Utah State University Southwest Celebrates 2025 Graduating Class

Utah State University Southwest is proud to have celebrated its class of 2025 on April 17 during USU’s 138th commencement ceremony. The class of 2025 consists of 118 individuals earning 3 undergraduate and 3 graduate certificates and 11 associate, 64 bachelor’s, and 37 master’s degrees. The graduation ceremony was held at Richfield High School in Richfield.

“Many of you were working in full time positions, raising families, volunteering in your church and community, all while successfully completing your degrees through a USU Southwest Center, and I say, year after year, that you USU graduates in the southwest are my truly my rock stars for accomplishing what you have accomplished with all of those things on your plate!” said Nancy Glomb, associate vice president for the Southwest Region.

Glomb began the ceremony by welcoming graduates. The class was then addressed by student speaker Lorna Olsen. Olsen is receiving her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.

Olsen spoke of her love of hiking and related several life lessons she has learned from this passion to her educational journey.

“Our journey so far has been much like a challenging, yet rewarding hike,” Olsen said. “The path was rarely easy, but as we stand at this summit tonight, we can pause for a moment to reflect on how far we've come, the struggle it took to get here, and all the possibilities that lie ahead.”

Olsen shared her personal story of slowly, one step at a time, working her way toward her bachelor’s degree. Then, after a time, she decided to complete a master’s degree, this time at a fast pace. Through the struggle and hard work, Olsen came to realize: ‘growth is found in the living and doing of hard things.’

“It’s when we push ourselves beyond what we thought were our limits and discover that those limits weren’t our boundaries at all—they were stepping stones to something greater,” she said. “The transformation isn’t just in reaching the summit—it’s in the climb itself… The only thing standing between us and the next peak is our willingness to continue the climb.”

The students then heard the commencement speech, given by Glomb, who is retiring from her position as associate vice president of the Southwest Region in June. In the speech, Glomb shared how her career evolved, all focused on helping other access education. She found her passion early in life, and encouraged the graduates to find and follow their own passions.

“If you use the skills and knowledge you’ve developed through your education to address your passion, you will do great things,” she said. “You will affect positive change in yourself, your family, your workplace, and your community if you are using this powerful tool called ‘an education’ to do what you love.”

USU Provost and Executive Vice President Laurens H. Smith then provided a short message and conferred upon the students their degrees. Once the graduates received their diplomas, Whitney Boudrero, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement, delivered a welcome address from the USU Alumni Association.

With locations in Beaver, Bicknell, Cedar City, Delta, Ephraim, Junction, Kanab, Nephi, Panguitch, Richfield, and St. George, Utah State University provides higher education access to rural communities via USU Southwest. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees and technical education opportunities, USU offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at southwest.usu.edu.