James Madison College will celebrate Class of 2025 graduates at its spring commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 3, in the Wharton Center.
Lisa Cook, member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and JMC professor, will address graduates as the college's commencement speaker. Katie Heeder (SRP ’25) will be JMC’s student speaker.
This spring, 181 students whose primary major is within JMC will graduate from MSU. Of those graduates, 15% are part of the Honors College and 14% are first-generation college students. One-third will graduate with an additional major. More than 40 different minors across MSU are represented in the Class of 2025.
Rani Asava
Major: Social Relations & Policy
My JMC Highlight: A highlight from my time at JMC was my legislative internship at the Michigan State Senate. This position opened many opportunities for me, allowing me to develop my professionalism and prepared me for a career in public policy.
Amaya Aten
Major: Social Relations & Policy
Minor: Political Economy
My JMC Highlight: "I got the privilege to live and work abroad in Dublin, Ireland, for a non-profit called the Irish Network Against Racism. Due to the fantastic resources at JMC, I now have published journalistic contributions on an international stage for both the European Commission and Irish Policing Authority."
Cara Mack
Majors: International Relations, Journalism
Minor: French
My JMC Highlight: "One of the highlights of my time at JMC was my senior seminar with Professor Aronoff last semester. It was one of the most engaging and thought-provoking classes I’ve taken—I learned more new information than ever before. I especially appreciated the discussion-based format and smaller class size, which fostered deeper conversations, diverse perspectives, and stronger connections with my classmates."
Maddie Pugliano
Major: Comparative Cultures & Politics, Human Development & Family Studies
My JMC Highlight: One of my biggest highlights at JMC was studying global development in South India, where I got to learn through hands-on experiences, site visits, and collaboration with students from different majors.
Liam Richichi
Major: Political Theory & Constitutional Democracy
Minor: Organizational Leadership and Business
My JMC Highlight: Getting elected as President of the MSU Democratic Club, where we grew to become the largest college Democratic club in the nation with over 400 members. Getting to meet, connect, and have direct positive impacts on the lives of so many amazing folks from JMC and the university at large was one of the most fulfilling experiences as a student at MSU. Through our efforts, we were honored to be the RSO sponsor and primary student organizers of the Harris for President Rally on campus back in November of 2024.