2026 Graduation Celebration

A woman in a black dress in front of a buffalo statue and some mountains.

‘CMDI makes it really easy to choose your own path, which I really love,’ says Lauren Lopez, who graduates this spring with both the William W. White Outstanding Graduate Award and as the outstanding senior in the communication major. Photo by Kimberly Coffin.

Giving flowers: Introducing CMDI’s outstanding spring graduate

Lauren Lopez is graduating a year early after holding four on-campus jobs and completing an honors thesis, in addition to her academic accolades.

Zach Chagnon in his graduation sash in front of a building.

2 minutes with: Zach Chagnon

The winner of the outstanding senior award for the media production major tapped his Nordic studies minor to fuel an interesting creative project.

Hayden Chedid in graduation regalia posing in front of a building.

2 minutes with: Hayden Chedid

This year’s outstanding senior for journalism found her path as editor-in-chief of the university’s fashion magazine and on a meaningful internship.

Kate Davis poses outdoors in her graduation sash.

2 minutes with: Kate Davis

Kate Davis pairs her loves of art and data visualization to create functional ceramics that tell stories. She was named outstanding senior in the information science department.

2 minutes with: Kaoutar El Ouadi

The outstanding graduate in the media studies department, Kaoutar El Ouadi is a music aficionado who has an enviable internship at Fox Theater.

2 minutes with: Leah Szabo

Leah Szabo is a dual citizen, but says she truly found her home in CMDI. She is the outstanding graduate for the strategic communication major.

2 minutes with: Evie Warner

Evie Warner is graduating as the outstanding senior for the environmental design department. From her class projects to Copenhagen, Warner blends creativity and nature in her work.

A man poses during a light snowstorm on campus.

Henry Ugwu was managing communications for the Nigerian government’s pandemic response when he realized he needed more experience. That led him to CMDI and its PhD in strategic communication. Photo by Kimberly Coffin.

Trust the process

The transition from industry to PhD work was an adjustment for Henry Ugwu when he arrived at CMDI. Learning new perspectives helped him create novel research on trust.

�鶹��Ժ