Florida State University to honor its newest graduates at Fall 2023 commencement ceremonies

Florida State University will congratulate its Fall 2023 graduates Friday, Dec. 15 with three commencement ceremonies at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Doctoral candidates will be hooded at the 9 a.m. ceremony, while College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate and master’s students will cross the stage during the 7 p.m. ceremony.

More than a quarter of the 3,047 degrees FSU confers this Friday will be to students from Arts and Sciences disciplines. Lilian Garcia-Roig, a Cuban-born artist and Robert O. Lawton Distinguished professor in the College of Fine Arts, will address students during the evening ceremony.

“Commencement provides a festive way, shared with family and friends, to send off our graduates as they close one chapter and open another,” said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The fall ceremony, while smaller than spring, includes extra glitter thanks to the winter holiday season.”

 

Christie Alvarez, Daniel Siegel, and Paige Payne are among the college’s 855 Fall 2023 graduates. Alvarez and Siegel will receive bachelor’s degrees, and Payne will receive a master’s degree.

Alvarez earned her bachelor’s degree in international affairs with a double major in Japanese language and culture through the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy and the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics. In summer 2023, Alvarez studied Japanese culture and tourism at Waseda University in Tokyo through FSU’s Ada Belle Winthrop-King Scholarship in Japanese.

“Through studying abroad, I gained unique experiences, lifelong friendships, and insight into potential careers,” Alvarez said. “Receiving the Winthrop-King scholarship means that someone believes I can successfully pursue a language studies-related career, which means everything to me. Post graduation, I am considering teaching English in Japan and earning a graduate degree in East Asian languages and cultures or cultural anthropology.”

As a student who studied abroad, Alvarez was able to welcome and mentor a student studying abroad from Japan for a semester through the Global Noles program. Alvarez also served as the 2022-2023 membership and development chair of FSU’s chapter of Circle K International, the world’s largest student-led collegiate service organization.

 

Siegel, another Fall graduate, completed his bachelor’s degree in literature, media, and culture through the Department of English. Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, Siegel was one of 30 prospective first-year students selected in 2021 as a Presidential Scholar, FSU’s preeminent undergraduate scholarship covering tuition costs for four years of study.

“Literature is incredibly interdisciplinary, and by studying the subject, I combined historical analysis, socio-political critique, analytical thinking and writing,” Siegel said. “I am excited to continue engaging with my professors and peers as I enter the master’s program for literature, media and culture in the spring.”

The summer after his freshman year, Siegel interned abroad in London as a content writing and editing intern with Night Zookeeper, a reading and writing program for children. He also participated in Power of WE, a student-led civil discourse organization aiming to stimulate conversations of understanding and togetherness, and through DUF, FSU's Ultimate Frisbee club team, Siegel was able to unwind between particularly stressful classes and assignments.

 

Payne, who earned her master’s degree in oceanography through the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, also plans to continue her education at FSU.

After earning two bachelor’s degrees in marine biology and environmental science and policy from the University of South Florida, Payne landed a research assistantship in associate professor of oceanography Olivia Mason’s lab investigating the metabolisms of microbes that live in the narrow zone of soil surrounding the rhizomes of salt marsh grasses.

“I most enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of oceanography,” Payne said. “It is the coalescing of biology, chemistry, physics, geology, meteorology, and many more fields. It is also important to understand our oceans and marine systems because we heavily rely on them, with tourism and fishing industries being just a few examples. As they undergo climate-related changes, we are affected in turn.”

In 2021, Payne presented her research at the 18th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology in Lausanne, Switzerland, and she is also a member of Graduate Women in STEM. Payne will continue her research in Mason’s lab as she pursues a doctoral degree in oceanography, and her primary goal is to publish an article in a scientific journal.

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