Trojan Family celebrates the university’s newest graduates

From the iconic flame blazing atop the peristyle of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the multicolored lights of drones exhorting the crowd of 35,000 in the stadium below to “Fight On,” the night sky over L.A. on Thursday lit up in celebration of USC’s Class of 2025.

USC’s 142nd commencement ceremony marked a rite of passage for the robe-and-mortarboard-clad Trojans who had streamed into their seats on the Coliseum field as their loved ones looked on from the stands.

Throughout the brisk evening, the jumbotron screens atop the giant oval danced with the smiles, waves and whoops of the graduates — as well as the beaming faces of speakers like USC President Carol Folt and filmmaker Jon M. Chu, who lauded the graduates’ accomplishments.

MORE: See stories, photos and videos about the week of commencement celebrations, and meet some of this year’s fascinating graduates.

WATCH: See the video of Thursday’s main commencement ceremony. Videos of all commencement events are also available online.

Folt conferred 19,409 degrees at the commencement — 6,553 undergraduate degrees and 12,856 graduate degrees. While acknowledging that the Class of 2025’s “big wins” were impressive, Folt encouraged them to also embrace the “little miracles” of their college careers — from learning to share space with a roommate, to making lifelong friends, to mentoring kids.

“All your challenges and successes are a prelude to a life of purpose and meaning,” Folt said. “Hard work, patience and perseverance have been your touchstones — while humility, humor, grace and gratitude have fortified your character. USC has been your sandbox, and now it’s time to build your life.”

Chu, a 2003 graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts whose introduction before his commencement address drew a massive cheer from the crowd, acknowledged the daunting political, environmental and technological pressures placed on this generation — and then challenged them to write new stories and be the ones to create change.

“Storytelling is both our greatest hope and our biggest battleground,” Chu said. “Everyone, from marketers to politicians to AI itself, is competing for control over narratives. Whoever tells the best story holds the power.”

A Coliseum commencement

Students, faculty and families had entered the Coliseum in the late afternoon under blue skies, with warm sun shining and a cool breeze blowing. The scent of grilled hot dogs and buttery popcorn wafted from food stalls, while concessions sold fresh floral leis, Class of 2025 T-shirts and other graduation-themed gear.

Parents and family members clutched bright bouquets of flowers. They adjusted their graduates’ stoles and caps. Some shed tears as they parted ways with their graduates, who lined up at processionals on the east and west of the stadium while the proud spectators took seats in the stands above the field.

“This is a big moment, and I’m a mess,” said Parisa Akhavein, whose son, Dara, graduated with a master’s degree in finance from the USC Marshall School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “I’m so proud of him, as always.”

For graduates lining up on the east side, the Coliseum’s famed peristyle was a popular photo spot, with groups of graduates as well as faculty posing with the arched columns and Olympic torch pedestal as a backdrop. They snapped selfies and asked passersby to take their picture with the “panoramic” setting on their phones to capture the architectural wonder top to bottom.

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism graduate Ellerie Bivinetto gathered with members of her family before joining her classmates in lining up for the procession down the Coliseum steps and onto the field.

“I feel so lucky that I’m here with everyone I love,” said Bivinetto, who earned a master’s degree in digital social media. “It feels so special to be here at the Coliseum in the evening.”

With Ellerie’s latest graduation, which came two years after she earned a bachelor’s degree from USC Annenberg, the Bivinetto family have now been participants in eight USC main commencement ceremonies.

Bivinetto’s parents, Aaron and Tanja, both graduated from USC in 1993 and were followed decades later by their sons Drew, Avery and Jason. All were in attendance on Thursday.

“It’s just been this major blessing,” Tanja said. “We’ve just been in tears the whole way. It’s like a miracle, and we are so happy.”

‘Graduating with you’

Folt noted that she too is “graduating” — she is stepping down on July 1.

“I’m honored to be graduating with you, too — and more than a bit nostalgic myself,” Folt said. “This is my last commencement ceremony as president at USC — or anywhere for that matter — after decades of leadership roles at American universities.”

Because this group of graduating Trojans started their USC journey at the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Folt said Thursday night represented a culmination of years of adaptability and determination.

“You jumped right in and did not slow down,” Folt said. “You became masters at pivoting — and learned to persevere and practice patience. Most importantly, you built community by creating and inspiring each other — you had dreams, and you were going to realize them.”

Folt noted “some fun facts” to remind the students who they have been rubbing shoulders with: The Class of 2025 has been a part of leading-edge research on Alzheimer’s disease and ovarian cancer; they’ve also welcomed new additions to USC’s campuses including the USC Nisei Rock Garden, the Sustainability Hub and USC Capital Campus in Washington, D.C. Since the start of the class’s freshman year, 74 USC professors have been elected to the country’s most prestigious national academies, and alumni and faculty — and even some current students — have been nominated for 384 Emmys, 112 Grammys and 42 Oscars.

In athletics, Folt noted students have won 214 NCAA and conference championships with women’s soccer earning the school’s first championship in the Big Ten Conference, which USC joined in 2024. Trojans also earned 38 Olympic and Paralympic medals.

But as much as Folt spoke about Trojan accomplishments, the real theme of the night was the road ahead, and how this class is prepared for whatever the future holds.

“Key to it all, I think, will be sustaining the power and blessing of connection,” she said. “You’re now a link in a chain of Trojans crossing time and space — lean into this connection. Practice empathy and gratitude and you’ll connect quickly with new people. You’re people for whom much has been given; when you give back, you’ll connect with the world.”

Lessons from one Trojan to another

Student commencement speaker Meghan Anand reminded her fellow graduates about the power of a supportive community, both at home and on campus. The Houston native and USC Marshall graduate spoke about her USC journey, and how some of the most important lessons came from outside the classroom.

“I viewed college simply as a means to an end — something to conquer, but not something to experience,” Anand said. “I convinced myself that if I could control my time, I’d get everything I came to college for.” A driven student, she said she hit every deadline and kept her GPA flawless due to her strict routine: in bed by 9 p.m. and up by 4 a.m. However, she realized that she was never fully present.

“I wasn’t building a life — I was building a résumé,” Anand said. “And I was invisible.”

Anand realized that college wasn’t a solo journey, and that the friends she made and people she met along the way contributed as much to an education as the grades she earned.

“USC is not just a place of learning,” Anand said. “It’s an ecosystem of thinkers, creators and changemakers.”

In his address, Wicked and Crazy Rich Asians director Chu echoed that theme, highlighting the importance of the relationships he made during his time at USC.

“The cinematographer of my student film, Alice Brooks, just shot my latest film, Wicked, 22-plus years from when we had our first coffee together at Starbucks,” Chu said to cheers from the crowd.

Chu closed his speech by looking out at the sea of graduates and remembering how he felt sitting in those chairs, looking up at the stage. At the time, Chu said he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker, but that he didn’t want to talk about his Asian heritage for fear of being typecast or stereotyped. As he moved further along in his career, he eventually felt compelled to pave the way and tell a story with his own cultural authenticity: Crazy Rich Asians, which became a blockbuster romantic comedy.

Chu cited a quote by author Dan Zadra: “Worry is the misuse of imagination.”

“We think so deeply about what can go wrong that we leave no room for the imagination of what happens when it all goes right,” Chu said. “You have an extraordinary story. And I deeply, deeply believe in you. You will go through tough times — terrifying times, even — but your beautiful brain will figure out creative ways to get out of it.”

A grand finale

After the conferring of degrees — to resounding cheers from blocks of graduates as Provost Andrew T. Guzman called out the schools’ names — the crowd gasped as the stadium’s floodlights were turned off and the Trojan Marching Band began to play. Thousands of smartphone flashlights in the audience pierced the darkness of the stadium.

A fleet of drones outfitted with multicolored lights rose above the peristyle, whose arched columns glowed cardinal and gold. Cheers erupted each time the drones configured themselves into familiar imagery, spelling out “USC” and “CONGRATS GRADS” and depicting Tommy Trojan and Traveler. As the band played Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk,” a pyrotechnic finale sent starbursts of ever-brighter fireworks skyward.

“I thought it was amazing,” said Sean Westberg, who graduated with a master’s degree from the USC Rossier School of Education. “It was a great way to cap off graduation, because there’s a night show and everything is a lot brighter.”

For some, like Jocelyn Diaz, ending a college career at the Coliseum was a full-circle moment. Diaz, who earned a master’s degree in public relations from USC Annenberg, has been coming to Trojan football games since she was child.

“The fact that it’s all coming to an end is very bittersweet,” Diaz said. “But I’m also excited for the alumni connections, and everything involved in being a part of the Trojan Family. I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Throughout her speech, Folt, who has long been regarded as a students-first university leader, expressed her love and compassion for students. As she looked out on the graduating class, she smiled and reassured graduates that wherever they go, the Trojan Family goes with them.

“I see in you the future, and it fills me with great hope,” Folt said. “As you drive away, or walk away this evening, I urge you to remember that USC will always be here for you.”

She closed with one of her favorite expressions — “Namaste” — and said that “it’s been a joy and privilege of my life to be your president.”