Bellarmine is once again celebrating the countless successes of its graduating class with a host of events, activities and commencement ceremonies.
The university plans to award 920 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees on May 13 at Freedom Hall.
Our Great Grads represent a cross-section of the many accomplishments, backgrounds, majors, stories and interests of our diverse student body. We wish them—and the entire Class of 2023—the very best.
Sarah Barry
Major(s)/minor(s): Vocal Performance major, Psychology minor
Student Involvement: BU Catholic, Campus Ministry Chapel Music, Bellarmine Music Ambassadors, Bellarmine Alternative Spring Break, Music Department Choirs; will sing the national anthem at the undergraduate commencement ceremony
Internships or work experience: Dramaturg for Lexington, Kentucky, production of Children of a Lesser God; Kentucky Opera Chorus, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville Cantor, Student Director of Chapel Music
What are your plans after you graduate? I plan to pursue a career in music, whether in performance, teaching or a combination.
Why Bellarmine? I chose Bellarmine because of the community. From the minute I stepped on campus and met my future professors, I knew I could succeed here. Bellarmine has continuously shown me that I am worthy of success and a unique individual
with the skills to encounter the world in a positive way. I am grateful to Bellarmine for the opportunities I have been shown and encouraged to pursue! I believe I am a greater student, performer, and human for it.
Grahm Turner
Major(s)/minor(s): Business Administration and Marketing major, Early Entry MBA
Student Involvement: Intramurals, Club Sports, Women’s Basketball Practice Team, Investment Club, Entrepreneurship Club, Bellarmine Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Internships or work experience: Intern at the Ohio Valley Conference and the Jefferson County Republican Party
What are your plans after you graduate? I plan to pursue a career in management, most likely starting in the sales category to go along with my Marketing major.
What did you like best about your field of study? My favorite part about my field of study is the people involved. The professors are excellent and always make me feel as though I can go to them with any problem I have, and my fellow students are
always happy to work together to excel in our field. Along with this, the people involved provide many great connections. The program prepared me to succeed not only in my field but also in my life, no matter what I do or the challenges I may face.
Liv Jones
Major(s)/minor(s): Political Science major, Business Administration minor
Student Involvement: Bellarmine Activities Council, Phi Mu, Bellarmine University Dance Marathon, Alternative Spring Break, WOW (Week of Welcome), Best Buddies and the Political Science Honor Society
Internships or work experience: Public Policy intern and Mitzvah Circle Foundation
What are your plans after you graduate? Pursuing a Master of Public Affairs at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in Fall 2023.
Why Bellarmine? Bellarmine offered me a holistic educational experience that allowed me to grow individually, academically and professionally in a safe and accepting community of students, faculty and staff. I am a completely different person than
I was before coming to Bellarmine. I have created a new home, made unforgettable memories, pursued my future career goals and had lots of fun along the way!
Tommy Pack
Major(s)/minor(s): Business Administration and Psychology major, French minor
Student Involvement: Student Government, Club Basketball and the Bellarmine Society
Internships or work experience: Non-profit intern at the Louisville Nature Center, Financial Institutions intern with the FDIC, instructor at the Bluegrass Center for Autism
What did you like best about your field of study? I really enjoyed the practical knowledge that the Business School has given me, as I feel like I can use a lot of what I've learned in the future. For the Psychology and French departments,
the faculty is what’s been the best. They're both filled with passionate people who are great at what they do. All of these programs have prepared me to succeed.
Greta Reel
Major(s)/minor(s): Communication major. I’m also in Bellarmine’s early-entry graduate program and am working on my Master of Arts in Communication.
Student Involvement: BUKnighted board and Community Outreach Coordinator, Students Beyond Barriers, Compassio Learning Community and the Bellarmine College Democrats; also mentored first-year students with disabilities as part of Bellarmine’s
Access BU program
Internships or work experience: Marketing and fundraising intern at the Heuser Hearing Institute
What are your plans after you graduate? I would love to be a communication professor. I love the subject, and I want to have the same positive impact on students that my professors, particularly Dr. Lara Needham and Dr. Maggie Rossman, have had
on me.
Why Bellarmine? When I toured Bellarmine, I was blown away by how welcoming everyone was and how everyone at Bellarmine genuinely wants students to succeed. I also liked Bellarmine’s Communication Department and the early-entry graduate program.
Additionally, as a student with disabilities, it was especially important that my college campus would be accessible and have disability services that could support my needs. Bellarmine met all the criteria, and I genuinely loved the small-school
environment.
Spencer Brandenburg
Major(s)/minor(s): Biology, Neuroscience and Psychology majors, Biochemistry minor
Student Involvement: Resident Assistant, Bellarmine Society
Internships or work experience: Factory line worker at GEA Appliance Park; medical scribe for Norton (Downtown, Audubon, Brownsboro), Baptist Health Hardin and Norton Pain Management
What are your plans after you graduate? I was accepted into the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where I will pursue my MD.
What made your student experience unique? What I find to be unique about my Bellarmine experience was the support I received from every level of personnel, from students to faculty, as I pursued a career in medicine. I was always offered support
and guidance whenever needed, and I had every opportunity to partake in many experiences that contributed to my academic development and holistic development as a person and leader. I could not recommend this institution more to pursue a holistic
undergraduate education!
Cayden Hambrick
Major(s)/minor(s): Radiation Therapy major
Student Involvement: WoW (Week of Welcome), KnightU, Ambassadors, Residence Hall Association, Bellarmine Influencers, SuRF employee, Intramural Sports referee, Senior Resident Assistant
Internships or work experience: SuRF employee; 800+ hours of clinical time in Radiation Therapy departments
What are your plans after you graduate? I plan to be a radiation therapist.
Why Bellarmine? I chose Bellarmine because I felt like I belonged from the very beginning. I knew that coming to Bellarmine would allow me to have a unique and challenging college experience that would fully prepare me for my future career. My
time at Bellarmine has been filled with opportunities, leadership and growth. I am very excited about my future, but I am not looking forward to leaving Bellarmine in my past. I am so grateful for my time here and the person Bellarmine has helped
me become.
Mary Brinker
Major(s)/minor(s): Nursing major
Student Involvement: Student worker at the Office of Health Services, member of Bellarmine Association of Nursing Students
Internships or work experience: Office of Health Services
What are your plans after you graduate? I have accepted a position in a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at St. Elizabeth Grant Hospital in my hometown of Williamstown, Kentucky.
Why Bellarmine? I was told great things about Bellarmine by alumni: The campus was beautiful, and the experience they gained here was something they couldn’t find elsewhere. I was determined that this was the school where I wanted to get
my degree. The reputation Bellarmine students have was something I wanted to carry with me as well. I’m so grateful for the friendships and the connections I made. I have grown into a whole new person being here, and it is all thanks to the
amazing leaders/professors I have had here at Bellarmine.
Shelby Chatterton
Major(s)/minor(s): Neuroscience and Psychology double major
Student Involvement: Alternative Spring Break
Internships or work experience: Youth Summer Intern at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Washington
What are your plans after you graduate? I plan to pursue a career in research, specifically concerning behavioral neuroscience or biological psychology.
Why Bellarmine? I really appreciated the dedication to service on this campus. I saw it firsthand during my time with Alternative Spring Break, but there are so many organizations on campus who are working to better their community, whether that
be campus, Louisville or other communities. That is one of the things that makes me proudest to be a Bellarmine Knight.
Laura Sackie
Major(s)/minor(s): Biology major on a pre-med track with a Biochemistry minor
Activities involved with at BU: Academic Peer Coach, Multicultural Association of Pre-health Students, Premed Society, African Student Association, Bellarmine Christian Fellowship
What career do you plan to pursue? I plan to become a doctor specializing in cardiology.
What did you like best about your field of study? I really enjoyed activities that allowed me to put into practice what I’ve learned. Being able to do ovarian cancer research with an amazing advisor like Dr. Mary Huff, who always reminds
me of the beauty and importance of what we do, made me appreciate my degree a lot more. Other activities I adored were getting to shadow at the U of L emergency room, volunteering at the Norton Audubon joint care unit, and having the amazing opportunity
to take an undergraduate gross anatomy course.
Ashley Miles
Major(s)/minor(s): Vocal Performance
Activities involved with at BU: Students for Life
Internships or work experience: Internship at LaLa Land Music Studio; student worker at the SuRF
What career do you plan to pursue? A career in music and ministry.
What makes your student experience unique? I have transferred three times, and Bellarmine is my fourth school. I was really nervous about transferring for a third time, but coming to Bellarmine was the best decision I ever made!
Ava Vanderkolff
Major(s)/minor(s):
Elementary Education and Learning and Behavior Disorders
Activities involved with at BU: President of Educators Rising and Kappa Delta Pi, Theatre
Internships or work experience: Work study at the School of Education, Student Teaching with Jefferson County Public Schools
What career do you plan to pursue? I plan to start teaching at an elementary school in Louisville in the fall of 2023.
What did you like best about your field of study? I loved getting to spend so many days in classrooms, working with students while bettering my professional self. The professors in the School of Education are the most hardworking and caring
educators I have known, and the opportunity to learn from them has helped inspire me to become a better teacher.
Did you feel like your program prepared you to succeed in your field? Absolutely! I feel ready and excited to teach in the fall. My experiences during my junior practicum, student teaching, and in-class opportunities have helped me feel prepared
to make a positive impact in education.