Rosalva Brito, the Northern MIchigan University spring 2025 graduation student commencement speaker, delivers an address on her personal challenges and how NMU has helped her. (Journal photo by Antonio Anderson)

MARQUETTE – Spring graduation saw visitors nearly completely fill the Superior Dome for more than the 1,250 Northern Michigan University students earn their degrees, with more than a thousand walking in the commencement ceremony, including 11 doctoral students and a plethora of graduating online students.

“A cool number that I really like is we have 100 global campus students graduating, so online students, and 80 of them are here,” said NMU Chief Marketing Officer Derek Hall. “For some of them, it is their first time here so they are like, ‘Wow, so this is campus.’ So I think that it is really cool that they can come here and can hold a reception for them.”

Graduation also saw a Broadway actor give a commencement speech, Leah Hocking, who also received an honorary doctorate degree. The student commencement speaker was Rosalva Brito.

“Greatness isn’t about perfection,” Brito said. “It is about resilience: the ability to rise after each failure, to learn from each set back and to keep moving forward with purpose. Our graduating class experienced the changes that COVID-19 brought, and despite that we adapted, inhibited and found ways to support each other. You all faced challenges and turned them into opportunities, and that is something no pandemic, no matter how daunting, can take away from you … As you (walk across the) stage, think about who you did it for. If it was for your family, mine drove six hours from Chicago to be here today – your friends, your partners or kids. Think about them … As a good friend of mine always says, ‘Be great today.’ So let’s be great today, tomorrow and forever. Congratulations class of 2025.”

More information can be found at nmu.edu/commencement/home.

Antonio Anderson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. His email address is aanderson@miningjournal.net.