Graduation Celebration: Friday, June 13, 2025
The Allen School cordially invites family and friends to join us on the evening of Friday, June 13 to honor the accomplishments of our 2025 graduates.
Graduates and their guests are also invited to join us for an open house earlier that day, where they will have a chance to explore the Allen Center and Gates Center and meet our faculty and staff.
More details for attendees are below; detailed registration instructions, information on how to purchase graduation stoles and swag, and relevant deadlines for participants are available on the Information for Participants page.
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Allen School Open House for Graduates & Families
- Friday, June 13, 2025
- 12:00 – 2:00 pm PDT
- Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering
- Graduates, Faculty, Staff, Photos!
The Allen School invites graduates and their families to join us on campus for an open house to kick off the graduation festivities. Meet our faculty and staff, explore our buildings, and take commemorative school photos on Friday, June 13, between 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm. We hope to see you there!
Formal Graduation Celebration
- Friday, June 13, 2025
- 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (tentative end time) PDT
- Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
- Doors open at 5:00 pm; all graduates must be on the arena floor by 5:30 pm
- Tickets will be required this year for guest and graduate entry; each graduate can request as many tickets as they need when they register.
Classmates, family, and friends are invited to join us in formally recognizing the members of the graduating class of 2025. During the celebration, we will distribute souvenir diplomas to our bachelor’s and master’s graduates, conduct the traditional hooding ceremony to honor our Ph.D. graduates, honor alumni who are using their Allen School education to change the world and recognize our award recipients for their academic excellence, leadership and service. We are in awe of our soon-to-be graduates and look forward to seeing you go out there and make the Allen School proud!
Note: This event will be live-streamed on the Allen School’s YouTube page and a recording made publicly available for later viewing for the benefit of those who cannot join us in person.
UW Commencement
The UW is holding its 2025 commencement ceremony on Saturday, June 14. Details here.
Participant Information & Registration
Step 1: Register by May 25
Register to participate in the Allen School Graduation Celebration & Open House by May 25. Graduates can register for both the Allen School Open House & Graduation Celebration using the same form.
*NEW THIS YEAR* Tickets will be required for guest and graduate entry; each graduate can request as many tickets as they need when they register. Please note: this number should include yourself!
[Optional] Program Name Requests are due May 5. If you wish to either opt out of appearing in the printed graduation program or wish to use a name in the program other than your legal name, complete the Allen School Open House & Graduation Celebration Registration Form by May 5. Requests made after this date cannot be honored. If no request is made, we will use your legal/record name as listed in the university system.
Step 2: Order Your Allen School Graduation Stole by May 25
Order your Allen School graduation stole. Orders for Allen School graduating student stoles are now being accepted. If you are planning to pick up at the Allen School, order by June 11.
Step 3: Order Regalia & Parking Permits, May 7 – May 25
Use the 2025 UW Graduation Registration/Order Form to order regalia and parking permits for all graduation events, if you or your family plan to drive. This is also where you will order tickets and parking permits for the big UW Commencement on Saturday if you are participating in it.
Be prepared to pay online with Visa, MasterCard, or debit card. Those living in the Seattle area will pick up the items they ordered at the University Book Store, June 3 – June 7, during regular store hours. You will select your pickup date when ordering online. Students who are no longer in the Seattle area will be directed to specific pick-up times closer to the date of the ceremony.
Step 4: Contribute to the Allen School Graduation Kudoboard
Families, friends and classmates of the graduating classes are invited to post photos and messages to graduates on the Allen School’s graduation Kudoboard, which will be displayed publicly during both celebration events.
Post on the Graduation Kudoboard
Step 5: Attend the Allen School Events on June 13!
Information for Event Attendees
Parking permits for a wide variety of campus lots may be purchased by graduates when they fill out the UW Registration/Order Form beginning on May 7. Permits are available for parking on Commencement Day, June 14, or for school, college and departmental ceremonies that take place on other days around Commencement, such as the Allen School’s events on June 13. Disability parking is available on any day and can be selected by the graduates when they complete the registration/order form. For more information visit the UW parking page.
Bag Policy for Entry
To ensure a smooth entry experience, please review the following guidelines:
- ✅ Clear Bags Strongly Recommended
Clear bags allow for quicker security screening and shorter wait times. We encourage all attendees to bring clear bags for the fastest entry.
✅ Small Non-Clear Bags Permitted
Small bags and purses that are not clear will still be allowed but will require additional screening. This may result in longer entry times.
✅ Bag & Package Inspections
All bags and purses will be inspected upon entry. Packages must be unwrapped or wrapped in a way that allows contents to be easily visible.
✅ Review the Approved Items List.
To make your arrival easier and avoid delays, we encourage all guests to opt for clear bags whenever possible.
The Allen School is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. For disability accommodations, please contact Amber Cochran at amberlco@cs.washington.edu as soon as possible and no later than May 23.
Program Information
Commencement Speaker
Trish Millines Dziko
Executive Director, Technology Access Foundation
Trish Millines Dziko is a change agent, mentor, and advocate for children of color. In 1996 she left her successful 17 year career in the tech industry to ensure students of color had the same opportunities she had. Trish is the cofounder, Executive Director, visionary and strategist behind the Technology Access Foundation (TAF) — one of the leading education non-profits educating children of color to their full potential.
Through Trish’s leadership, TAF transitioned from out of school programs to become a statewide leader in public education, operating TAF Academy (a 6th to 12th grade, award-winning public school co-managed with the Federal Way Public School District),
created TransformED that partners with public schools to transform them into healthy and safe learning environments that center student voice and cultivate students into socially conscious and self-aware critical thinkers, problem solvers, ideators, creators, and leaders. In addition, Trish led TAF through the creation of the Network for EdWork designed to recruit, retain and develop teachers of color for our Washington State public schools.
Trish is a committed, proactive leader serving on boards of organizations that focus on children and education.
Allen School Alumni Impact Award
Presented by Ed Lazowska, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair Emeritus, and Magdalena Balazinska, Professor and Allen School Director
Honoree: Nicki Dell (Ph.D., ’15)
Nicki Dell is an Associate Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech and in the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science at Cornell University. Nicki works to investigate the impact of digital technologies on underserved communities and build systems and interventions that make our computer-mediated world safer and more equitable for everyone. Her research spans the fields of human-computer interaction, computer security and privacy, and information and communication technologies for development. She carries out her research in sustained partnership with affected communities to deepen her understanding of the challenges they face and to devise solutions that respond to both technological and social factors at play.
Nicki joined Cornell after earning her Ph.D. in Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington in 2015. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (2024), SIGCHI Societal Impact Award (2023), and NSF CAREER Award (2018). At Cornell, Dell co-founded and co-directs the Clinic to End Tech Abuse. She is also Director for Technology Innovation for the Initiative on Home Care Work in the Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW) and was the 2023 Siegel Faculty Impact Fellow for the Public Interest Technology Initiative.
Hooding of Doctor of Philosophy Recipients
Presented by Stefano Tessaro, Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Programs
Master of Science Processional
Presented by Dan Suciu, Professor and Professional Master’s Program Coordinator,
and Shayan Oveis Gharan, Professor
Student Recognition
Undergraduate Teaching Awards
- Presented by Kianna Bolante, COM2 Chair
Undergraduate Service Award
- Presented by Crystal Eney, Director of Student Services, and Chloe Dolese Mandeville, Senior Assistant Director for Student Engagement & Access
Outstanding Undergraduate Honors Thesis Award
- Presented by Maya Cakmak, Professor, and Leilani Battle, Professor
Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award
- Presented by Maya Cakmak, Professor, and Leilani Battle, Professor
Outstanding CS and CE Senior Awards
- Presented by Magdalena Balazinska, Professor and Allen School Director
Bob Bandes Memorial Excellence in Teaching Awards
Presented by Ruth Anderson, Teaching Professor, and Lauren Bricker, Teaching Professor
Bachelor of Science Processional
Presented by Dan Grossman, Professor and Vice Director, and Franzi Roesner, Professor
Closing Remarks
Magdalena Balazinska, Professor and Allen School Director
Questions about the Allen School Events?
For all other questions, email graduation-celebration@cs.washington.edu..
For disability accommodations, please contact Amber Cochran at amberlco@cs.washington.edu as soon as possible and no later than Friday, May 23.