SAN FRANCISCO – One less than the largest graduating class of student-athletes from Academy of Art University, the Class of 2018 saw a total of 46 Urban Knights receive their degrees at commencement ceremonies at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on May 10. A diverse collection of talented individuals from 16 different fields of study crossed the stage to join the growing alumni contingent from the only art school in the NCAA.

Women's track & field/cross country had a total of 10 student-athletes followed by nine to match baseball's largest class then five for men's track & field/cross country. Men's and women's soccer followed with four graduates each, both women's basketball and women's golf had three apiece, and duos came from men's golf, softball, and volleyball. Lone individuals represented men's basketball and women's tennis.
 

Several contributors to ART U's best women's cross country season to date walked the stage including Madeline Dignadice (Photography), McKaela Christenson (Fashion Design), and Beatriz Martinez Mercado (Communication & Media Technologies). A trio of runners who helped pave the way for this year's success, Kaelyn Harbison (Graphic Design), Emily McCarty (Fashion Design), Elizabeth Khuu (Graphic Design), also received their diplomas.

"I felt so proud and accomplished walking across that stage," said Martinez Mercado. "My parents never had the opportunity to go to college so they always worked so hard to give my siblings and me better opportunities in life. Having my entire family here to watch me graduate meant the world to me! It was their first time being here in San Francisco so it was nice to show them around my second home. I've had such a lovely journey here at Academy of Art University. I've built great relationships with some of the best professors (who are currently working in the industry), gained hands-on experience, and made some great friends. I wouldn't have wanted to spend my collegiate years anywhere else."

A graduating All-American came from the women's track & field team specifically in sprinter Mistic Scott (Motion Pictures & Television) who walked alongside her former 4x400m relay teammate sprinter Dierra Haven (Communications & Media Technologies). Additionally, a pair of jumps/sprints specialists Hadiyah Muhammad (Fashion Styling) and Salihah Barnett (Photography) finished their collegiate careers.

Graduating members of last year's historic men's cross country campaign included graduate students Gatien Airiau (Communications & Media Technologies) and Kristian Martinez (Game Design) in addition to dynamic filmmaker Austin Esposito (Motion Pictures & Television). Airiau went out not only a two-time All-American (cross country and track & field), but a NCAA Division II national champion in the 3000m Steeplechase. Specifically from the men's track & field side, All-American sprinter/hurdler Marlon Britton (Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media) and jumper/sprinter Craig Mattox (Communications & Media Technologies) were among the graduates.

The School of Communications & Media Technologies had significant representation from ART U Baseball as pitchers Alex Fernandez, Luke Lacy, Chris Petrosie, Brett Bovee, and Josh Lopez with outfielders Jackson Murphy and Izac Bauer joined pitcher Chris Rost (Music Production & Sound Design) and catcher Harrison Greenough (Animation & Visual Effects). Those nine Urban Knights all made contributions to the program's progressively higher win totals in each of the past three years.

"Graduating surrounded by so many of my teammates is something I'll never forget," said Bovee. "We went through everything together; the long nights for school, the early mornings for practice, but we kept grinding and now, we've made it."

A recent addition to Amazon's design team after finishing her collegiate career last fall, Jessica West (Web Design & New Media) was one of two former All-PacWest Team honorees to represent ART U Softball. West joined Samantha Klune (Acting), a senior leader who could not attend the ceremony as she was helping the team achieve unprecedented success by reaching its first postseason this past spring.

Women's basketball had a trio of talented graduates in forward Pre'Franz Dominick and guard Alana Simon (both Communications & Media Technologies) plus guard Irene Aranda (Industrial Design). Dominick earned All-PacWest Second Team this past year after settling among the top rebounders in all of NCAA Division II. On the men's side, guard Herman Pratt IV (Communications & Media Technologies) wrapped up a stint as one of the program's top defenders over his four-year career.

Two of the four men's soccer graduates, forwards Alex Walsh (Communications & Media Technologies) and Alexander Tombach (Advertising), celebrated their Senior Day this past season while the other two, defender Ricardo "Ricky" Mendoza (Music Production & Sound Design) and midfielder Justin Erhunmwunsee (Industrial Design), did so last year.
 
"It didn't hit me that I was graduating until they called my name and I walked on the stage," said Walsh. "I thought two things: 1. What my grandma would say to me if she was here and, 2. Don't fall when you walk across the stage. I wouldn't trade my college experience for any other. I've been very lucky."

The women's soccer team featured the quartet of midfielder Laney Haviland (Fashion Styling), defender Laura Mick (Jewelry & Metal Arts), defender Maddie Shelton (Photography), midfielder Kendall Bozart (Graphic Design) who contributed a combined 15 years to the program. Harbison also spent a portion of her final season with women's soccer.

Two more four-year products came from volleyball as middle blocker Margaret Winkler (Advertising) and outside hitter Bailey Soolsma (Communications & Media Technologies) received their diplomas after their final collegiate matches this past fall.

In a proud moment for one women's tennis student-athlete, Annika Schneider (Graphic Design) crossed the stage as one of the program's winningest singles and doubles players. She was also a freshman on the tennis team that made the first NCAA postseason appearance in 2014 and would go three out of four years.

Men's golfers Dat Do (Interior Architecture & Design) and Daniel Cosgrove (Advertising) completed their degrees while the women's side had three representatives in Roxanne Matta (Web Design & New Media), Crystal Wang (Interior Architecture & Design), and Shu-lin Lin (Game Development). That trio helped take women's golf to the NCAA postseason three straight years before Lin guided the team to Regionals for the fourth time in her four years this past spring.

This Class of 2018 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.