Spring 2024 commencement: What to know about the big day

Top U-M alums — one inspired seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady and another is an engineering innovation leader at Harley-Davidson — will share life lessons and insights with the nearly 1,200 Dearborn Wolverines in the Class of Spring 2024.

Commencement will take place Saturday, April 27 in the Fieldhouse. There will be three 90-minute ceremonies. The 9 a.m. ceremony is for College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and College of Business undergrads. The ceremony at 1 p.m. is for College of Education, Health, and Human Services and College of Engineering and Computer Science undergraduates. And the 5 p.m. ceremony is for all graduate and doctoral degree recipients.

Greg Harden, the keynote speaker for the undergraduate ceremonies, is the go-to guy for advice and motivation. In addition to Super Bowl champ Brady, he’s inspired Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard and 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps. Harden is a UM-Ann Arbor alum who retired from his U-M Athletics’ executive associate athletic director role in 2020.

Ashwini Balasubramanian, the general manager for Advanced Engineering at Harley-Davidson, will address the Class of 2024’s graduate students. At Harley-Davidson, Balasubramanian leads test and reliability engineering, core engineering, program management and innovation teams. Prior to this role, Balasubramanian — A UM-Dearborn Master of Science in mechanical engineering alum — spent 20 years in the automotive industry working for companies like Bosch, Toyota, ZF and Martinrea International. A certified sustainability excellence associate from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals, she is dedicated to corporate social governance.

Want to know more about the big day? Here are a few highlights and additional ceremony information.

Graduating class

The Class of Spring 2024 collectively earned 1,201 degrees. 

Top undergraduate major choices included pre-business, biological sciences, and health and human services. Across all undergrad majors, the Class of Spring 2024 had a 3.4 GPA and ranged in age from 19 to 74. On the graduate student side, more than 530 Dearborn Wolverines — their ages ranged from 22 to 57 — earned masters, specialist or doctoral degrees this semester.

Student speakers

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters student Wasey Rehman, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry, will speak at the 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. ceremonies. The 5 p.m. student speaker will be Dawood Al Nabhani, a College of Engineering and Computer Science graduate student, who is earning an M.S.E. in mechanical engineering and continuing on for his Ph.D..

Wasey Rehman is receiving a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry with minors in biology and anthropology and a comparative literature certificate. Rehman, a 2024 UM-Dearborn Difference Maker, completed his studies in three years.

Involved in Student Government, Rehman is the longest-serving senator in the current legislative session. Rehman, a member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, also was active in organizations that include the Pre-Professional Health Society, Biology Club, Public Health Society, RISE and Hyderabadi Student Association. He co-founded and led organization efforts for the “Michigan Medical School Series,” a four-part series that featured medical student panelists from five medical schools. An abstract highlighting the program has been accepted for poster presentation at the 2024 University of Michigan Medical School Diversity in Medicine Conference.

Graduate ceremony student speaker Dawood Al Nabhani received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering with dual majors in mechanical engineering and manufacturing engineering from UM-Dearborn and then returned to pursue his graduate studies.

As a graduate student, Al Nabhani was actively involved in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. He has served as a graduate student mentor as part of the Wolverine Mentor Collective and has participated in various leadership trainings, including Leadershape’s Thriving Catalyst at UM-Ann Arbor. Outside of academia, Al Nabhani gained valuable hands-on experience through internships and co-op programs, including positions at Sohar Aluminium in Oman and Fives Group Company in the U.S. These experiences equipped him with practical knowledge in maintenance planning, reliability engineering and project management. Al Nabhani plans to pursue advanced studies in engineering, with a particular interest in exploring solutions to enhance sustainability and environmental conservation efforts. 

Tickets

After registering for graduation, each graduate received tickets. For the 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. ceremonies, four tickets were given per grad. For the 5 p.m. ceremony, it’s three tickets. Graduates do not need a ticket for themselves. Children aged 2 and under who will sit on a lap do not need a ticket. The ticket pick-up deadline was April 5. If you have questions about tickets, reach out to University Union and Events Director Kris Day.

So how does someone get more tickets if they have a big family or large friend group? Students received an email on April 8 regarding instructions for additional ticket availability.

Home viewing

Even if a graduate didn’t get tickets for everyone, there’s still a way for your family and friends to see them graduate. No matter where in the world they may be, their support squad can watch the ceremonies online.

The three events will stream on Facebook Live through the university Facebook account and on UM-Dearborn’s YouTube account. Links will be shared on the UM-Dearborn homepage on April 27.

Get additional information at the Spring 2024 commencement website.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury