On Dec. 13, after many students traveled home for winter break, more than 950 Ohio University Bobcats walked the stage during their commencement ceremony in The Convo.
As they accepted their diplomas, they joined the Bobcat alumni network, a supportive and large community conf nearly 300,00 OU graduates.
Graduation is a well-deserved celebration for hard working students. Landon Roberts, a 2025 graduate, received his bachelor’s degree in business in two years.
Roberts said his high school offered college credit plus courses, and he completed them through OU Southern in Ironton, Ohio. While he was taking extra classes in high school to jump-start his college career, he started his own lawn-care business.
Roberts said his courses helped him learn effective marketing and finance strategies to support him going forward.
“I had courses in strategy (and) marketing finance, and it strengthened the areas I had already learned previously through business,” Roberts said. “Going through the program, I made a lot of connections and talked with a lot of professors that have a lot of knowledge in that area.”
Roberts said he is relieved to walk the stage, as he said running businesses while pursuing an education was time consuming. Roberts said although he took all of his classes online, he enjoyed visiting friends in Athens and attending football games.
With first-hand experience from running a business in high school and guidance from professors, Roberts opened a dumpster rental company. Roberts said he might return to OU to work for his master’s degree and is currently starting a construction company.
“I just look forward to continuing growing the businesses that I’ve started, and pursuing my entrepreneurial opportunities and seeing what I can do,” Roberts said. “It's just kind of fun to see how much you know I can grow the business.”
For spring graduates, May is quickly approaching, meaning hundreds of seniors are currently preparing for their final semester as college students, a bittersweet concept for many. During last year’s May commencement ceremony, 3,600 students were celebrated for their accomplishments and perseverance.
Isabella Martin, a senior studying communications and acting, is set to graduate in May after four years at OU. Martin said she is searching for jobs in public relations and deciding what city she should move to as a performer. She said her options are Chicago, Atlanta and New York City.
Martin said all three cities appeal to her for different reasons. She said New York City is the place for performers, Atlanta is “the LA of the south in terms of film and TV” and Chicago has a mixture of TV and stage performance.
Martin said going into college, she wanted to perform professionally and decided to major in communications as her “plan B.”
“Communication is … very flexible,” Martin said. “I think a lot of jobs and a lot of companies always have a communications person. It is a good, flexible option to pursue with acting.”
Throughout her time at OU, Martin said she learned so much through the acting program, specifically improving her auditioning and performance skills. She said her communications degree made her more confident and open.
“I've learned a lot of technical skills with communications that have to do (with) research, qualitative research and quantitative research,” Martin said. “Those were the two hardest parts about communication for me, but I've developed more of an appreciation for that sort of work.”
As an Athens native, Martin said she is passionate about OU’s school spirit and the Marching 110 is nostalgic. Martin said she met many amazing community members who have changed her life.
As for her future, Martin said she is looking forward to her move and to work with new people as a performer.
“If you're lucky enough to be in creative spaces, you're constantly working with different people from different backgrounds,” Martin said. “That's really fun, and I'm excited for that.”
Despite the celebrations, graduating from OU means leaving college years behind and parting ways with close friends. Graduation opens the door for new beginnings and opportunities for an educated, prepared individual.
“I feel very excited to graduate and go into the real world, and I am also nervous with the search for employment and all of the uncertainties," Martin said. “But, at the same time, I do feel like I’m leaving as a person who’s ready to take on that challenge versus four years ago.”
