Arts and Sciences graduates set to celebrate Spring 2023 commencement

Florida State University is set to celebrate its Spring 2023 graduates Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, with seven commencement ceremonies at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

College of Arts and Sciences graduates will participate in two ceremonies on Friday. Doctoral students will be hooded at the 9 a.m. ceremony, while undergraduate and master’s students will cross the stage during the 7 p.m. ceremony. Nearly a quarter — more than 1,700 — of the 8,071 degrees FSU will award this spring are undergraduate and graduate students from arts and sciences disciplines.

Nan Hillis, a 1976 College of Business alumna who majored in marketing and finance, will address graduates at the 7 p.m. ceremony. Hillis serves on the FSU Real Estate Center Executive Board, FSU Veterans Alliance Advancement Council and the FSU Heritage Museum Advisory Board, and previously served on the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees, the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and the FSU College of Business Board of Governors. She co-chaired the $600 million FSU Connect Capital Campaign and served on the $1 billion FSU Raise the Torch National Capital Campaign Committee. Hillis enjoyed a successful career in banking and finance, most recently serving as executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Prime Meridian Bank until her retirement in 2020.

“This year’s graduates had a very unique college experience,” Hillis said. “Their accomplishments to date and potential reflect their abilities to adapt and move forward; I’m excited to celebrate their success and future with them.”

Jonah Smith and Abigail Dean are among the college’s Spring 2023 graduates and will receive bachelor’s degrees.

Smith completed his undergraduate degree in applied and computational mathematics through the Department of Mathematics alongside a minor in music through the College of Music. As an Honors in the Major student, Smith’s thesis developed and analyzed a mathematical model that tracked growth of sourdough bread starters, with a goal of determining the perfect moment at which the dough is ready to bake.

“Conducting research for my undergraduate thesis is by far the most rewarding and meaningful opportunity I have had at Florida State,” Smith said. “Taking hands-on courses in modeling and analysis fostered the curiosity I needed to go out on my own and complete an honors thesis.”

In addition to his honors thesis work, Smith served on the College of Arts and Sciences Student Leadership Council as the representative from the Department of Mathematics and was a member of both the Association for Women in Mathematics and the Society of Undergraduate Mathematics Students. According to Smith, serving as the president for FSU Hillel’s Challah for Hunger program and a corporate liaison for FSU Actuarial Science Club are two experiences he found particularly enriching during his time as an undergraduate.

Following graduation, Smith will pursue a graduate degree in statistics at the University of Kentucky.

“I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me, and I’m excited to celebrate my journey with my peers and colleagues at commencement,” Smith said.

Dean, another Honors Program student, completed her undergraduate degree with a double major in mathematics as well as secondary science and mathematics teaching through the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education, respectively. While based in two different colleges, both of Dean’s majors are a part of the FSU-Teach program, which allows students to pursue an undergraduate degree in biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, geoscience, mathematics or physics and earn a second major in secondary teaching at the same time.

Currently, Dean is a teaching apprentice at a Tallahassee high school, and upon graduation, she will be certified to teach mathematics for grades 6-12. Dean is also involved in FSU’s WeTEACH, a student organization that meets on a peer-to-peer level to interact, encourage and support local schools in the community.

“My majors were the perfect combination, and they allowed me to pursue my dream career as a teacher,” Dean said.

Dean has already accepted a mathematics teaching position at Covenant Academy in Macon, Georgia, where she will instruct students in grades 8-12 in algebra 1, pre-calculus, trigonometry and calculus. Over the summer, she will earn her Advanced Placement training, as teachers must go through specific training to teach AP classes.

“My favorite parts about being a student at FSU have been the strong connections I made with faculty and staff, despite the university’s massive size,” Dean said. "FSU gave me the opportunity to grow in my ability to be a leader, a learner and a future teacher.”

To learn more about FSU’s Spring 2023 commencement activities, a full schedule of events and live-stream links, visit commencement.fsu.edu.