Purdue University Northwest graduated over 850 candidates at the university’s 2025 commencement May 10.
PNW alumnus Joe Dudy, president and CEO of Wilson Sporting Goods, served as keynote speaker at PNW’s commencement.
Dudy, a first-generation college graduate, emphasized three lessons for the graduates: write your own story, embrace change and do the hard work. Dudy used his personal journey as an example, from graduating as a double major in accounting and finance and starting an entry level accounting role with Wilson to rising to the role of president and CEO.
“You build confidence through commitment to the process and continuous growth,” Dudy told graduates. “You need to believe in yourself and remove false limits. The worst critic can be ourselves. Pull from your experiences knowing you can unlock your full potential if you fully commit to the process.”
Dudy also remembered the challenges that came with that process, from workforce downsizing to moving across the country.
“The most successful people that I see know how to accept change, adapt and grow,” he said. “My biggest opportunities were disguised as unwelcome change. You have been building your change muscle every semester as you navigated new classes, new professors and new challenges. Keep building the change muscle. It will serve you well.”
PNW recognized 648 candidates earning their bachelor’s degrees and 203 earning their master’s degrees.
Nine students received a Chancellor Medallion for earning the highest grade point average in PNW’s five academic colleges during the spring 2025 semester.
The medallion recipients include:
- Shannon Downs, Griffith, Indiana
- Daphne Pistello, Dyer, Indiana
- Daniel Chimitt, Crown Point, Indiana
- Josiah Kuypers, Crown Point, Indiana
- Chloee Ross, Valparaiso, Indiana
- Aleece Spasevski, Schererville, Indiana
- Marcy Petri, Michigan City, Indiana
- Jennifer Campuzano, Lansing, Illinois
- Justin Morris, Valparaiso, Indiana
Student speaker Felipe Oria received his bachelor’s degree in nursing during the ceremony. Oria emphasized the connections among students that helped them persist to earn their degrees and will carry them into the future as a community of changemakers.
“Whether you studied business or biology, education or engineering, every one of you pushed forward with courage and grit. …We all care about justice, discovery, healing, equity and opportunity,” Oria said. “And if we choose to act together, across disciplines, across borders, across lives, there is no challenge we cannot meet.”
