This spring, more than 5,100 University of Iowa undergraduate, graduate, and professional students will earn degrees. These Hawkeyes have engaged, excelled, and stretched to reach their goals—despite a pandemic.

One pharmacy student, for example, served her community by organizing clinics that inoculated some 6,000 Iowans against COVID-19. An education student turned his online semesters into opportunities to serve as a substitute teacher in his hometown community and gain invaluable experience.

Meanwhile, a first-generation college student was able to contribute to discoveries in space and particle physics by working with a faculty researcher, and a nursing student persevered to graduate with her cohort, undeterred by a devastating boat accident.

The 2021–22 school year was an exciting year on campus. Some favorite events were back in person, from the Homecoming parade and the annual powwow to Walk It Out’s live fashion show. The Hawkeye men’s and women’s basketball teams won their respective Big Ten Tournaments. The university observed its 175th birthday, and student-run Cambus celebrated 50 years of operation.

Year after year, our students have pushed to achieve more and to come together for the greater good—that’s the Hawkeye Way. As this cohort of new graduates enters the next stage of their lives, they leave campus full of potential and promise.

If you or a loved one is graduating this spring, find ceremony information at the UI Commencement website.