Several hundred NEIU students and their families braved the bitter winter cold toward the UIC Pavilion for the very last Fall commencement ceremony.
The Independent has previously reported on the elimination of future December commencement ceremonies starting in 2026. This would be the start of a three-year plan in order to integrate NEIU graduates into one main ceremony in the spring.
There have been a mixture of reactions from the graduating class in regard to this decision.
“While future December graduates will still complete their degrees in the Fall semester, it is essential that programming continues to highlight their accomplishments and academic journeys,” Alfredo Aguilar, former director of the Northeastern Programming Board, said.
Aguilar has attended NEIU for the last six years, becoming heavily involved with the NEIU community as he participated in several student organizations. He graduated with a degree in Psychology and has plans to apply to a master’s degree program in Higher Education. Aguilar was one of several hundred students that were a part of the Fall commencement ceremony on December 14, 2025.
“Strong, intentional programming can help honor and showcase the hard work my peers have put into earning their degrees,” Aguilar said.
Some students were unaware of the pending change, like Jerusalem Singleton, an undergraduate student.
“No, I haven’t heard anything at all, but I also don’t really read the Targeted [Announcements],” Singleton said.
Singleton graduated with a degree from University Without Walls, a program that uses personal experiences from the student and converts it to college credit. He was recently featured in NEIU’s Student Stories series, “Ready to Lead,” a collection of stories from graduating undergraduate and graduate students. He plans on auditing NEIU classes in 2026, and, in 2027, is planning on applying to the Fulbright Scholarship and to a master’s program either in London, England or Spain.
Throughout the ceremony itself, with the speeches, there were themes of resilience in the face of obstacles.
“The truth of the matter is that you don’t need thousands of followers to influence, nor to change the world to have impact. All you have to do is exist, aspire and achieve,” said Cassaundra Garcia, NEIU’s Commencement student speaker, who will be graduating next semester. She has been heavily involved in the NEIU community, including as lead peer mentor for the First Year Experience program and student liaison for the NEIU Foundation Board.
“Do not shy away though, and instead, seek discomfort,” Garcia said to future graduates. “For as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, you shall overcome. If you are sitting here today, that is proof enough.”
NEIU Alumna PJ Randhawa, the guest speaker, also spoke in regard to resilience.
“I succeeded in achieving my dreams because I was prepared,” Randhawa said. “It was because of places like NEIU that taught me hard work pays off. Curiosity and persistence pay off.”
Randhawa came into NEIU as an international student and graduated in 2008 with a Communication, Media and Theater (CMT) degree. Randhawa worked in several newsrooms across the country and won seven Regional Emmy Awards based on her reporting. She currently works as a consumer investigative reporter and anchor for NBC5 Chicago.
Randhawa shared a personal story with students about when she arrived at NEIU involving her family and grief over her father’s passing. Due to her running away just before his passing, she was blamed for her father’s death by her siblings and others in her family. This hostility led her remaining family to send her to Chicago to live with her sister.
“I was put on an Amtrak train and told Chicago was my last chance. One more mistake and I would be disowned.”
For years, she kept to herself, being one of the quietest students in the classroom and not having the confidence to be seen or speak out. Early on during her time at NEIU, one of her professors told her that she saw a love of learning within her. This professor was one of many mentors that took the time to encourage and support Randhawa.
“At the time, I really didn’t understand what [my professor meant], but over the years, when I’ve been lost or seeking a path, wondering where to go, I’ve thought about [her message] and it brings me back to my purpose. At NEIU, I finally found a path and the confidence to write my own story,” Randhawa said.
The world that these graduates will enter is fraught with challenges. Regardless, as eager, newly minted alumni grabbed falling blue and yellow balloons and took photos to their heart’s content, there is hope to move forward towards the next phase of life. Despite the bitter winter and this being the last December commencement, it was a joyful day.
