Image: On May 9, 2025, the University of Georgia’s School of Computing buzzed with anticipation as it hosted its Spring Convocation Ceremony at the historic Georgia Center in Athens. The air was thick with pride as 310 undergraduate students, 52 master’s degree recipients, and 6 PhD graduates prepared to cross the stage, marking the culmination of years of hard work, late-night coding sessions, and transformative experiences. The record-breaking class, the largest in the school’s history, serves as a testament to the growth of a department that evolved into the School of Computing in July 2023. The ceremony was a vibrant celebration of achievement and community. Gagan Agrawal, director of the School of Computing, opened the proceedings with a warm welcome, his voice resonating with pride as he acknowledged the “full house” reflecting the school’s expansion. His remarks captured the ever-changing landscape of computing, drawing a humorous parallel to his own undergraduate days in 1991—a time before spam emails, Python, Java, Google, or social media. “The change is constant,” he emphasized, urging graduates to embrace lifelong learning and seize new opportunities in a $5.6 trillion global industry. The ceremony’s emotional peak arrived with the student speaker, Venn Reddy (BS CS ’25), a presidential awardee whose journey from nearly failing high school to addressing his peers was nothing short of inspiring. “Our field is one where we can express our creativity and innovate to make cool projects that have real tangible impacts. When I see the stuff computer science students are making, especially across UGA, I'm consistently reminded that this department is filled with some of the most brilliant and creative people I have ever met,” he said. Reddy’s speech was a heartfelt tribute to the School of Computing’s lively community, blending humor and authenticity as he shared his freshman-year mishap at UGA Hacks. His tale of building a “terrible version of Sudoku” during a 36-hour caffeine-fueled hackathon drew laughter, but it was his reflection on the camaraderie—revealing inside jokes such as scavenging for food at 1 a.m.—that captured the essence of the Computer Science experience. He thanked his friends and professors like Brad Barnes, whose class sparked his love for programming, and Agrawal, for fostering connection within the school. “Our degree gives us unique tools to make real impacts,” Reddy concluded, rallying his peers with a spirited “Go Dawgs!” The ceremony also honored faculty and graduate student excellence. Ramviyas Parasuraman and Wei Niu received Faculty Research Excellence Awards, while Lakshmish Ramaswamy, Sachin Meena , and Diane Stephens were recognized for teaching. In Kee Kim earned the Faculty Outstanding Service Award, and Daniel Bostick, the lead undergraduate advisor, received the Staff Excellence in Service Award. Among students, Yousef Alshaheri and Jiaming She were given Best PhD Dissertation awards. Yucheng Shi received the outstanding graduate student award and Austin Downs was honored for his contributions as a graduate teaching assistant. The School of Computing also presented financial awards to a number of undergraduate students, using endowment funds possible through generous donors. The ceremony closed with a sense of unity and forward momentum. As graduates mingled at the reception, swapping stories of hackathons, late-night debugging, and cherished friendships, there was a palpable excitement for the future. The School of Computing had not only equipped them with technical prowess but also instilled a spirit of innovation and collaboration. For the class of 2025, this was not an end but a beginning—a launchpad into a world they were ready to shape. Type of News/Audience: Student Success 2025 SoC Commencement Image: Image: Image: Image: Image: Image: Image: Image:
