Northern Kentucky University will honor more than 1,900 students at its 50th Commencement exercises today, May 6 (Salmon P. Chase College of Law) and Saturday, May 7 (all other colleges.)
The three ceremonies being held at Truist Arena (formerly named BB&T Arena) will recognize students who completed requirements for graduation in the College of Education, College of Arts & Sciences, and the College of Informatics at 9 a.m., while students in the Haile College of Business and the College of Health and Human Services will be recognized at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 7.
Chase College of Law will hold its Commencement today, May 6, at 6 p.m.
In addition to remarks from NKU President Ashish K. Vaidya, morning ceremony attendees will also hear commencement addresses from Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and graduating senior Elise Bezold from the College of Arts & Sciences. Afternoon attendees will hear commencement addresses from honorary degree recipient and former M&T Bank Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer, Emerson L. Brumback, as well as graduating senior Lillian Gamel from the Haile College of Business.
Elise Bezold is graduating summa cum laude from the College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor of science degree in Chemistry. During her time at NKU, she had multiple President’s List appearances and was involved in Leadership Mentors, STEM Scholars program and Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honor Society.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Amber Onorato, she authored an original research proposal outlining the synthesis and analysis of potential small molecule inhibitors of an enzyme in the inflammatory pathway and was awarded the Dorothy Westerman Hermann fellowship. She was the co-recipient of the 2021 Albert and Louise Cooper Memorial Scholarship for outstanding progress and motivation in undergraduate research. In the fall, Bezold will begin her doctoral studies in organic chemistry at Emory University.
Lillian Gamel is graduating magna cum laude with a degree from the Haile College of Business in both accounting and human resource management. After four years at NKU, she will graduate with honors and with 150 credit hours, as well as Dean’s list appearances throughout her college career. During her senior year, she has been involved in the NKU community as the Finance and Accounting Student Association president and a Leadership Academy member.
Born and raised in Northern Kentucky, Gamel always knew she wanted to go to NKU. After working as an audit co-op in her years at NKU, Gamel will be taking on the CPA exam following graduation and begin working full-time as an audit associate at BKD in Bloomington, IN.
At the Chase College of Law Commencement exercises, Judge John Nalbandian of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will deliver the commencement address and receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Judge Nalbandian, who has served on the Cincinnati-based court since 2018, is Chase jurist-in-residence, teaching a spring-semester seminar course on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Prior to his appointment to the court of appeals, Judge Nalbandian was a partner in the Cincinnati law firm of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, where he was lead appellate lawyer and practiced in complex litigation. He was also a board member of the State Justice Institute, created by the federal government to improve administration of justice in state courts. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and
the University of Virginia School of Law.
In addition to the commencement address by Judge Nalbandian, the ceremony will include remarks by Supreme Court of Kentucky Justice Michelle M. Keller, a Chase graduate, on behalf of the court.
For more information on NKU’s Spring 2022 Commencement Exercises, click here.
