Numbers don't tell the whole story, but what a story they tell
(Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)
It's impossible for numbers alone to tell the story of UConn's Class of 2025.
Their story includes three NCAA basketball championships.
And one NCAA Bowl Game win.
And UConn's first-ever Rangel fellowship recipient.
And one recipient of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.
But what the numbers can teach us about this remarkably determined and talented class - many of whom began their time at UConn during the ongoing uncertainty of the global pandemic in 2021 - is a story of the resilience, diversity, innovation, and achievement.
This May, 5,672 undergraduate and 2,136 graduate students are set to participate in commencement ceremonies at UConn. Thirty-five members of the Class of 2025 are U.S. military veterans, and 1,862 are the first in their families to graduate from college.
This year's graduating class includes 42 sets of twins. The youngest 2025 UConn graduate is 19 years old, while the oldest is 73.
The farthest distance a student traveled from home internationally to study in Storrs was from Australia - 10,567 miles away - and 739 members of the class took part in Education Abroad, lest anyone doubt the University's global impact.
In the largest Match Day ever for Connecticut's top producer of new doctors and surgeons, 111 soon-to-be graduates from UConn School of Medicine matched with residency programs around the country. Twenty-four will stay at UConn for their residencies, and 28% of the class will stay in Connecticut.
The Class of 2025 includes 456 Honors Scholars, 15 University Scholars, and 19 McNair Scholars.
They've received Fulbright Awards, GAANN Fellowships, Gilman Scholarships, the NIH Kirschstein National Research Service Award, NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships, Smithsonian Predoctoral Fellowships, and USDA National Needs Fellowships.
They've contributed to global conversations on climate change and embarked on highly skilled projects that not only enhanced their own education but also have potential to impact communities long into the future.
They've helped design a lunar rover. They've built robots and apps to help other college students.
They've launched their own ventures and helped nonprofits expand their missions.
They've created their own unique and original works of art and engaged in projects to leave lasting and positive changes here at UConn.
They've worked in research labs and dining halls, served as resident advisors and peer mentors.
They've taught classes and done community service work, participated in clubs, and joyously celebrated the successes of their fellow Huskies.
While the numbers tell only part of the story, this May we celebrate the UConn Class of 2025 and congratulate each and every graduate on the innumerable achievements they've contributed to our ever-growing UConn community.
