School of Nursing 2025 Commencement Ceremony
May 28, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
We are excited to celebrate your achievements at the School of Nursing's 2025 commencement!
Keynote Speaker
We are pleased to announce that Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, will deliver the evening's keynote address. Guilamo-Ramos is Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Solutions and Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. He is founding Director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health.
Widely regarded as an expert, scholar and leader in social determinants of health and developing, evaluating and translating family-based adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health interventions, Guilamo-Ramos’ research has been funded externally for two decades by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, and various federal agencies. His research focuses on the role of families in promoting adolescent and young adult health among Latinos and in additional underserved communities, with a special focus on preventing HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, and improving care outcomes for youth receiving HIV prevention and care services. He has published extensively in leading scientific journals, and his scholarship has led to coverage in well-known media sources such as CNN, The New York Times, NPR, and The Washington Post.
Prior to his appointment as Executive Director in January 2024, Guilamo-Ramos was the dean and vice chancellor for nursing affairs at Duke University School of Nursing. In addition, he has held tenured faculty appointments at New York University (NYU) and Columbia University prior to joining NYU. He served as co-chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and was a member of the ad hoc NASEM Committee on Unequal Treatment Revisited: The Current State of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare. Currently, Guilamo-Ramos serves on the Board of UnidosUS, the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the nation.
Class Speakers
Remarks will also be presented by your class speakers (pictured from left to right:)
- Chad Batchelor, Master of Science speaker
- Celestine Ofori-Parku, PhD speaker
- Daniel Ramberger, DNP speaker
Class Marshals
We will honor the following class marshals (pictured from left to right:)
- Ifeyinwa Asiodu, PhD class marshal
- Elena Capella, DNP class marshal
- Lisa Mihaly, Master of Science class marshal
Commencement FAQs
Will graduating students and their guests need tickets to attend the ceremony?
Tickets are not required for graduating students. All guests will need to have a ticket - in paper or digital form - to enter Davies Symphony Hall.
Each graduate attending commencement will be assigned 12 guest tickets through Eventbrite. To receive your tickets, you must first complete the Commencement Participation Questionnaire on the Graduation Hub CLE.
One of the fields on the questionnaire is "Please provide the email address associated with your Eventbrite account."
- If you already have an Eventbrite account, provide the email address associated with the account.
- If you do not have an Eventbrite account, please create an account using your preferred email address. Then, list that email address in the questionnaire.
Please allow up to three business days after you submit the questionnaire for us to manually assign your tickets to your Eventbrite account.
To help the event run smoothly, please share tickets with your guests prior to the day of commencement. You can either print the ticket and give the hardcopy to your guest, or assign your guest a digital ticket via your Eventbrite account. View instructions for assigning tickets to guests via your Eventbrite account.
Is there a way to either give or request extra guest tickets?
This year, we are excited to launch a new ticket exchange forum to help graduating students easily give and request extra tickets. Access the forum on the "ticket exchange" discussion topic on the Graduation Hub CLE.
Please note that all tickets are free of charge. The selling of tickets is not allowed and anyone found charging for tickets will have all of their guest tickets cancelled.
How was the venue selected?
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, home of the San Francisco Symphony, is renowned for its elegant design and visually appealing interior and exterior. With over 2,743 seats, the hall provides the School of Nursing a beautiful setting for this celebratory event and ample room for guests. The hall is centrally located in San Francisco and is easily accessed by public transportation and multiple parking lots. The event will be held in the evening to accommodate guests and graduating students that may need to work during the day. The Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco is located just steps away from the venue. It boasts a variety of delicious restaurants where graduating students and their guests can grab a bite to eat before or after the ceremony.
How long is the ceremony?
The commencement ceremony is typically 90 minutes or less. We ask graduating students to arrive at the venue one hour before the ceremony for staging and preparation. Please plan to be at the venue from 6:30-9 p.m.
I received a notice from the UCSF Graduate Division about another commencement ceremony in May. Do I need to attend that event, too?
Most School of Nursing graduates attend only the School of Nursing commencement ceremony on May 28. The students that typically participate in the UCSF Graduate Division commencement ceremony are graduates from master's programs outside of the School of Nursing.
Will the commencement ceremony be livestreamed?
Yes. The commencement ceremony will be livestreamed on this webpage.
Who is eligible to participate in this commencement ceremony?
UCSF School of Nursing students who graduated between fall 2024 and summer 2025 are eligible to participate in this commencement ceremony.
Can balloons, signs, food or large bags be brought inside Davies Symphony Hall?
Please review the following rules for events held in Davies Symphony Hall:
- Helium balloons, confetti and glitter are not permitted inside Davies Symphony Hall.
- No food or uncovered drinks are allowed, but water bottles are permitted.
- No flash photography or selfie sticks are permitted.
- Strollers and walkers are not permitted in the aisles. These items will be stored during the program and available for pick up at the end of the event.
- Bags larger than 14"x14"x6" must be checked.
- Celebratory signs will only be allowed when your graduate crosses the stage. Please be mindful of those around you and ensure you are not blocking other guests' views.
I will be bringing an infant to commencement. Is there additional guidance I should keep in mind?
If you are bringing an infant to commencement and the infant is in a carrier, stroller or "in arms" when they arrive, they are not required to have a guest ticket. Infants must be held by a guardian during the ceremony. The guardian will need to have a ticket to enter the venue. Please note, no babies or children are allowed on the commencement stage.
Parking and Public Transportation
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall is located at 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102.
Parking - The following parking lots are located near Davies Symphony Hall:
- Performing Arts Garage: 360 Grove St.; 600 spaces; enter on Grove and Gough; M-F: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.; More information
- Civic Center Plaza Garage: 355 McAllister St.; 843 spaces; enter on McAllister; M-F: 6 a.m.-10 p.m.; More information
- California Parking: corner of Hickory and Franklin; 28 spaces; enter on Hickory or Franklin
- Place 2 Park: corner of Oak and Franklin; 45 spaces; enter on Franklin
- Douglas Parking: Polk and Fell; 50 spaces; enter on Polk
- Place 2 Park: Polk and Hayes; enter on Polk or Hayes
- Central Parking System: Polk and Hayes; 90 spaces; enter on Hayes
- Opera Plaza (Valet Parking): 601 Van Ness Avenue between Golden Gate and Turk; 150 spaces; enter on Golden Gate or Turk
- Place 2 Park on Golden Gate: between Gough and Franklin; 52 spaces; enter on Golden Gate
Public Transportation - Public Transportation and trip planning for the entire San Francisco Bay Area can be found online at 511.org or by dialing 511.
- Muni lines serving Davies Symphony Hall include bus lines 14 and 800. Other lines, including the underground Muni Metro and the F streetcar line, stop at Market Street and Van Ness Avenue, within walking distance of Herbst Theatre. For up-to-date route and schedule information, contact Muni at (415) 701-2311 or dial 311 within San Francisco.
- Uber and Lyft are also great options.
- BART lines serve the nearby Civic Center station and Market and Eighth streets. For schedule information, please contact BART at (415) 989-2278.
Civic Center Ambassadors
Civic Center Ambassadors wearing orange jackets will lead a walking group to the Civic Center BART and MUNI station and the Civic Center Garage. Ambassadors will be outside of the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall box office on Grove St. holding signs. Walking groups leave 15 minutes after the conclusion of the event.
Diplomas
Visit the UCSF Registrar's website for details about receiving your diploma or certificate.