CHICAGO — Some 6,500 students graduated this spring from DePaul University and among them were teachers, filmmakers, health care professionals, lawyers, historians, accountants, scientists, musicians, journalists, costume designers, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, human rights activists, animators and mathematicians. Upon graduation, they joined a network of 155,000 alumni living in all 50 states and around the world.

Many of the graduates are first generation scholars — first in their families to graduate from college. Many others are children of immigrants, carrying on a 115-year DePaul tradition. DePaul was established in 1898 in Lincoln Park by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian priests and brothers) to serve the children of immigrants.

Six commencement ceremonies were held this past weekend, and a seventh, for the College of Law, was held in May. Some of the graduates were traditional college students, entering DePaul right after high school. And others were returning learners, among them veterans and career-changers.

At Sunday’s combined ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and the College of Science and Health, graduating senior Robert Carfang, the student speaker, issued a rallying cheer to those in the audience: “We are DePaul!”

Who are these graduates? Here is just a sampling of the Class of 2013. They are DePaul!

Bartek Kadela | B.S. Accounting
Driehaus College of Business
A tenacious work ethic and three internships, including one in Hong Kong, propelled Bartek Kadela through his accounting program at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business. Kadela, who emigrated from Poland to the U.S. when he was 2 years old, earned the “Dean’s Outstanding Senior Award.” More>

Brian A. Thompson | MBA Business Strategy and Finance
Kellstadt Graduate School of Business | Driehaus College of Business
Brian A. Thompson returned to college for his second master’s degree, while making time for one of his favorite activities — teaching. That’s not all, however. Thompson also is a principal consultant at Black & Essington Solutions, a firm he started to help new and existing businesses grow and improve their overall performance. More>

Ashlyn “Nikki” Blythe | B.A. Animation
College of Computing and Digital Media
From books to art to animation, it’s been a wondrous journey for Ashlyn “Nikki” Blythe who will take her interest in anima and magna to Japan after graduation. Her goal? To learn more about the culture so she can blend that with her animation. She has a good head start with her minor in Japanese. More>

Nadene Chambers | Ph.D. Computer Science
College of Computing and Digital Media
Nadene Chambers, who grew up in Jamaica and came to the United States when she was 11 years old, is one of a few women to receive a doctoral degree in computer science. The degree is her fourth, and final, according to Chambers. “This is a dream fulfilled,” she said. More>

Monica Carter | M.A. Journalism
College of Communication
Writing for a music magazine in Chicago ignited Monica Carter’s interest in journalism. Her desire for social impact, however, motivated her to pursue a master’s degree and move into the realm of investigative journalism. More>

Angelica Robinson | M.A. Journalism
College of Communication
On the way to becoming a journalist, Angelica Robinson discovered that the core of the profession is not in storytelling. Instead, she found that it is the opportunity to breed compassion within our society. More>

Jason Dement | B.A. Relational Communication
College of Communication
Jason Dement credits his wife and a class with associate professor Tim Cole as the reasons behind his pursuit of a degree in relational communication. More>

Jonathan Eiseman | B.A. Environmental Studies
College of Science and Health
Jonathan Eiseman, a self-proclaimed “sound buff,” used his love of listening to immerse himself into the field of soundscape ecology, which he describes as “a different way of approaching science.” He graduated from DePaul with a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies. More>

Amanda Henderson | B.S. Environmental Science
College of Science and Health
Environmental scientist Amanda Henderson pioneered a way for rapidly extracting mites from soil samples while pursuing her undergraduate degree at DePaul. The mite — Oppiella nova — plays an important role in the decomposition of dead organic matter, creating byproducts that are vital for plant growth. More>

Marcine Adams | B.S. Elementary Education
College of Education
Because Marcine Adams accumulated so much experience while she was a student — dating back to helping with spelling tests her sophomore year of high school — she will bypass her master’s degree and go straight for her doctorate. Adams graduated from DePaul in January with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. More>

Mary Thompson | B.S. Elementary Education
College of Education
Mary Thompson always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her DePaul experience in the College of Education taught her to “dare to make a difference.” More>

Drew Edwards | B.A. International Studies
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
After graduation, Drew Edwards will spend at least the next two years in Uganda as the first full-time volunteer for Pangea Educational Development, a nonprofit organization he cofounded as a sophomore. More>

Matthew Manning | B.A. History of Art and Architecture
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Matthew Manning had a life-changing experience when he traveled to an orphanage in rural Ghana as a volunteer. "What really hit home was the joy and resilience we witnessed despite all of the poverty these children endured,” he said. “The poverty broke my heart, but the jubilance gave me the courage to better my own life.” More>

Daniel Sylvester | J.D.
College of Law
Daniel Sylvester left active military duty in 1999 but his commitment to those who serve our country has endured. This dedication has shaped his law school experience and earned him recognition throughout Illinois as a champion of military veterans. More>

Alexandra Hochhauser | J.D.
College of Law
Alexandra Hochhauser knew before she started law school that she wanted to be involved in student government. She became president of the Student Bar Association, which carried the additional responsibility of delivering the student commencement address. More>

Adèle-Marie Buis | B.M. Music Performance
School of Music
Adèle-Marie Buis seriously considered majoring in French at another university. But an oboist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra convinced her that DePaul and the musically rich city of Chicago would be the right environment in which her musical gifts could flourish. More>

Antonio Portela | M.M. Music Performance
School of Music
Before starting his master’s degree program at DePaul, musician Antonio Portela served with the U.S. Marine Corps and performed in a band for an audience that included the queen of England. This fall, he joins the staff at the School of Music. More>

John Misailedes | B.A.
School for New Learning
John Misailedes, an information technology consultant, is most comfortable working in the world of numbers and technical systems. With the passing of time, he says he matured and gained a strong appreciation for a liberal arts education. The courses he took challenged his assumptions and beliefs, and, ultimately, changed his worldview. More>

Kimberly Hoffmann | B.A.
School for New Learning
Kimberly Hoffmann signed up for a DePaul University study abroad trip to China and Tibet to push herself out of her comfort zone. Now, with a bachelor’s degree from the School of New Learning, Hoffmann is embarking on a new life as executive director of Making Waves, a nonprofit devoted to fighting sex trafficking. More>

Ruben Adorno | B.F.A. Acting
The Theatre School
Ruben Adorno’s tenacious spirit and hard work helped him secure a scholarship his senior year. “The scholarship was not just for me, it was really for my family,” he said. More>

Taylor Payne | B.F.A. Costume Design and Costume Technology
The Theatre School
Taylor Payne combined her aptitude in math and science with her artistic flair in a course of study at DePaul University in costume design and costume technology. More>