Join us as the University of Washington
celebrates its 150th Commencement

Husky Stadium • June 14 • Doors open at 12pm • Ceremony starts at 1:30pm

Congratulations to the Class of 2025, the University of Washington’s 150^th graduating class!

It took the University 15 years to produce its first graduate, Clara McCarty, after whom McCarty Hall is named. Those years were challenging, to say the least. Seattle was a sawmill village of dirt paths and barely 200 people. The territorial superintendent of public instruction was against the establishment of a University and it was questionable whether there was a single person in the region prepared to do college level work. The University closed three times, in 1863, 1867 and 1876, the year Ms. McCarty graduated.

In other words, the UW’s first graduate might well have been its last. But its founders, Arthur Denny, Rev. Daniel Bagley, first president Asa Mercer, and many others, believed in their vision and built a magnificent University where none, by any “reasonable” measure, should have existed. They were remarkable individuals. Among their many gifts was a lesson in perseverance.

On June 14, we will celebrate this year’s graduates, as we honor the legacy of the Clara McCarty and the northwest pioneers who changed the course of history nearly 175 years ago.  Congratulations to the Class of 2025!  You are proof that the dreams of our founders live on.  We can’t wait to see what you will do.