Watch NOVA's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony
With sheer joy on Sunday, May 12, nearly 1,600 NOVA students proudly graduated at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena, where they walked across the stage to cheers and applause from more than 7,000 friends, family members and supporters. Throughout the 2023–24 academic year, approximately 6,200 students earned degrees or certificates. The Class of 2024’s commencement theme, “Inspiring Excellence and Empowering Our Future,” perfectly captured the spirit of NOVA’s 58th commencement ceremony.
Catherine Ercilla
Catherine Ercilla graduated from NOVA as a NOVA SEAL Award winner this spring and as an awardee of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Recipients of this prestigious scholarship are awarded up to $55,000 for two or three years to complete their bachelor’s degree.
Judy Marouf
Judy Marouf is a new NOVA graduate with two degrees: an A.S. in computer science and another in business administration. She plans to continue her academic journey this fall at a four-year university in the DC area. In addition to being a 2023–24 NOVA SEAL Award winner, Judy is a recipient of the 2024 NOVA Loser-Savkar Science PaTHS Scholarship, and one of two NOVA students awarded the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke (JKC) Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship this year.
Ayma Syeda
Ayma Syeda’s journey shows us what’s possible with determination, resilience and a positive mindset. Ayma held onto her dreams even though life sent her on a seemingly unending detour.
Nour Alamiri
Nour Alamiri transitioned from a pre-med focus to anthropology and bioethics before rediscovering her passion for nursing. Just days before graduation, she attended the nursing pinning ceremony at the Medical Education Campus, where she was also the speaker for the graduating nursing class.
Tariq Aldalou
Tariq Aldalou, along with his mother and sister, fled Syria’s civil war for safety in Lebanon. As refugees, they were hoping for visas to the United States.
Emma Howard
Emma Howard is a second-generation Nighthawk. In her final semester at NOVA, she was a content contributor for NOVA's Communications team. Get a taste of her work in the article, Meet the Grads: Juthi Seyda, Proud Bangladeshi student of the CCI Program. Now, this ADVANCE student's next stop, after graduating from NOVA on May 12, is George Mason University.
Watch the video that Juthi created on Emma's NOVA experience:
Juthi Seyda
Juthi Seyda, a Community College Initiative (CCI) student from Bangladesh, graduated on May 12 with a Career Studies Certificate in web design and development.
During her time at NOVA, served as a Media Intern for NOVA’s Communications team and worked at NOVA’s Advising Center, supporting her fellow Nighthawks. Back in Bangladesh, Juthi aims to collaborate with the Ministry of Education to implement transformative educational projects.
Watch the video that Emma created to highlight Juthi's thoughts on graduating: