Editor’s note: The photo gallery’s 8th picture caption has been updated to reflect the correct country’s flag.

Beaver Grad. Dam Proud. You did it.

These words circled the heads of attendees at Oregon State University’s 156th Commencement ceremony in Reser stadium on June 14.

Students from all over the country attended the celebration. Rani Rattles, graduating with an M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership, came from Springdale, Ark. 

“Hard work will pay off when you graduate,” said Rattles to current and future OSU students.

John Edwards, also an M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership student from Chicago, Ill. and capstone project partners with Rattles, said, “(The Ecampus program) has a sense of encouragement that you don’t normally get unless you’re on campus, but they set it up really well so that way we could all connect with each other in a better way.”

This year’s Commencement address was delivered by Nicholas D. Kristof, Pulitzer Prize winner, New York Times Columnist and Oregon resident. 

“Covering the world’s challenges has taught me hope. … Hope is animating, hope is fortifying … that’s you. You give me hope,” said Kristof in his address. 

Brian Lubinsky, graduating with a B.S. in the College of Forestry’s Natural Resources program and hailing from Newport, Ore., told the Barometer about starting as a public policy major before switching over to forestry.

“That was the best decision I probably made at OSU,” said Lubinsky. “Getting to go to classes where you’re actually involved and being outside. Being out in the forest, doing animal ID stuff and bird ID stuff was pretty awesome.”

An honorary doctorate degree was also awarded to Dr. Dawn J. Wright, a renowned scientist and courtesy professor of Geography and Oceanography at OSU. 

“Dr. Wright has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the world,” said Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Belinda Batten when conferring the degree.

Dr. Wright is Chief Scientist of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, a geographic information system company. More can be found out about Dr. Wright and her work from the commencement website or ESRI’s site.

ASOSU President Audrey Schlotter spoke during Commencement as well. Reminiscing on the hard work and dedication of her fellow graduates, her parting words were those of achievement.

“We are here, we made the memories, we made the mistakes and we did the dam thing.”

Collette Fox from the Bay Area in California is looking forward to putting her B.S. in Special Education to good use as a first-grade teacher in Elk Grove, Calif. 

“What I loved about OSU was the opportunity to do student teaching as a part of the B.S. program,” said Fox. “I got a sense of community within that school, with those families and Corvallis.”

Fox also shared that one of the most important things she learned at OSU was about finding her people. This was an important factor for her mental health and for a maximized experience while attending.

From North Bend, Ore., Ellyzabeth Jones graduated with an Honors B.S. in Horticulture. Her parting advice for current and future students was to “come into it with a growth mindset and set an intention. … For me, that intention was getting involved, engaging and just being open to talking to people.”

Benny the Beaver even stopped for an interview with the Barometer. For College of Forestry students, he imparted some wisdom. 

Q: Which is the best tree? 

A: Big

But Benny wrote an even better message for the entirety of the class of 2025: “You are good!”

Gallery • 12 Photos

Undergraduates from the College of Education (L to R), Genevieve Florez, Danika Gann, Collette Fox, Madeline Esnard, and Jade Wood smile as they await the processional march onto the 2025 Commencement Ceremony at Oregon State University.