MANSFIELD — The Ohio State University at Mansfield celebrated a new chapter for dozens of students Thursday evening during a joyful celebration program in Founders Auditorium. Mansfield students received Associate degrees and Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees, as part of Ohio State’s 154th overall commencement season.

The May 1 celebration was marked by pride, resilience and the promise of new beginnings as family, friends, faculty and staff gathered to cheer on the Class of 2025. The program was followed by a dessert reception, giving attendees a chance to mingle, reflect and snap never-forget photos.

“To everything there is a season”

Jason Opal, dean and director of Ohio State Mansfield, opened the ceremony with reflections on the deeper meaning of graduation, likening it to the turning of seasons.

“You have just completed one season of life,” Opal said. “In that season, you were able to study and reflect and explore rather than just to react. You were able to prepare, to consider, to try out new versions of your futures and yourselves.”

With his remarks echoing sentiments from ancient Hebrew texts to the university’s own alma mater, Opal encouraged graduates to carry forward the lessons of this season as they enter the next.

“The word ‘season’ reminds us both of patience and perspective,” he continued, “but also the importance of making the most of the time that we are given.”

As he closed, Opal invited graduates to treat their time at Ohio State Mansfield as a foundational memory — “a source of comfort and inspiration, of strength and guidance as you go forth into the great wide world.”

“Persistence always overcomes resistance”

Ontario Mayor Kris Knapp delivered an address filled with personal stories, humor and heartfelt advice that he hoped the graduates would take with them.

“Thirty-seven years ago, I sat exactly where you are now,” said Knapp, a lifelong Ontario resident who spent over three decades as a teacher and athletic trainer before stepping into local government. “I was the first of my brothers to earn a degree, and boy, did I let them know.”

Knapp recounted the early struggles of his marriage, including a house fire that destroyed their belongings but not their resolve.

“My wife’s grandfather told us, ‘You may have lost all your possessions, but no one can take away your education,’” Knapp said. “That lesson has stayed with me ever since.”

He reminded students that success often comes not in grand moments, but in the steady accumulation of small choices and consistent effort.

“A strong businessman once told me, ‘Persistence always overcomes resistance,’” Knapp said. “That became a light for me.”

In his trademark humor, he shared that three of the Ontario City Council members he now works with were once his students.

“I’m just glad I treated them with respect, because they’re my boss now,” he joked.

Above all, Knapp urged students to embrace their futures with humility and hope.

“You don’t have to do anything,” he said. “You get to. You get to learn. You get to grow. You get to lead. You get to live a life that matters.”

“We know this was not easy”

Bertha Bishop, of B.L. Bishop Photography, captured moments with a camera for proud families to cherish. QR codes were provided so loved ones could later order official graduation photos, a small but meaningful gesture that underscored the university’s attention to community and celebration.

A dessert-fueled future

Following the formal ceremony, students and families gathered outside the auditorium for a dessert reception — part celebration, part exhale.

Tables filled with cookies, pastries and beverages set a sweet tone for graduates to snap selfies in their caps and gowns, hug their professors and reunite with peers who became lifelong friends. Now it’s on to the next chapter. 

For example, Sophia Wood, an English major, graduates debt-free and will start as a paralegal just one day after commencement.

Engineering Technology students Sam Ratvasky and Alec Vanderbilt became standout ambassadors for their program, representing it both locally and abroad and will use what they learned at OSU Mansfield at the next level. 

Darian Crews returned to school after working as a CNA and coach, overcoming learning challenges to earn her degree in Primary Education. 

Several students lingered, reluctant to leave the moment behind just yet. For many, Ohio State Mansfield wasn’t just a stop on their academic journey — it was a place where their future began to take shape.

As Dean Opal eloquently put it, “The seasons pass, the years will roll, and may this season always be one you look back on with pride.”

Congratulations to the Ohio State University Mansfield Class of 2025. Your season has arrived — and your next one begins now.

B.S. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Connor Coile
Carmen Giess
Grant Hiatt
Konner Moore

B.S. CRIMINOLOGY
Drew Krassow

B.S. EDUCATION
Child and Youth Studies
Dylan Goff

Middle Childhood Education
Sydney Eyerly
Noelle Ferguson
Nathan Fliger
Lauren McCarron

Primary Education
Lydia Ackerman
Kayden Caudill
Darian Crews
Cassidy Dillon
Ariel Estep
Natalie Ewing
Alysa Frcka
Alivia Fulton
Michelle Gingrich
Jamie Grover
Leah Gundrum
Haylie Hamons
Olivia Hellinger
Mackenzie Martin
Lilly Nixon
Baeleigh Powers
Julia Roderick
Elizabeth Wichterman

B.S. ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
Cody Boebel
Zach Carroll
Blair McClenathan
Sam Ratvasky

B.A. ENGLISH
Michelle Coleman
Mayson Mullins
Sophia Wood

B.A. HISTORY
Steven Lepard
Natalie Littlefield
Kalie Maniaci
Zander Perrigan

B.S. SOCIAL WORK
Marley Adams
Catherine Cervantez
Cailynn Cistrunk
Makenzie Fields
Tena Gikas
Emma Karst
Courtney Kelly
Mariah Moore
Alexis Ohm
Hailey Rose
Allison Ross
Izabella Smith
Cheyanna Straight
Kari West

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE

Maya Abubakr
Becky Alex
Michelle Alvarado
Logan Aman
Brian Baker
Hannah Ball
Tania Bartell
Blaine Bowman
Brady Browne
Kayla Bynum
Mitchell Carnahan
Valeria Carrasco
Zachary Carroll
Saejin Chong
PaigeCollene
Xander Cooper
Taylor Cottrill
Christina Cox
Atley Crabaugh
Darian Crews
Edgar Cruz
Ryan Culler
Megan Davidson
Alaina Davis
Caleb Daw
Sabrina Dawson
Carmella DeMarco
Emma Drexel
Mason Edelman
Mollie Eith
Olivia Fearon
Jaylah Fellows
Lillian Ferguson
Payton Fichter
Jaron Filliater
Gavin Foltz
Alysa Frcka
Parker Fry
Elliot Geissman
Tena Gikas
Dylan Goff
Owan Gongwer
Lillian Grace
Logan Greathouse
Sara Green-O’Brien
Lindsay Gregg
Sharie Guilliams
Leah Gundrum
Leah Hall
McKenna Hamilton
Rudy Hartwig
Victoria Harvey
Clara Hecker
Olivia Hellinger
Nicole Hinton
Jon Hundsza
Gabriella Johnson
Jannelle Kelly
Myles King
Kayla Klautsch
Lane LaFleme
Chloe Lewis
Kathryn Lindenberger
McKayla Medley
Kinzie Messmer
Justin Miller
Sophia Miranda
Ryan Moy
Carson Neal
Makena Northcutt
Ashleigh Parsons
Isabella Parsons
Emma Payment
Trinity Potts
Brooklyn Price
Isabella Rice
Camden Richey
Reid Richter
Alayna Rickly
Justin Rivera
Dariya Rogers
Morgan Rosipko
Brock Rowe
Mikayla Russ
Emman Russell
Kassie Salts
Mark Schroeder
Alexis Shaver
Joshua Sickmiller
Brian Smith
Chandler Spognardi
Simon Stefancin
Debra Todd
Ben Tousey
Joey Wang
Sam White
Tajanae Whitlow
Lillian Wortman
Aaron Zarbavel
Briana Zeger
William Zhang