PHOTOS: Spring 2025 Commencement celebrates the Roadrunner spirit
More than 1,500 MSU Denver graduates marked a powerful milestone, proving their determination and grit.
The Spring 2025 graduating class at Metropolitan State University of Denver celebrated their achievement Friday at the University’s Commencement ceremony at the Denver Coliseum.
Led by President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., the ceremony honored 1,580 graduates, including 1,230 undergraduates and 350 master’s students. Nearly half of the undergrads identified as students of color, 56% were first-generation college students and 74 were military veterans — all embodying MSU Denver’s mission to provide accessible, high-quality education to learners from all walks of life.
Davidson, in her 15th Commencement as president, reminded the crowd of their strength: “You are all different and unique individuals, and you are ALL Changemakers,” she said.
The morning ceremony featured keynote speaker Ed Dwight, a former Air Force test pilot and sculptor who shared his remarkable journey from astronaut candidate to acclaimed artist. The President’s Award was presented to Nursing graduate Angie Petersen, whose powerful speech likened graduates to unfinished sculptures shaped by struggle and perseverance. “The fact that we are all here today testifies to our resilience, grit, determination and Roadrunner spirit,” she told her classmates. “It is proof that we did not quit, we pushed through… that we became.”
As the tassels turned and applause echoed through the arena, a new chapter began for the Roadrunners who will join a group of over 110,000 alumni, driving Colorado’s economy and leading us into the future.
