The wait for commencement is almost over: Graduating students reflect on their time at Purdue Fort Wayne

With finals week now underway, the stress of last-minute studying is starting to wind down for many of the nearly 800 students who are expected to participate in Purdue University Fort Wayne’s 2025 Commencement on May 14. They’ll join family and friends at Memorial Coliseum who will share with them a sense of satisfaction that comes from this life-changing achievement.

For these soon-to-be PFW alumni, it required sacrifice, perseverance, and hard work to earn the degrees that will help them launch careers across this region, the country, and beyond. They are determined to make a better world.
Here are a few of their stories: 

Alex Battershell

Like any college student contemplating commencement, education major Alex Battershell marvels at how he has evolved during his time at PFW. He’s no longer the tentative kid from Leo High School who entered college undecided on a major, wondering what his future might be. He’s become a confident man who knows what he’s supposed to be doing in life.

“When I was a freshman, I wasn’t this outgoing person who would go out of their way to be the first person to volunteer to do something or try something just on my own instead of with somebody,” Battershell said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time at PFW, learning different things like how to be a better teacher and a person. I enjoyed going to all the different events, meeting new people, and growing as a person.”

Part of that growth has led him from just sitting in the classroom to standing at the front of it, as next year he’ll start his elementary education teaching career. It took a while for Battershell to sort through his options before deciding upon this path, especially seeing the need for male teachers to work with children.

“They’ve done really well in the education program giving me different experiences at different types of schools and in different levels to figure out which grade I want to teach,” Battershell said. “Now, I can’t wait to get started.”

Maximus Bruner

When Maximus Bruner decided to enroll at PFW after graduating from Huntington North High School, he could not imagine how much the university would open the world to him. He’s had the opportunity to play his clarinet across the country and throughout Europe, and he’s gained the skills and competence to play in auditions for several major postgraduate opportunities.

“I’ve learned what it takes to be more confident in myself, what it takes to lead others, and all the things I can do through my major to express myself through the music I play,” Bruner said. “We had great faculty who have set me up for success with great educational experiences, great summer festival opportunities, and overall, really good experiences. I’m just really excited to be able to take another step to pursue what I love.”

Bruner believes the relationships with faculty are different in music than other majors. Just like any other teachers, the faculty started pushing him to grow, but as he neared graduation, they became more like mentors, and the relationships changed.

“They were really caring, supportive, and surprisingly constructive,” Brunel said. “I think the hardest person on me is myself, and they’re all really good at making it so that’s not always the case, so we can build my skillset in a constructive manner.

“Now I’m just a bigger part of the school than I ever thought I would be.”

Drew Clem

Before he started classes as a freshman, Drew Clem had never visited PFW or even Fort Wayne. He enrolled because he liked the opportunity to get an affordable education in a smaller environment where he could thrive. He definitely made the most of the opportunity.

“PFW has become a second home to me in a way that I wasn’t expecting,” Clem said. “While I’m happy to finish my degree and begin the next stage of my life, I will definitely miss the people and the memories that have shaped my college experience.”

University life taught the electrical engineering major from Brownsburg to seize opportunities and even create a few of his own. Because of that initiative, Clem started a campus robotics club and found passion for mentoring the North Side High School robotics team. Clem is going to remain a PFW student to complete a master’s degree, studying defined ambiguity models of control systems for industrial multiagent robotic systems.

“I know eventually I’m going to be leaving, but this year and next year are about how do I kind of get other people to take the reins on anything I’ve worked on to make sure things constantly grow in the way that I think they should,” Clem said. “I made sure I got the most out of these things, and now maybe other people can get more out of it from there.”

Emma Coville

A Columbia City native, Emma Coville had many opportunities for college, but chose to stay close to home. She’s never regretted that choice.

“It’s been a true joy to attend this school,” Coville said. “I chose to stay in the Fort Wayne area because I wanted to build on the connections I made in high school, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. Between my schooling, work, volunteering, and internships, I now feel deeply ingrained in my community.”

Those memories include being part of the Chapman Scholars Program, which afforded Coville many educational opportunities to travel and experience new things. She recently returned from a trip to Arizona with the group. Coville was also able to maintain and expand her interest as a private pilot and may pursue a flying business in the future.

“My favorite thing about PFW is the people,” the business management major said. “I’ve met so many faculty members whom I love to learn from and friends who I hope will be with me throughout my life.”

While finishing up her spring semester classes, Coville recently started working in radio advertising with Sarkes Tarzian Radio Group.

Breanna Hunt

Because she’s always felt compelled to help others, Breanna Hunt decided to study communication sciences and disorders at PFW as a member of the Chapman Scholars Program. Her major allowed her to explore serving others on and off campus, especially exploring options through practicums.

“I think I've grown quite a bit,” said Hunt, a Middlebury native. “On a personal level, especially, I've gained a lot of soft skills such as teamwork, time management, communication, and leadership. Those are all qualities I would say the university has enabled me to work on through in-class and out-of-class opportunities.”

For nearly three years, Hunt has driven home on weekends to work overnights as a nursing aide in a birthing center, helping deliver more than 200 babies. She’d always return to campus in time for Monday morning classes. That experience, in addition to her coursework, have inspired her to become a nurse with further study.

“I think the biggest thing I've learned about myself is I can do more than I thought,” Hunt said. “I'm more capable than I thought. I've worked so hard. I've gotten so many opportunities that I didn't even think were possible. While I am unsure where I will end up, I know where I am now and where I am going.”

DaVion Tate

Though he’s relishing starting his life after PFW, DaVion Tate said it’s not senioritis as much as wanting to test how well the university has prepared him. He’s not the same person who arrived on campus from Indianapolis.

“I am a completely different person than the one who walked through the doors of Walb Student Union,” Tate said. “I came into the school with little to no knowledge of what college would be like. I came into college being nervous and so closed up that I did not give myself the opportunity to open up. College really helped me focus my priorities and come out of my shell and become someone I do not even recognize. If I told any of my friends that I was a big introvert before coming to PFW, they would look at me as if I were crazy!”

Tate said he has learned independence, strength, leadership, and the courage to live for himself while at PFW. He also helped develop the “Getting to Graduation” program, which provides students with a checklist of academic, social, and career events to attend.

Along with being an information technology major, Tate became a fixture as a Multicultural Center worker and a member of the Black Student Union, serving this year as the organization’s president.

Tate’s current goals are to start working for a company specializing in either data collection or tech support. He’s also considering graduate school in the future.

Bobby Way

Like many students who take time to study internationally, Bobby Way was fascinated by his semester in Argentina.

“To the point now where I think I spend a lot more time focusing on international issues than I do even on homegrown things,” said Way, a Fort Wayne native. “I think definitely focusing more on the international side and seeing what there is outside the U.S. has really captivated me.”

Way became an ardent spokesperson for PFW’s Study Abroad Program, talking about the benefits of studying overseas to anyone who expressed an interest. He plans on making overseas visits a regular part of his life.

The political science major is preparing to take the Law School Admissions Test in June with hope of law school acceptance and continuing his education starting in 2026. 

“I think that political science has done a great job in teaching me how to effectively analyze the world in front of me and to think critically,” Way said. “Not that I think that a lot of other schools wouldn't have been able to do that, but I think PFW has done a great job at doing that. I think what PFW showed me more than anything has been what aspects of life do I want to spend my time, and where do I want to spend my time learning?”