Business and Performing Arts Degrees Show Strong Growth Among Fall Class of 2024

Approximately 691 students are graduating from the University of Northern Colorado
(UNC) on Dec. 13 – 14, during the university’s fall 2024 commencement ceremonies. More graduates are earning degrees in business and the performing arts
this fall compared to the previous five fall classes and 45% of this fall’s undergraduates
are the first in their families to earn a college degree.  

UNC’s Graduate Commencement ceremony, recognizing approximately 286 students who will
receive a doctoral, specialist or master’s degree, will take place on Friday, Dec.
13, at 6 p.m. 

Undergraduate Commencement consists of two ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 14, for the
approximately 405 students receiving bachelor’s degrees. The 9 a.m. ceremony will
recognize graduates of the Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business, College of Natural
and Health Sciences and College of Performing and Visual Arts. The 12:30 p.m. ceremony
will recognize graduates of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and the
College of Humanities and Social Sciences. 

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RELATED: Faces of Fall 2024 Graduates

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All ceremonies will be held at UNC’s Bank of Colorado Arena. Tickets are required for entry and are distributed to graduates electronically via
their BearMail accounts. Guests must obtain tickets in advance of the ceremony as
they are not available at the door.   

The ceremonies can be viewed in many ways, including livestream via UNC’s website
and on social media platforms for family and friends watching from home. The university
also offers live Spanish-language interpretation services and viewing spaces on campus
for people who want a less crowded viewing space.  

More information about tickets, parking locations and a campus map are available on
UNC’s commencement website. 

About Our Fall Graduates 

• The 83 students graduating from the College of Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) represent
  the largest undergraduate (43) and graduate (40) fall classes from the college in
  the past five years. The growth is driven primarily by Music and Theatre Arts and
  Dance graduates. 

• The Monfort College of Business is graduating their largest fall undergraduate class
  since 2019 with 75 students earning a degree in Business Administration. The growth
  is driven primarily by students seeking a concentration in Accounting and Finance.
   

• Among fall graduates from the past five years, this fall’s class has the highest percent
  of undergraduate (24.9%) and graduate (14.7%) students who identify as Hispanic/Latino.
  

• Among our fall graduates, 14 started as Aims2UNC students. 

• The undergraduate students graduating this fall received over $7.7 million in combined
  merit-based and private scholarships and grants (aid that doesn’t need to be repaid)
  throughout their UNC education. 

• The fall class includes 181 undergraduate students (45%) who are the first in their
  families to earn a college degree.  

• The fall 2024 class includes 16 undergraduate and graduate student-athletes across
  the following sports: baseball, football, men’s golf, swimming and diving, volleyball,
  women’s basketball and women’s soccer. 

• The fall class includes 33 United States veterans; 18 undergraduate students and 15
  graduate students.  

• The graduates come from 41 Colorado counties, 39 states and 10 countries.  

• The youngest graduate this fall is 19 years old and the oldest is 64.  

• The College of Natural and Health Sciences has the largest number of undergraduate
  students (115), followed by the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences (102),
  College of Humanities and Social Sciences (88), the Monfort College of Business (70)
  and the College of Performing and Visual Arts (37).  

• The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences has the largest number of graduate
  students (158), followed by College of Natural and Health Sciences (41), Monfort College
  of Business (40), College of Performing and Visual Arts (40) and College of Humanities
  and Social Sciences (7).  

• Business Administration (71) was the most popular undergraduate degree this fall,
  followed by Nursing (47), Psychology (38), Elementary Education (34) and Criminology
  and Criminal Justice (20). 

• Business Administration (40) was the most popular graduate degree program this fall,
  followed by Educational Leadership (33), Clinical and Mental Health Counseling (27),
  Special Education (25) and Educational Psychology (17). 

• With the fall 2024 graduating class, UNC now has more than 134,000 living alumni living
  and working in all 50 states and 90 countries. 

Data about UNC’s fall 2024 class is preliminary and based on demographics of students
who have applied to graduate as of Nov. 20, 2024. Degrees are officially conferred
January 2025. 

Graduate Commencement Ceremony Student Speakers 

Marina Rodriguez is a first-generation college student from San Diego, California.
Her research focuses on high school senior Latina students’ motivations and aspirations
to attend higher education after graduating high school. A long-term career goal is
to gain exposure to higher education administrative roles that help empower and advocate
for Latina/o/é/x students. 

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Kimberly S. Corban is an award-winning advocate and sexual assault survivor raised
in Greeley. She is a credentialed crime victim advocate, having worked for the Greeley
Police Department and Weld County District Attorney’s Office. Corban consults with
and trains organizations internationally on sexual assault prevention education. Her
experience in trauma-informed media promotes consent-based coverage and treatment
of crime survivors and their families. Through legislative efforts, public awareness
campaigns and media influence, Corban leverages her expertise to further support survivors
of crime.  

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony Student Speakers 

Alexander Talentowski is a passionate outdoor enthusiast. He loves hiking, snowboarding
and testing his mental/physical limits through mountaineering and other challenging
activities. Talentowski has balanced the demands of a full- and part-time job, alongside
a full course load, developing strong time management skills and resilience. He is
eager to begin a career in the field of wealth management and believes the discipline
and perseverance attained from his academic studies and outdoor adventures will be
instrumental in reaching new heights in both his professional and personal life.  

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Emily Mosley plans to be a DNA forensic analyst at the Greeley Regional Forensic Lab
after graduation. She is the president of UNC’s Esports & Gaming Club, providing a
place for students to connect and have fun. Mosley also conducts research with Biology
Professor Mitchell McGlaughlin, Ph.D., using DNA to help identify new plant species
and progress environmental conservation. When she is not working or on campus, she
enjoys fishing, gaming with friends and scuba diving during the warmer months. 

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Samantha Heppenstall is graduating with dual degrees in Theatre Studies and English,
with minors in Writing and Japanese. She is an aspiring theatre director who also
nurtures passions in acting, writing and art, and is excited to begin an apprenticeship
with Curious Theatre Company post-graduation. She would like to thank her parents,
for believing in her, her siblings, for humoring her, and UNC’s School of Theatre
Art & Design community for their endless inspiration. 

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Katia Gorgone was born and raised in Paris, France and came to the United States for a one-year
exchange student program when she was 17. After returning to France to finish high
school, she came back to the U.S., making it her permanent home in 1995. Gorgone started taking classes at a community college in California but dropped out due to
the high cost of international student tuition. She eventually married, had two children
and moved to Colorado in 2009. After a divorce, she decided to go back to school.
Gorgone loved her experience teaching French at a charter school, so she enrolled
at UNC in the fall of 2021 to get her degree in education.  

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During her time at UNC, Julia Martin studied Political Science, Legal Studies and
Human Resources. She plans on continuing her education by attending law school. She
is heavily involved on campus. She served two terms in Student Government as a senator,
interned with the Bears Vote Coalition and worked at the tutoring center as a supplemental
instruction and peer tutor. 

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