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For Northern Virginia native Ryan McIntyre, the path to a master’s in environmental science and policy at �鶹��Ƶ began with something simple: a love for the outdoors and a family connection.

John Kotcher has been named interim director of the Center for Climate Change Communication. Kotcher succeeds Edward Maibach, the center’s founding director and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, who is retiring after 18 years.

After interning and working at key institutions in Washington, D.C., Schar School master’s graduate Brandon Ledford discovered local government was a more satisfying alternative. He says others could as well.

�鶹��Ƶ economics professor and alumnus Tyler Cowen, BS Economics ’83, has been named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in philanthropy.

For Boris Willis, the future of games has always been bigger than pixels and code. Long before the rise of virtual production and interactive storytelling, Willis was blending technology, dance, and design into new forms of creative expression.

Felicia Baez-Smith, MPH ’19,has built a powerful public health career rooted in community impact, leading initiatives from opioid overdose prevention to pandemic response and mental health advocacy. Recently named to George �鶹��Ƶ’s 2025 Forty Under 40 by the Black Alumni Chapter, her journey—from student advocate to statewide public health leader—shows how one person’s dedication can transform systems, uplift communities, and inspire the next generation of changemakers.

These George �鶹��Ƶ students are short-circuiting voice commands, dog whistles, and clickers.

The state budget, signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on May 2, represents the Commonwealth of Virginia’s continued investment in �鶹��Ƶ as the state’s leading university for access, innovation and upward mobility. The funding goes into effect July 1, 2025.

Sporting green and gold Air Jordan sneakers, George �鶹��Ƶ student Samantha Lewis rose from her wheelchair and put one foot in front of the other.  Less than four months after complications from medical treatments left her without feeling in her legs, Lewis walked across the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree at the 2025 College of Humanities and Social Sciences Degree Celebration on May 16.  

Randy Escalera, a freshman computer science student, received the first scholarship from the Jimmy Chiou Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship, created by CEC partner organization Metron, Incorporated, with a $50,000 gift.

�鶹��Ƶ honored its largest ever graduating class at Spring Commencement, turning the event’s “This Is Your Moment” theme into a tassel-turning time to remember for a record-breaking class of more than 12,000 degree and certificate earners.

Spring 2025 Commencement at �鶹��Ƶ on May 15 at EagleBank Arena celebrated more than 12,000 graduates and certificate recipients. Graduates hailed from 117 countries, 49 states, and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and military installations. George �鶹��Ƶ photographers captured the excitement and spirit of the day.