UCF alumni who play key roles in the space and philanthrophy sectors will address spring graduates at three commencement ceremonies Aug. 1 and 2 at Addition Financial Arena.
UCF will award more than 4,000 degrees during three commencement ceremonies this summer, continuing UCF’s record-setting pace of preparing highly qualified graduates to drive Florida’s rapidly expanding engineering and technology economy and provide vital services to our communities.
Graduates will hear from industry leaders driving cutting-edge partnerships and processes in the health and space sectors, continuing inventive efforts that look to improve community health, streamline launches and make space more accessible.
They are Elizabeth Ellis ’02, a senior program manager at Blue Origin; Mark Soltys ’12, principal launch engineer at Space X; and Nicholas Abrahams ’20MNM, president and CEO of the Winter Park Health Foundation.
UCF expects to award over 4,000 degrees this summer, a showcase of the university’s continued scale. UCF awards 18,000 degrees annually, including awarding more bachelor’s degrees in engineering and nursing than any other institution in the state. These two fields are essential to sustaining Florida’s economic and population growth.
UCF serves more of Florida’s students than any other university. More than 90% of UCF’s undergraduate students are Florida residents — and most will stay in Florida after they graduate, with 85% of UCF’s new graduates remaining in Florida.
Of all degrees, the College of Sciences will award 22%, with fields like digital media, chemistry and physics. The College of Business will award 16%, including disciplines such as finance and accounting. The College of Engineering and Computer Science will award 13%, representing fields such as aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering and computer science.
About 41% of the bachelor’s degree recipients are eligible for Pell Grants, showcasing the university’s commitment to students of all backgrounds. Additionally, about 25% of all degrees will be awarded to first-generation students who will be the first in their families to graduate from college.
Commencement Festivities
Held in Addition Financial Arena, the spring commencement will take place Aug. 1-2.
All guests, including children and infants, need a ticket for admission. All graduates who have filed an intent to graduate will receive five commencement ceremony tickets when they pick up their regalia packet.
Guests who do not have tickets may watch the live ceremony via a simulcast viewing in the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and the Student Union. Ceremonies will also be livestreamed on UCF’s YouTube channel.
Commencement Photo-ops Across UCF
Main Campus
Two photo-ops are available for students to celebrate their accomplishments.
The Reflecting Pond is one of the most iconic spots on campus for grad photos. Strike a pose and make memories now through Monday, Aug. 4.
On Thursday, July 31, 4:30-7 p.m. (doors close at 6 p.m.), spring graduates will be offered a photo-op — Grad Walk — within Addition Financial Arena. This will be a first-come, first-served occasion for graduates and up to 10 of their well-wishers to take photos and videos on the ceremony stage. Graduates are required to register here.
Graduating Knights are not able to take photos in FBC Mortgage Stadium this semester due to ongoing construction.
UCF Downtown
UCF Downtown offers several great locations for unforgettable graduation photos. Here are our top picks of the best spots to memorialize your academic achievement.
Celebrate your college journey by honoring your support system at the Dr. Phillips Academic Commons West Lobby donor wall. Use the iconic phrase, “If you want to go far, go together,” on the donor wall as a backdrop to pay homage to those who helped you along the way.
The Seneff Plaza, located between the East and West Wings of Dr. Phillips Academic Commons, is where so many campus events and gatherings take place. The towering columns and reflective glass of Dr. Phillips Academic Commons capture the modern campus where you worked so hard to earn your degree.
Enhance your graduation photos by venturing beyond campus into the surrounding Orlando area. You barely have to step off campus to encounter the iconic Orlando sign located at Luminary Green Park. The 2.3-acre park features a large, welcoming lawn that leads up to the oversized “Orlando” letters at the end of the park, creating the ideal environment to mark your time in The City Beautiful.
Commencement Schedule
Graduates and guests can review the below commencement ceremony schedule, listing colleges, ceremony dates and streaming links:
Friday, Aug. 1
6 p.m.
College of Arts and Humanities
College of Sciences
College of Undergraduate Studies
Aug. 2
9 a.m.
College of Business
College of Engineering and Computer Science
College of Optics and Photonics
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Aug. 2
2:30 p.m.
College of Community Innovation and Education
College of Graduate Studies
College of Health Professions & Sciences
College of Medicine
College of Nursing
Commencement Speakers
Elizabeth Ellis ’02
Manager – Program Integration/Project Management
Elizabeth Ellis ’02 is a senior program manager at Blue Origin. Blue Origin is building a road to space for the benefit of Earth, humanity’s blue origin, by radically reducing the cost of access to space and harnessing its vast resources while mobilizing future generations to realize this mission.
Ellis supports the company’s push for reusable rockets to reduce spaceflight costs. Her focus includes work on this year’s successful launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn — the first non-legacy rocket to reach orbit on its maiden flight. She also contributes to the company’s endeavors to move and test critical equipment, aiding efforts that include protecting spacecraft payloads from aerodynamic heating and pressure during atmospheric launch.
Her professional career includes extensive experience in legal, hospitality and university sectors and a strong background in project management, analytics, finance, marketing and sales promotion. In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree from UCF in marketing with a track in international business, she holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Glamorgan (now Cardiff University) in South Wales of the United Kingdom. Beyond work, Ellis’ interests include rescuing animals from high-kill shelters and unsafe conditions.
Mark Soltys ’12
Principal launch engineer at SpaceX
Mark Soltys ’12 has spent more than a decade launching rockets — and humans — into space. His current work centers on the Starship program, SpaceX’s ambitious effort to make humanity multiplanetary. He began his Starship journey as the launch director for its first prototype, Starhopper, and has supported further program development through suborbital, high-altitude and orbital flight tests. His current responsibility is to bring Starship “home” to Cape Canaveral.
Earlier in his career, Soltys developed and executed the first-ever fully automated launch countdown sequences for the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Starship vehicles. This automation effort — designed to make rocket launches “boring” by minimizing human error — was a key enabler of SpaceX’s record-breaking launch cadence. It contributed to more than 500 successful missions, including critical national security payloads, scientific research missions and human spaceflight.
Soltys believes human spaceflight is our greatest honor and most solemn responsibility. He is proud to have helped end U.S. reliance on Russia to send astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and has directed historic missions including the first-ever private mission to the ISS and the first human flight to orbit Earth’s poles.
Prior to SpaceX, Soltys held roles at Earthrise Space Foundation and Richard Petty Motorsports. A 2012 graduate of the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering, Mark lives, surfs and freedives in Merritt Island, Florida, with his fiancée, a UCF nursing alumna.
Nicholas Abrahams ’20MNM
President and CEO for Winter Park Health Foundation
Nicholas Abrahams ’20MNM is the president and CEO of the Winter Park Health Foundation, where he leads initiatives focused on enhancing community health and well-being. The foundation serves Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park, aiming to create a lasting impact by fostering innovative partnerships that address the evolving needs of these communities. Since its founding, the foundation has invested over $132 million into the community to support this mission.
He is a graduate of Florida State University and completed his master’s in nonprofit management at UCF. His commitment to community service includes his involvement on various boards, such as the AdventHealth Orlando board of directors, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando and Osceola County, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation advisory board, the UCF Downtown dean’s advisory council, the Burnett Honors College dean’s advisory board and the VyStar Credit Union Foundation board of directors.
Together with his wife, Courtney, and daughter, Elle, Abrahams is committed to building a healthier, more vibrant future for families across Central Florida.
