Adverse

Adverse: !TEST! !TEST! 2025-04-08 08:50:20

Congratulations,
Class of 2023

Celebrating our Tar Heels

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill celebrated the graduation of nearly 6,500 Tar Heels this weekend at Doctoral Hooding and Spring Commencement. Thousands of friends and family members joined the University to applaud the achievements and success of our graduates.

Class of 2023, you did it! After years of hard work, late nights and determination, you are now Carolina alumni. Congratulations!

We all want you to succeed, to dream big dreams, to change the world. There will be challenges, and you will face adversity in the years ahead. But know that there is no way to fail because your Tar Heel community will be here for you to pick you up, to encourage you, and to remind you who you are. You are Tar Heels, forever.

Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz

The chancellor standing at the podium.

Make compassion a critical element of who you are. We all need a bit more compassion in our fields. Congratulations for your hard work, tenacity and perseverance.

Anna Maria Siega-Riz ‘82 (Ph.D. ‘93), Doctoral Hooding speaker

A person speaking at the podium.

Your hope is your superpower. Believe things you haven’t seen. Believe you can do things that haven’t been done before. … Some of you are going to have to stand up when people say, ‘sit down.’ Some of you are going to have to speak when others say, ‘be quiet.’ But don’t resist the obligation to stay hopeful.

Bryan Stevenson, Spring Commencement speaker

Bryan Stevenson at the podium.

Relive the celebrations

  • Students throwing graduation caps into the air.

    Carolina’s Class of 2023 graduates

    The Tar Heel community celebrated nearly 6,500 Carolina graduates at Spring Commencement on Sunday as keynote speaker Bryan Stevenson urged them to speak the truth, get uncomfortable when it means making a positive change and stay hopeful.

  • Graduates on the field.

    Highlights from Commencement

    It was a busy Sunday in Chapel Hill. See some of the best moments from Commencement to relive the excitement and joy of the ceremony.

  • A person has their graduation put on.

    Compassionate change-makers celebrated at Doctoral Hooding

    The doctoral degrees of more than 300 Tar Heels were conferred at the annual Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on Saturday morning.

  • Two people hugging on stage.

    Graduates celebrate their achievements

    Ahead of Carolina's Spring Commencement on Sunday morning, our graduating students celebrated their years of hard work and diligence at graduations across campus.

  • A UNC graduate poses for a photo.

    Meet the Class of 2023

    The Class of 2023 excelled in the classroom, conducted research, won national championships and served their country. They've made lasting impacts on our campus community and left their heelprints on Carolina.

  • UNC students throwing graduation caps in the air.

    The graduates: Then and now

    As the Tar Heels in the Class of 2023 prepared to graduate from UNC-Chapel Hil this weekend, University photographer Johnny Andrews invited a few of them back to the spots where they started their Carolina careers to reflect on the past four years and offer advice to their younger selves.