SAN FRANCISCO – Amid a busy month of May with multiple teams competing in the NCAA Division II postseason, Academy of Art University's 2025 Commencement featured a total of 30 Urban Knights officially culminating their experience as ART U student-athletes. Talented individuals from more than 10 different fields of study signed off on their final semesters as either undergraduate or graduate students to expand the growing alumni contingent from the first NCAA DII art school.

Composing a quartet of graduate students to cross the stage were volleyball and track & field's Chandra Reed (Communications & Media Technologies), women's basketball's Emilia Dougherty (Interaction & UI/UX Design), women's soccer's Nicole Peoples (Visual Development), and track & field's eight-time All-American Darria Matthias (Fashion Styling). Reed, frequent guest host of "The Be Artist. Be Athlete. Podcast" and owner of four collegiate seasons with over 50 blocks and more than 100 kills, was fresh off receiving her department's Outstanding Student Award at Spring Show where Peoples, owner of the third-most career saves in ART U history, also recognized with a MFA Environment Design Honorable Mention.

Reed shared her Senior Day with two other graduates from the undergrad commencement in Elly McInerney and Sofia Stemberga. Both finishing their time in the School of Communications & Media Technologies, McInerney and Stemberga combined to play in more than 100 matches over the past three seasons with McInerney ending fourth all time among Urban Knights in career assists (1,985).

Along with Peoples, women's soccer was represented in the ceremony by the undergrad quartet of Hannah Moore (Architecture), Haley Vaughan (Communications & Media Technologies), Halldóra Einarsdóttir (Interaction & UI/UX Design), and Anna Maggi-Brown (Fine Art). Each member of the foursome played in at least 40 matches in their respective ART U careers while the pair of Einarsdottir, her department's Outstanding Student Award honoree, and Maggi-Brown both closed out their careers with work featured in the Spring Show.

On the men's soccer side was another collection of four Urban Knights in Elvis Mensah and Chris Stokes (both Communications & Media Technologies), Ping Yao (Advertising), and Kendryx Soriano (Architecture). Each with at least one goal and one assist to their respective names, the group's points leader was Mensah whose eight goals and 10 assists (fifth in Academy of Art history) put him eighth in career points (26) at ART U.

Continuing the trend of four-member graduating classes, softball had Alexis Folks (Communications & Media Technologies), Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki (Fashion Design), Maddie Sticka (Interior Architecture & Design), and Hilary Grullon (Animation & Visual Effects) finish their time at Academy of Art. Among the Knights' career highlights were both Folks and Grayhorse-Pupecki sharing All-PacWest Third Team selections in 2024 after the latter set the program's single-season and career triples records. 

Men's basketball had an accomplished trio from the School of Communications with Isaiah Williams, Treylon Payne, and Rodney Munson joining Maurice "Tre" Elrod (Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media). Each ended as a contributor to PacWest titles either the program's first tournament championship in 2022 (Elrod) or the 2023-24 conference regular season title.

Individual graduates from women's basketball and tennis included Christy Ojide Boiko (Illustration) and Paulina Alvarez (Interior Architecture & Design) who both left their mark on their respective programs. Ojide Boiko, the team's Most Valuable Player this past season, became the first Urban Knight ever to surpass 100 career blocks. Alvarez, one of 11 players in program history to achieve 30 wins in both singles and doubles, contributed to ART U tennis' first PacWest title in 2024.

Ahead of NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals, undergraduate grads from track & field were Josh Marlin and Taj-Leon Wisdom (both Communications & Media Technologies) along with Robin Black (Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media), Elijah Roberts (Acting), and Michaela Andrews (Fashion Styling) from the women's side. Nearly all appear among the program's top five all-time list in different events with Black and Marlin combining for six All-American honors over the past two seasons.
 
Part of the penultimate ART U baseball season in 2022, Joel Mitchell completed his undergraduate degree from the School of Visual Development.

This graduating class enters their respective industries with sophisticated portfolios as the Academy of Art University Athletics Department continues to celebrate its student-athletes' academic successes along with their athletic accomplishments.