Peabody Class of 2025 Commencement Events
All graduates and guests are invited to participate in Vanderbilt's Graduates Day celebration at 11:00 a.m. CDT on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in the Indoor Practice Facility, Speaker TBA
The Peabody Commencement Awards Ceremonies take place on Thursday, May 8, by invitation only.
On Friday, May 9, Undergraduate Commencement will take place at 9:00 a.m. at Geodis Park. Information about that ceremony and Commencement celebrations across the university is available on the Vanderbilt Commencement website.
Peabody will honor its M.Ed., M.P.P., and Ed.D. graduates during two ceremonies held on the Peabody Esplanade. The programs for the two ceremonies are the same.
PEABODY PROFESSIONAL CEREMONIES
Peabody College Master's Degree Ceremony
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Peabody Esplanade
Peabody College Doctor of Education Degree Ceremony
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Peabody Esplanade
Tickets are not required for the Peabody ceremonies.
Graduates must check in upon arrival on the Peabody Esplanade. Master's students should check in by 10:30 a.m., and Ed.D. students should check in by 2:30 p.m.
Note: Graduate students (Ph.D.) should attend the Graduate School's Commencement ceremony. Undergraduates should attend the undergraduate ceremony at Geodis Park.
Share the joy of Commencement weekend at #Peabody2025 and @vupeabody.
Ceremony Livestreams
Can't make it in-person? Join our livestreams of the commencement ceremonies. Links will be updated soon.
Peabody Professional Ceremonies Program
PLATFORM PARTY
The 2025 Professional Ceremonies Program will be updated on this page soon. Check back for updates.
Camilla P. Benbow
Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development
Andrew J. Finch
Professor of the Practice, Department of Human and Organizational Development
Kimberly Bess
Associate Professor of the Practice, Department of Human and Organizational Development
Catherine Gavin Loss
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professional Education
Sharon L. Shields
Senior Associate Dean of Community and Special Projects
Kristen McMaster, BS’95, MEd’98, PhD’02
2024 Peabody College Distinguished Alumna
MEMBERS OF THE PEABODY FACULTY
DEGREES BEING AWARDED
Master of Education (11 a.m.)
Master of Public Policy (11 a.m.)
Doctor of Education (3 p.m.)
ORDER OF THE CEREMONY
Welcoming Remarks, Dean Camilla P. Benbow
Recognition of Peabody Medalists and Banner Bearers
Recognition of Peabody Distinguished Alumna
Address by Kristen McMaster
Recognition of Graduates and Hooding of Doctoral Candidates (hooding only during Ed.D. ceremony)
Concluding Remarks
Adjournment
Commencement Programs
Peabody Medalists
The 2025 Peabody Medalists, Banner Bearers, and Distinguished Alumna will be updated on this page soon. Check back for updates.
The Peabody Medal is the highest honor Peabody College can bestow on a graduating student. It is awarded to the graduate who best personifies academic distinction, professional accomplishment, and contributions to Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, and the larger community. Peabody College awards two medals annually at commencement: one to a Master of Education student and one to a Doctor of Education student.
Master of Education Recipient: Hannah Michelle Baughn (Cumming, GA)
Hannah Baughn is graduating from the Master of Education Program in Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies in Peabody’s Department of Teaching and Learning. Hannah earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University in 2019 with a triple major in Elementary Education, Russian, and Second Language Studies. Hannah has taught in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools for the past four years, and she currently serves as a middle-school teacher for Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE). Leveraging her Vanderbilt undergraduate education in language acquisition and master’s-level work in learning and diversity in urban settings, Hannah supports immigrant and refugee students and families as they transition to the U.S. education system.
Doctor of Education Recipient: Ryan Sheldon Etheridge (Shelby, NC)
Ryan Etheridge is graduating from the Doctor of Education Program in Educational Leadership and Policy in Peabody’s Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations. Ryan is the director of federal programs and systemic improvement for Cleveland County Schools in Shelby, North Carolina, where he consults with districts, state agencies, and advocacy organizations on the strategic use of data to advance educational equity and organizational improvement. Ryan received the 2023 Dogwood Award from the attorney general of North Carolina in recognition of his “remarkable commitment, excellence, and innovative approaches to tackling critical issues that have significantly impacted North Carolina’s communities.” Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and a master’s degree from Appalachian State University. His doctoral capstone project examines the effects of school setting on fifth-grade student outcomes in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools.
Peabody Banner Bearers
The Peabody Banner Bearer is an honor bestowed on a graduating student in recognition of academic distinction and contributions to the Peabody community. The recipient is judged by the faculty to have excelled in all aspects of the program of study and is considered an outstanding example of a Peabody professional student.
Master of Education Banner Bearer: Jordan Kathleen Moreno (Raleigh, NC)
Jordan Moreno is graduating from the Master of Education Program in Higher Education Administration in Peabody’s Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations. After graduating from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2019, Jordan moved to Atlanta to start her career in management consulting, and over the past five years has accumulated experience in nonprofit work, international development, and public policy. During her time at Peabody, Jordan has served as a graduate assistant in the Office of the Provost, as a Peabody Career Mentor, and as a Policy Fellow at The Education Trust. In June, Jordan will join Education Strategy Group’s Postsecondary Transitions team as an associate, where she will support government agencies and institutional leadership in designing more accessible routes in the postsecondary education pipeline.
Doctor of Education Banner Bearer: Prince NaShun Taylor (Woodbridge, VA)
Prince Taylor is graduating from the Doctor of Education Program in Leadership and Learning in Organizations in Peabody’s Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations. Prince currently serves as the deputy director for operations at the Virginia Center for Development and Civic Engagement. He is a Navy veteran and a Senior Fellow of the Partnership for Public Service’s Excellence in Government program. In response to the pandemic, Prince used his skills and expertise to design, implement, and promote a new program, Compassionate Contact Corps, which pairs trained volunteers with veterans who are socially isolated or experiencing chronic loneliness. He serves on an interagency workgroup led by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General that addresses isolation and loneliness among veterans. Prince earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Southern Illinois University. His doctoral capstone project investigates how qualitative data can better inform decisions in K-12 professional learning.
Peabody Distinguished Alumna
Kristen L. McMaster, BS’95, MEd’98, PhD’02, is Guy Bond Chair of Reading and professor of special education in the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota. Her three Vanderbilt degrees make McMaster a Triple ’Dore. She was a high school life skills teacher and elementary resource teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools before pursuing her doctoral degree. McMaster’s research focuses on developing literacy-related assessments and interventions and supporting teachers’ use of data to individualize instruction. She has authored or co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, has co-authored and co-edited several books, and has been PI or co-PI on research grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education totaling more than $22 million. She has extensive experience providing professional development to practitioners and consulting with researchers and policymakers in Minnesota as well as nationally and internationally. McMaster enjoys reading, swimming, hiking, and traveling and exploring caves with her husband, Eric.
Previous Honorees
Selected Class of 2025 Profiles
Cambri Driskell
Cambri Driskell came to Vanderbilt with a drive to perform at a high level and be an entrepreneur. She honed business skills and Spanish fluency while starting her own digital outfit focused on inclusivity and positivity.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday an inspirational text message appears on hundreds of phones across Vanderbilt and beyond. These messages of encouragement, dubbed “Little Love Letters,” are part of a mission of empathetic empowerment and support created by entrepreneur Cambri Driskell.
“My digital platform called Embody³ is designed to empower young women like me—meeting them in their season of life and encouraging their hearts into whatever they hope their life looks like,” Driskell said. “Little Love Letters is part of that. It’s a vessel to get to love people that are maybe not in my exact sphere of influence. And to me, that’s a huge honor.”
Learn More about Cambri's Story
Rachel Hanebutt
Vanderbilt doctoral candidate Rachel Hanebutt is using research and partnerships to turn social media uncertainty into social flourishing. The key to her work is collaborating with the very teenagers she wants to help.
“My ultimate goal is to improve the relationships that teens have with technology by co-designing solutions with them that work in their everyday lives,” said Hanebutt, who is earning her Ph.D. through the Community Research and Action Program at Peabody College.
Hanebutt leads the research arm of the youth-based digital advocacy and empowerment platform #HalfTheStory, which was was created by Larissa “Larz” May, BA’16, when May was an undergraduate at Vanderbilt. Using her expertise in teen-centered methods, Hanebutt leads a teen advisory board with young people around the country making sure that #HalftheStory's work is evidence-based and empowers the next generation of digital citizens.
Parking Information
Guest and graduate parking will be available at the following locations on Friday, May 10:
- Wesley Place Garage. You may park and walk to Peabody’s campus, or there will be a shuttle that will run from this garage to Peabody’s campus.
- The Sony Garage. You may park and walk. No shuttle runs from this location.
- Lot 77 (off of 18th Ave). You may park and walk. No shuttle runs from this location.
There will be 10 handicap parking spots available in Lot 90 (behind the Wyatt Center) and another 10 spots in Lot 95 (behind the Peabody Admin Building). These spots are first come, first served.
If need be, guests and graduates can be dropped off at the Peabody Admin Building roundabout, and then the driver can leave and go park in one of the above mentioned locations.