Graduation season always brings joy, but in 2025, the ceremonies felt especially powerful. From the classrooms of HBCUs to the drive-thrus of fast-food chains, stories of perseverance, purpose and pride swept across the nation. These 1o unforgettable moments remind us that caps and gowns are more than just tradition—they’re symbols of dreams fulfilled and generations changed.
Quila Lee and her three daughters Kamiya, Kalaya and Rakiya all graduated from Georgia State University on May 9th—proving the power of perseverance and family support.
The billionaire entrepreneur and Uncle Nearest CEO delivered five powerful lessons on faith, legacy, and leadership—prompting a standing ovation from FAMU’s Class of 2025. She urged graduates to reject limiting labels. “People of color and women are 70% of this country and 92% of the world,” she said. “You are not the minority. You are the majority.”
After nearly a decade battling opioid addiction and homelessness, Matt Bell turned his life around. In 2015, he founded Team Recovery, a nonprofit dedicated to helping others facing addiction. This May, he earned his master’s degree in social work from the University of Toledo. “My past doesn’t define me, and your past doesn’t have to define you,” he wrote in a candid social media post about his journey.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore—who made history as the state’s first Black governor and just the third Black person ever elected governor of any U.S. state—got personal during his commencement address, connecting his own story to a deeper call to action.“Live in such a way… that when you hand off this country to the next generation… your descendants will say back… ‘They understood the assignment.’ That is the most patriotic thing that you can do,” he told graduates.
He didn’t shy away from the realities they’re stepping into either. Speaking about today’s divided America, Moore said: “I’m asking them to lean in, and I’m asking them to truly be patriots… not in this faux definition of the word. A patriot is someone who understands this country’s history but doesn’t use that as an excuse to lean out, but they use it as a motivation to lean in.”
Just hours after graduating high school, 18-year-old Mykale Baker stopped by the Burger King where he works to grab food for his family—still wearing his graduation medals and stole. He wasn’t scheduled to work, but when he saw how busy it was, he jumped in to help. Customer Maria Mendoza noticed the moment and recorded it. The video quickly went viral on TikTok, and she later launched a fundraiser to support his college dreams. It’s already raised over $200,000. Now, the Georgia teen can pay for college. “I just feel amazing,” he said. “Blessed, honestly.”
The emmy-winnng actor and literary advocate, brought both celebration and real talk to the graduation stage, urging students to embrace their purpose and push past fear. “Fear is the tool of the colonizer,” he told the crowd. “We have to make ourselves immune to the okey-doke.”
It was a moment of truth-telling that hit home. When asked what he hopes the graduates walk away with, Burton didn’t hesitate: “Tell your authentic story. Find your authentic self. Don’t be afraid to live from your authentic self.” His speech ended with a long standing ovation — and one final call to action: “Go out there, deliver the gift that you’ve come to give, and do your utmost best to make this world a better one than the one we are handing to you.”
After Harvard announced in April that it would no longer fund or host affinity celebrations, students took matters into their own hands. They gathered in off-campus spaces — churches, parks, the public library, a hotel conference hall — for independently organized events. These included celebrations for Black, Latinx, Asian and Asian American and LGBTQ+ students, as well as veterans, first-generation and low-income students and students with disabilities.
Award-winning actress and Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph kicked off a fundraising wave at Norfolk State University’s 2025 graduation by pledging $1,000 during the ceremony. Her generous act sparked a powerful response, quickly growing the total raised to $25,000, well beyond the collective fundraising goal needed for the class of 2025 at the Virginia HBCU.
Linwood Riddick crossed the stage at South Carolina State University on May 9th—just two days before his 80th birthday—to earn his bachelor’s degree in music industry. He reminds us all that its never to late to follow your dreams.
The Hollywood icon urged the graduat their community and carry the light and wisdom passed down through generations. “You are never alone,” she reminded the Class of 2025.es to lean into their sister circles—to find strength in
