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.
Master's Ceremony Livestream - 11:00 a.m.
http://vu.edu/peabodymastersgraduation2025
Doctoral Ceremony Livestream - 3:00 p.m.
Peabody Professional Ceremonies Program
PLATFORM PARTY
Camilla P. Benbow
Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development
Douglas Perkins
Professor Emeritus, Department of Human and Organizational Development (Master’s Ceremony)
Marybeth Shin
Professor Emerita, Department of Human and Organizational Development (Master’s Ceremony)
Andrew J. Finch
Professor of the Practice, Department of Human and Organizational Development
Nicole Cobb
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professional Education
Sharon L. Shields, PhD’76
2025 Peabody College Distinguished Alumna, Professor Emerita and Senior Associate Dean
MEMBERS OF THE PEABODY FACULTY
DEGREES BEING AWARDED
Master of Education (11:00 a.m.)
Master of Public Policy (11:00 a.m.)
Doctor of Education (3:00 p.m.)
ORDER OF THE CEREMONY
Welcoming Remarks, Dean Camilla P. Benbow
Recognition of Emeriti Faculty
Recognition of Peabody Marshals, Banner Bearer, and Peabody Medalists
Recognition of Peabody Distinguished Alumna
Address by Senior Associate Dean Shields
Recognition of Graduates and Hooding of Doctoral Candidates (hooding only during Ed.D. ceremony)
Concluding Remarks and Charge to the Graduates
Adjournment
Awards Ceremonies and Honorees
View the 2025 Peabody Commencement award winners:
Founder’s Medal for First Honors
Since 1877, the university has awarded a gold medal to the student graduating with top honors from each of the university’s 10 schools and colleges. The award is to honor the university’s founder, Cornelius Vanderbilt, who endowed the award in its first year.
Samuel Elliott Lu, from Little Rock, Arkansas, is this year’s Founder’s Medalist for Peabody College of education and human development.
Samuel is graduating with degrees in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, Human and Organizational Development, and Child Studies. Beyond his academic accomplishments, Samuel has demonstrated a commitment to service that supports educational outcomes. This commitment is evidenced by the many organizations he been involved with including: founding Camp P.L.A.Y. for which he received a Nichols Humanitarian Fund award; research assistant, Playful Learning Project; and educator intern, ARKidsFirst and Our House shelter. Samuel will begin his career as an elementary teacher in Wake County Public Schools.
Peabody Medalists
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.
The Peabody Medal (Master's): Skyler M. Hughes
Skyler earned her M.Ed. in Applied Child Studies. As a master’s student, Skyler explored how ACEs and other stressors influence development, and how parents and other significant relationships buffer or exacerbate these effects. In classwork and community placements, Skyler created evidence-based resources on early relational health and trauma-informed tools for families, teachers and students regarding emotion regulation and well-being. She led efforts to craft the Tennessee Department of Health’s Vitality Toolkit - Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, supporting mothers' and babies' access to quality care from pregnancy through the first year to promote lifelong health. These opportunities enabled Skyler to develop professional skills relevant to her passion – using research to guide efforts to support families and children exposed to chronic stress. Skyler is pursuing doctoral study in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology and Human Development.
The Peabody Medal (Ed.D.): De’Shawn Cergill Washington
De'Shawn is graduating from the Educational Leadership and Policy program in Peabody’s Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations. De’ Shawn earned his bachelor’s degree and master of education degree from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. De’Shawn is a fourth-grade inclusion teacher in Lexington, MA. He was recognized as the 2024 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and the 2025 Massachusetts Representative of the National Education Association's Travelers Insurance Award for Teaching Excellence. De'Shawn also supports school districts in the New England region, transforming academic outcomes and student morale. His research is focused on evaluating RTI interventions in Hamilton County 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.
Banner Bearer: Chenyu He
Chenyu is graduating with a BS in Human and Organizational Development and Cognitive Studies, along with a minor in Medicine, Health, and Society. On campus, she served as Co-President of Global China Connection, leading efforts to foster global dialogue and cultural exchange across campus. As a research assistant at the CHILL Lab, she explored how facility dog interventions can reduce young children’s anxiety during outpatient ECHO and EKG procedures. Outside of academics, Chenyu volunteered with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, expanding the organization’s partnerships with local restaurants.
Banner Bearer: Audrey Marion Thresher
Audrey’s professional work spans multiple domains, each reinforcing her dedication to mental health, social justice, and community empowerment. Her impact extends far beyond the classroom, positioning her as a leader and advocate within the Nashville mental health landscape.
Banner Bearer: Zaina Hashmi
Zaina is a distinguished educator and leader in K-12 education. Currently, Hashmi serves as a Science Instructional Lead in Fulton County Schools in Atlanta, GA. as well as a district Assessment Leader. Hashmi also serves on the Board of Directors for “Counting Fingers and Toes,” a Nashville-based non-profit that supports early childhood numeracy, particularly for low-income families. Zaina's leadership is characterized by a commitment to equitable instruction and resonant professional learning that empowers educators and students alike. These values shaped her doctoral research, where she partnered with Teach for America to examine critical factors impacting teacher recruitment in an evolving educational landscape.
Peabody Distinguished Alumna
“Education…A debt due from present to future generations.”
- George Peabody, 1852
Sharon Shields began her educational journey as a kindergartner in 1954 and has celebrated 70 consecutive first days of school as a student, a teacher, and as a professor. Shields completed B.S. (1971) and M.Ed.(1974) degrees in Exercise Science and Education from the University of Louisville. Shields was a middle school teacher in Jefferson County, KY from 1971-1974.
Shields’ academic journey at George Peabody College for Teachers began in 1974 as a graduate research assistant wherein she earned her Ph.D. in Exercise Science (1976). Shields had benefitted enormously from her educational opportunities and has endeavored to foster such opportunities for future generations.
Shields’ calling to higher education led her to take a faculty position at George Peabody College for Teachers in 1976. Doors opened that she never anticipated and her passion for making a difference led her to embrace myriad opportunities. She earned full Professorship of the Practice in recognition of her compassionate and caring teaching and her impactful scholarship in health and human services, service-learning, and advocacy for equal rights. Her leadership and service to many diverse organizations and communities has been recognized throughout her career with university and national/international awards.
Whether teaching a Health Service to Diverse Populations class, advising students, mentoring faculty, serving on grants in North Nashville or the Dominican Republic, serving on the University Senate, the Peabody Faculty Council, or engaging in equal rights issues for Practice Faculty and other causes, Shields has been a citizen of the University, committed to making a difference in society and the world around her.
Shields has served in many roles across the university. She was co-founder of the VUMC Kim Dayani Human Performance Center, Assistant Provost for Service-Learning, Faculty Head of House, Interim Director of the State and Local Policy Center (VIPPS,) and Interim Director of the Susan Gray School. Currently, she is the Sr. Associate Dean of Community and Special Projects at Peabody.
Her life-long motto, “Trust the Path. Live the Journey,” continues to guide her and the many lives she has impacted along the way.
Previous Honorees
Selected Class of 2025 Profiles
Keyonte' Doughty
Keyonte' Doughty, a human and organizational development and political science double major, is passionate about following current events in politics and society. He’s worked for a New York state representative in Washington, D.C., as well as interning in New York and Boston. He’s found his double majors to be a perfect complement to any career, and Doughty’s professors see the spark that makes him such an excellent collaborator and mentor.
“The opportunity to work with future leaders who are as kind as they are talented and intelligent is a blessing. Keyonte’ Doughty is a blessing,” said Carrie Archie Russell, principal senior lecturer and director of pre-law advising. “His tireless work ethic is inspiring, and his luminous smile is uplifting. He is the future of good governance and my hope for American democracy. I am fortunate to teach so many bright minds, but it is rare to teach bright stars like Keyonte’.”
After Commencement, Doughty is taking a job in finance sales and trading at CitiGroup, and he says law or business school may be in his future.
“I think these experiences and my majors helped me realize that there are so many different ways to have tangible impact,” Doughty said. “My generation has grown up so technology-centric, and the HOD curriculum teaches us skills around better ways to work in teams, collaborate and communicate - and we’re going to use those skills everywhere.”
Julia Red Wing
Julia Red Wing’s ultimate goals are to use positions in health care management to increase efficiency and fairness among underserved, rural, Indigenous and low-income populations. She’s already begun that journey with an internship-turned-job as a project coordinator for Covalus Consulting, a company that specializes in opening hospitals.
“I am passionate about fixing a health care system that should be uplifting people,” she said. “My dream in life would be to end generational trauma for my family and for others. I want to be that big turning point.”
Red Wing also took time outside the lab to dive into her Native American heritage, and she became active in Vanderbilt’s Indigenous Scholars organization and danced in Café con Leche to honor her Guatemalan side as well. She also earned a prestigious Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship that helped her learn about other cultures through a study abroad program across South Africa, Spain, and Italy.
"Julia has seen firsthand how systems in our country make it challenging for those with limited health literacy or access to reach their full potential. She has known since she walked onto the Vanderbilt campus exactly what her purpose would be," said Jessika Boles, assistant professor of the practice of psychological sciences.
Jack Roberts Jue
Education Policy (M.P.P) student Jack Roberts Jue grew up with educational opportunities that fed his curiosity and nurtured his love of learning—opportunities he shared as a high school English and history teacher in a low-income school system. But it was the stark disparity of resources for students that propelled Roberts Jue to focus the next chapter of his career: developing policy solutions to improve access and outcomes for disadvantaged students. Roberts Jue believes public education policy can be a tool to address student needs, implement research-based practices and align the incentives of diverse communities to benefit all students.
“In and outside the classroom, Jack is a leader among his peers, and he embodies Peabody’s core mission: to translate research into more effective practice and policy and to be a leader who will generate positive change in the world,” said Catherine Gavin Loss, associate provost for academic affairs in the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Education.
The Peabody formula of working in collaborative environments has had a strong impact on Roberts Jue, who warmly defines his cohort as “committed and energized and thoughtful.” Roberts Jue is putting his Vanderbilt knowledge and teambuilding skills immediately to work through the Tennessee-based education nonprofit State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE.
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.