Missouri School of Journalism to recognize 394 graduates at May 2025 Commencement Ceremony
The Missouri School of Journalism will celebrate the achievements of its May and August graduates during its spring commencement ceremony at 9 a.m., Sunday, May 18, at Mizzou Arena.
The event will recognize students receiving degrees in Bachelor of Journalism, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy programs. The ceremony is free and open to the public, and tickets are not required. For those unable to attend in person, the ceremony will be livestreamed at commencement.missouri.edu.
In addition to the main ceremony, the School will honor the newest inductees into Kappa Tau Alpha, the national journalism honor society that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship. The KTA ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m., Friday, May 16, in Fisher Auditorium in Gannett Hall. The new members of KTA are:
Doctor of Philosophy: Boitshepo Balozwi, Arthur Bremer, Tianting Zhang
Master of Arts: Sydney Boeger, Ellie Frysztak, Savannah Henderson, Sherae Honeycutt, Elviira Junnila, Sofia Lynch, Benjamin Zweig
Bachelor of Journalism: Paige Bierman, Muyang Cao, Julia Frankel, Chenyu Fu, Yi Gao, Sarah Gassel, Haley Gebauer, Lilyann Hames, Grace Hedenberg, Avery Holton, Rosie Johnson, Tre Kent, Abigail Klapatauskas, Cole Lemasters, Fanbo Liu, Fei Peng, Olivia Plangger, Charlotte Raley, Yasmeen Saadi, Anna Sago, Lorraina Scolaro, Savannah Sleevar, Wenjing Sun, Abigail Throndson, Margaret Turner, Giana Woodfolk, Benjamin Zweig
The School is honored to welcome Nischelle Turner, BJ ’98, as the alumni speaker. Turner is co-host of the nine-time Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine Entertainment Tonight. She joined the program as a correspondent in 2014 and became co-host in 2021. She has won eight Emmy Awards with the show, including the first-ever Daytime Personality-Daily Emmy in 2024, shared with the rest of the on-air team.
Turner is a trusted voice in both entertainment and political news and has appeared on CNN Newsroom, New Day, and CNN Tonight. She has also been part of coverage for major events like the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammys. Her journalism career began in sports, reporting for Fox NFL Sunday, as well as Major League Baseball and NBA coverage. She has also hosted Extra on Essence and worked as a freelance reporter and host for KNBC.
Amber Clay, a senior from Atlanta, Georgia, will present the “Thoughts of the Class” during the ceremony. Clay is earning a Bachelor of Journalism with an emphasis in Strategic Communication and a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management.
While at Mizzou, she held several leadership roles including PR and Treasurer for the Association of Women in Sports Media, Mentorship Chair for the National Association of Black Journalists, and was named a David Novak Leadership Institute Scholar. She is also a proud member of the Delta Tau chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. After graduation, she will move to Washington, D.C., to begin a career in public relations while pursuing her master’s degree in communications.
Aidan O’Connor, originally from the South Side of Chicago, will serve as the master of ceremonies. During his time at the Missouri School of Journalism, he worked in both news and sports at KOMU 8 and contributed to KCOU 88.1 and the KTGR ESPN Radio Network. Aidan thanks his friends, professors, and especially his family for their support throughout his time at Mizzou.
Updated: May 5, 2025