Out of all the exciting moments in college, no event is more memorable than graduation day. After several months of studying and learning, students wait for the day they get to walk across the graduation stage, thank all those who journeyed with them through college, and dive into their next adventure. Thousands of students across the country and all over the world awaited their graduation day in the year of 2020, but sadly weren’t able to experience it due to the pandemic.

Lindenwood University will hold its spring commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8 at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

Kirsten Hawkes is a recent graduate and student financial services counselor here at Lindenwood University. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in 2020 majoring in music business and minoring in Philosophy. During her time in the Music Business department, Hawkes had the amazing opportunity to participate in a special project offered in the music business program, which she believes exemplifies Lindenwood’s passion for Real Experience, Real Success. This project led her to begin exciting marketing and design work with local bands of Saint Louis.

In a new partnership with 4 Hands Brewing Co., Lindenwood BFA alumni Mitch Bierer and Zach Smithey currently have their art featured on beer cans from the St. Louis brewery. These limited-edition products are available in stores now.

Lindenwood University held its annual Giving Week campaign, a virtual fundraising effort across areas of the University from March 29-April 2. The campaign, now in its fourth year, raised $33,372 from 179 donors for key University initiatives.

Joseph Puleo, Lindenwood graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Cinema, recently had his first feature-length documentary featured on PBS, a public broadcasting and television program distributor. The film was co-produced with another Lindenwood graduate, Steve Cakouros. America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill describes the iconic St. Louis neighborhood, The Hill, in an entertaining way. With footage of several families of Italian immigrants talking about their past and how they made it to America, viewers can develop a connection to the neighborhood and immerse themselves in the Italian culture of St. Louis.

Lindenwood University prides itself on the motto of Real Experience, Real Success. Not only is this Lindenwood’s motto, but it is also a great description for Mike Elam, a Lindenwood University Alum who has just recently been nominated as the Chairman for the Council of St. Charles County. Through his hard work and dedication, this alum is making real change happen.

Recent Lindenwood graduate Kathleen Varvera has been accepted into the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where she will be pursuing a Masters of Science in the Control of Infectious Diseases this fall. Varvera graduated from Lindenwood in December 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in both Public Health and Biological Sciences. LSHTM is ranked 3rd in the world for public health and 1st in the UK. It is also the UK’s top university for the proportion of academic research with women listed as authors, and 4th in the world for infectious diseases and is Varvera’s dream school.

On March 24 from 3-4 PM, Lindenwood University will host alumnus Josh Burns for a presentation about the Diplomatic Security Service branch of the U.S. Department of State. Burns currently serves as a Watch Officer at the Diplomatic Security Command Center in Rosslyn, Virginia. He graduated from Lindenwood in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with an emphasis in Security Studies.

Lindenwood graduate Jessica Moon has recently been offered and has since accepted a fully funded research assistantship at the University of Central Florida. Moon graduated in 2018 from Lindenwood with her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science and again from Lindenwood in 2020 with her Master’s in Health Sciences with an emphasis in Sports Science and Performance. She holds such a passion for health and wellness that she knew that this was the right path for her to help her discover new techniques and strategies for the promotion of nutrition and health through research.