Class of 2024

Congratulations to the College of Art and Design's newest graduates! As the Class of 2024 gets set to make its creative mark on the world, we celebrate its ingenuity and countless accomplishments.

Animation by Priscilla Nascimento '24 (3D digital design)

550

Total degrees to be conferred in 2024 across the College of Art and Design

List of graduates

400+

Number of undergraduate candidates

100+

Number of graduate candidates

Congratulations to the Class of 2024! I am so proud of your growth and resilience during your time here at RIT! When you first started your college journey, you had to navigate your way through a time of great uncertainty as the world battled a pandemic.

You faced the unexpected head-on and created personal and professional connections, celebrated successes and milestones, and hopefully made memories that will last a lifetime. I am always amazed to learn about how our alumni are out in the world making an impact! And you are officially joining the ranks of our incredible College of Art and Design alumni. I look forward to what is next for all of you. Go Tigers!

Todd Jokl
Dean
College of Art and Design

Gallery

Photos of the Convocation and Commencement ceremonies (hover over image for credit)

A student raises their arms high in the air.

Students smile during the commencement ceremony.

Patricia Moore '74 receives an honorary doctorate on stage.

Todd Jokl speaks at the podium during commencement.

Tom Gasek carries the mace for commencement.

A group of students celebrate during the commencement ceremony.

Diane Catsburrow Linnet speaks at the podium.

Lara Goulart take a photo with her phone.

Luvon Sheppard stands up as he is honored.

A student shakes a photo professor's hand.

Piper Charron stands up as they are honored.

Dean Todd Jokl shakes the hand of a student.

Students celebrate outside after commencement.

A student hugs a family member after commencement.

A group of five students have their photo taken after commencement.

Delegates

Sophia Scaravillo (undergraduate)

Sophia is graduating with a BFA in photographic imaging arts with a concentration in advertising photography. A photographer and production designer, their passion for photography became a way of exploration of how they process themself and the world around them. Sophia was given the honor of co-producing the Vignelli Center for Design Studies' Beyond Fashion show at RIT, gaining valuable industry experience. They have been brought on as a production designer on multiple films, notably the award-winning short film, Pyggie, that has entered the international film circuit.

Diane Catsburrow Linnet (graduate)

Diane will be graduating with an MFA in film and animation with a concentration in 2D animation. She earned her BA in studio art at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. A storyteller, filmmaker, and animator, she strives to tell stories about people. She has worked as an animation intern at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, and as a contract animator for Cartuna in Brooklyn. At RIT, Diane wears many hats: she is the producer of AniMAGIC, where she manages student productions of client projects, a graduate teaching assistant to classes and workshops, and was a concept artist for the multi-year game development project, That Damn Goat. Her most recent film production Tadpole — an immersive animated short — took her to film festivals in the UK and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. In her non-spare time, she enjoys journaling these vibrant adventures in her biweekly Instagram cartoons.

Keynote Speaker

Alumna and prominent designer Patricia Moore '74 was RIT’s 2024 Academic Convocation and College of Art and Design Commencement keynote speaker! She also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Profiles

An ad design of a royal character next to a bottle of perfume.

Kyra Allen (advertising photography) and Char Miller (graphic design)

Blending photography and design

Dylan Bennish (electrical engineering)

Making a screen-printing breakthrough

Jackie Drozd and Bari Hayden laugh as they get their portrait taken.

Jackie Drozd (graphic design and illustration) and Bari Hayden (graphic design)

Serendipity and creativity: Destined for RIT

A diptych of Quinn Freidenburg singing, next to a photo of space.

Quinn Freidenburg (photojournalism)

Rocking and rolling: RIT's renaissance man

A collage of typographic projects by RIT faculty and students.

Honey Gardharia, Phoebe Huey and Ipek Koprululu (visual communication design)

Receiving international recognition

Amanda Giglia accepts an award on stage.

Amanda Giglia (visual arts-all grades)

Making her mark

Emma Herz Thakur (ceramics and illustration)

Creating connections between art and history

Nathan Irving (motion picture science)

Forging a path in creative technology

Saige Kanik (animation)

Preserving the legacy of RIT stop-motion animation

Kat Kauffman leads an artist demo in Bevier Gallery.

Kat Kauffman (fine arts studio)

Contemplating 'music as medicine'

Athena Lemon (School of Individualized Study)

Celebrating Black history through old family photos

Diane Catsburrow Linnet in front of a SXSW backdrop.

Diane Catsburrow Linnet (film and animation)

Taking film festivals by storm

A 3D design representing NASA's Psyche mission.

Paige Manley (3D digital design)

Using art to aid a NASA mission

Spider Martins leads a performance in the glass hot shop.

Spider Martins (glass)

Challenging stereotypes through art

Emma McCarthy stands in front of a mural she made in the Booth Hall elevator.

Emma McCarthy (illustration)

Bringing whimsy and beauty to Booth Hall

Timelapse of the mural creation

Connect

A student donning regalia at a commencement ceremony.

Get Social

Share your decorated caps and commencement moments on social using #RITartdesigngrad and #RITgrad

Tiger Wisdom

Alumni share their words of encouragement for RIT's newest graduates

View messages

A student takes a selfie with faculty Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez

Picture Perfect

Capture the excitement of graduation by taking photos at hand-picked campus locations

See all

Spring Exhibitions

Each spring, RIT's galleries and other locations showcase thesis and capstone work by graduating students across the College of Art and Design's wide portfolio of undergraduate and graduate programs. Below is a collection of highlights from some of the exhibitions and screenings! *Hover over an image for photo credit.*

Gallery visitors look at a table display of photography.

A gallery visitor looks at paintings on a wall.

Gallery visitors take part in a tactile exhibt.

Faculty and a student stand back to back next to a photo installation.

People stand beneath a photo installation in a gallery.

Faculty and a student pose for photos while holding flowers.

Imagine RIT visitors take in the illustration senior portfolio showcase.

Gallery visitors look at a wall of photographs of architecture.

A wood lamp in the foreground, with gallery visitors checking out artwork behind it.

An overhead view of a gallery with ceramic pieces hanging on a wall.

Gallery visitors interact with an installation.

A gallery visitor wears a VR headset while another person assists them with the experience.

A person walks past the entrance of a room with graphic design capstone projects on display.

Graphic design students sit at a table looking at a project.

Graphic design students pose for a group photo.

Students display illustration work during Imagine RIT

Students look at illustration portfolios.

An industrial design MFA student showcases his thesis project.

A person writes on a piece of paper in a gallery.

Awards

Faculty, students and staff across RIT are annually recognized for their outstanding efforts in and out of the classroom with awards from the Office of the Provost. Additionally, the College of Art and Design gives out end-of-year awards. This year's honorees were:

Hye-Jin Nae sits on a chair in a photo studio.

Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching

Hye-Jin Nae
Associate Professor, School of Design

An individualized approach to teaching earned Nae RIT's highest honor for tenured faculty.

Learn more

Distinguished Professor

Michaël Amy
School of Art

The Distinguished Professor designation is the highest academic title at RIT and is given to faculty who have exhibited a record of sustained excellence over the course of their careers.

Outstanding Graduate Student Award

Paige Smith
Industrial Design MFA

Awarded annually to an MFA, MS or MST candidate in the College of Art and Design.

Staff Recognition Award

Sharon Kompalla-Porter
Assistant Dean for Student Services

The award recognizes a College of Art and Design staff member for their outstanding contributions within the college and RIT campus community.

Amelia Hugill-Fontanel holds a book in a library.

Edline M. Chun Award

Amelia Hugill-Fontanel
Associate Curator, Cary Graphic Arts Collection

The Edline M. Chun Award for Outstanding Teaching and Service recognizes an adjunct faculty member who has shown excellence in teaching and provided exemplary service to their affiliated school and the college.

Romano Prize

Atia Newman
Associate Professor, School of Film and Animation

The Frank J. Romano Prize for Publishing Entrepreneurship is given to a College of Art and Design faculty member/team who works with students to create innovative publications using new technologies and/or workflows.

Christine Banna and Piper Charron pose next to each other.

Pfizenmaier Award

Piper Charron
Animation student
Christine Banna (mentor)
Senior Lecturer, School of Film and Animation

The Irene Pfizenmaier Award for Excellence in Graphic Expression is given each year to a student recipient, who selects a faculty mentor to share the honor with.

Photo by Clara Riedlinger

Gitner Family Prize

Amy Adrion
Assistant Professor, School of Film and Animation

The award is given to a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in an area related to graphic communication who has been judged to have made an outstanding contribution to their profession.