English education major from Ligonier. She is a 2020 graduate of Ligonier Valley High School. She was a member of the National Council of Teachers of English at IUP and was selected for membership in Phi Eta Sigma honor society.
• Kristopher Marinas, an Asian Studies major from Indiana who also earned his teaching English as a second language certificate. He is the son of the late Joseph Marinas and Debra Allison of Blairsville. He is a 2010 graduate of Blairsville High School. He completed his studies at IUP while working full-time in the custodial services facilities management department at IUP.
• Abigail Shoemaker, a speech-language pathology major from Montoursville. Daughter of Brad Shoemaker and Margaret Shoemaker, she is a 2020 graduate of Montoursville Area High School. She was a member of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, the National Society of Leadership and Success honor society, and the Holistic Health Club.
• Remy Staver, a pre-athletic training major from Wellsville. Daughter of Richard Staver, she is a 2021 graduate of Shippensburg Area Senior High School. She was a member of the Phi Epsilon Kappa honorary fraternity, the Athletic Training Club, and the Kinesiology and Sports Science Club.
• Kate Ashlynn Weakland, a political science and homeland security major from Johnstown. Daughter of Carianne DeAngelo and John Weakland Jr., she is a 2020 graduate of Conemaugh Township Area School District. She was a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and was a University College peer mentor and tutor for German and political science. She was a member of the Student Government Association, serving as the Military and Multicultural Affairs senator; was vice president and treasurer of the Student Veterans Organization; and was a member of the IUP Student Legal Services Committee.
• Nathaniel Zik, a double major in accounting and economics with a minor in finance from Rural Valley. Son of Kevin Zik and Kristal Zik, he is a 2020 graduate of West Shamokin Junior Senior High School. He was a member of the Eberly College of Business honors program with an economics honors concentration. He received the Outstanding Oral Presentation award at the IUP Scholars Forum and was a member of the Student Accounting Association.

Gian Pagnucci, Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of Language, Literature, and Writing, is the grand marshal for the ceremony. Francisco Alarcón, Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, and Lydia Rodriguez, Department of Language, Literature, and Writing, are the undergraduate student marshals; Michael Williamson, Department of Language, Literature, and Writing, and Wanda Minnick, Department of Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering, are the doctoral student marshals. Scott Decker, Department of Hospitality and Employment Relations, is the master's student marshal.

Information about parking and shuttle service is available on the IUP website. For questions about commencement parking, call the IUP Parking and Visitors Services office at 724-357-8748.

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