The Class of 2025 had their achievements recognized at two ceremonies held in McCarthy Stadium.
La Salle University celebrated the achievements of over 1,000 Explorers across two ceremonies on May 10.
The sun shone as brightly as the futures of those graduating during La Salle University’s Undergraduate and Graduate Commencement Ceremonies on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
Across two ceremonies, over 1,000 Explorers received their degrees, with loved ones watching the new graduates walk across the stage at McCarthy Stadium.
University President Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D., spoke to both groups about the importance of being comfortable in their own skin, taking chances, and never giving up.
He also addressed some current sentiments about the worthiness of higher education, reaffirming what the graduates already knew about the value of the education they worked so hard to get.
“La Salle is proud of who we are. We are comfortable in our skin. And we are darn good at what we do!” Allen said. “I believe what the public, and all of you who are here today, increasingly want from your degree is exactly what institutions like La Salle provide: opportunity, accessibility, and prosperity.”
He left the graduating class with confidence about their future.
“We are Explorers, and we are transforming the world.”
During the morning ceremony, marketing and finance double major Alexis Sanchez, ‘25, the undergraduate student commencement speaker and outgoing La Salle Explorer mascot, addressed her classmates with messages about resilience, pushing forward and never having a bad day.
“We’ve worked hard, pushed through obstacles, and proven that we belong here. But La Salle has never been about settling—it’s about pushing boundaries, defying expectations, and rising to every challenge. It’s about being known for more. More resilience. More ambition. More heart,” she said. “So go out there. Be fearless. Be relentless. And most of all, be known for more.”
Sanchez, a first-generation college student who surprised her family with her commencement address, also noted the role La Salle and the opportunities it provided played in helping her reach her goals.
“I grew up in a neighborhood where people like me weren’t expected to succeed,” she said. “But I refused to become a product of my environment. I wanted to prove that we are worthy of success, that we can break generational cycles, that we can dream beyond our circumstances.”
Attendees of the undergraduate ceremony also heard from Bishop Joseph L. Coffey, ’82, who was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Coffey, a La Salle alumnus like his father, dedicated his time to serving members of the military, culminating in his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of the Military Archdiocese of the United States.
“I know that you have had many great teachers and influencers because we were both blessed to have gone to La Salle, a very special university,” he said. “I really hope that almost 50 years from now, you too, will still be enjoying your La Salle Friends, the ones who are to your right and left. Continue to support La Salle so many future generations can enjoy it as my dad and I did and as you did.”
As well as the students, Charles “Chip” Gallagher, Ph.D., was honored as the recipient of the 2025 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. Gallagher is a professor of sociology.
The celebrations, and the sun, continued into the afternoon and the graduate ceremony.
Graduate students and their guests listened to commencement speaker Sister Isabella Davila, ’25, a social worker at Face to Face in Germantown before starting her Masters of Social Work program, who spoke about the importance of combining the competencies gained from studies with compassion for those around you.
“The competency gained through our studies will empower us, but the secret for using competency to transform lives is compassion,” Davila told her classmates.
“Whatever your future goals may be for yourselves, your families, or your communities, I pray that you take pride in what separates LaSalle graduates from others—we are collectively Known for More. We all have a story, a list of sacrifices and joys. We all have the ability to enrich the lives of others. But above all, each of us has a name and the desire to be known,” she said.
At both ceremonies, the new degree holders were welcomed to the Alumni Association by its president, Joe Markmann, Ph.D., MBA, ’06, ’96, who reminded the new class of alumni to not forget the lasting relationships and sense of community forged at La Salle.
“Whatever you are called to do in life, always remember to continue living the promise of our shared title: A graduate of La Salle University,” he said.
-Naomi Thomas
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