Two students from different backgrounds and countries will share a similar message when they address fellow graduates at Indiana University Bloomington’s commencement ceremonies: You can reach your goals even if your path is nonlinear and your journey is filled with obstacles.

Jayvee Del Rosario, a public affairs student, will speak at the graduate commencement, set for 3 p.m. May 8 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Katherine Johnson, a business student, will speak at the undergraduate commencement, set for 8 p.m. May 9 at Memorial Stadium.

IU Bloomington is awarding 11,545 degrees to graduate and undergraduate students this spring.

‘Everyone’s path isn’t straight’

Johnson, from St. Louis, is receiving a bachelor’s degree in marketing and professional sales. Her interest in business started in middle school when she began making and selling monogrammed T-shirts and sweatshirts, and decals for cars and cups.

Katherine Johnson. Photo by Alex Kumar, Indiana University“I like the creative side of it,” Johnson said. “I think I’m a creative person, and I like just coming up with random designs, and I like helping and figuring out from the customer what they want and how can I help them the best way.”

She said her experiences in the Kelley School of Business helped her find a path that suits her best: marketing. However, the road from direct admission to earning a degree has included a few potholes and curves.

At the end of her freshman year, Johnson was diagnosed with Stage 4 sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the bones and soft tissue. It grows quickly but reacts well to treatment.

Johnson did her sophomore year through IU Online while at home receiving treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation and clinical trials. She said she struggled to reacclimate when she returned to campus for her junior year, but the tremendous support from classmates and professors helped her get through the tough times.

Her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, and the larger Greek community have raised more than $30,000 to help with her medical treatments. Johnson also said the Kelley School has been helpful, in particular her international business professor, Tatiana Kolovou. She said Kolovou went out of her way to help and check on her.

In July 2024, Johnson got to ring the bell at her hospital to signal she was cancer-free. However, the cancer came back a little more than a year ago, so she has had to go through radiation, chemotherapy and clinical trials again, and take classes through IU Online

“I’ve had a bunch of different trials and different types of chemo,” she said. “Some have worked, some haven’t, but we’re finally on a path where things are on the up and things are looking good.”

Johnson said she wanted to apply to be the undergraduate student speaker at commencement so she could share what the university and its students and faculty have done to help her navigate the challenges. She will share those lessons in her speech.

“Everyone’s path isn’t straight, but we all get to one spot and there is still success, even with the ups and downs,” Johnson said. “I talk about that there is hope and that we, the class of 2026, we build hope. And it’s not something that just comes out of nowhere; it’s something that we build as a group or as an individual. Not everything is one-size-fits-all.”

Not letting the past define you

Del Rosario’s speech is rooted in the IU football team’s journey, from the losingest Division I program to undefeated national champion, and his personal journey from his native Philippines to South Korea to Bloomington, which has included an undergraduate degree, a professional career and a pivot to two master’s degrees.

Jayvee Del Rosario. Photo by Yossi May“I was inspired by the energy around our football team’s historic championship run,” Del Rosario said. “I felt like it’s a good reminder that where you’ve been doesn’t have to define where you’re going, and it’s something I think many grad students can relate to.”

Del Rosario grew up in Talavera, a municipality of more than 100,000 people in the Philippines, and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Santo Tomas in 2016. He then worked for the Development Bank of the Philippines, where he became a finance officer tasked with producing reports and analysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he earned a Master of Business Administration at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and then assumed a senior role at the bank, leading the Treasury Reports Team.

When Del Rosario decided to pivot and explore the development side of finance, an online search led him to the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In its Master of Public Affairs program he’s been able to do a specialized concentration in international sustainable development and finance.

“This entire experience has been transformational for me,” he said. “O’Neill has given me enough flexibility to pursue what I really want. I have had the opportunity as well to be able to connect with faculty members who are very supportive and have been my mentors.”

Del Rosario said he loved the campus’s vibe and meeting his cohort and professors the first year. This year he’s part of the Washington, D.C., Accelerator Program in the nation’s capital. Ultimately, he wants to mix his financial background with the fields of policy and public affairs for a development financing role.

“I envision myself being in an organization that channels funds to development activities, be it here in the U.S. or in the Global South,” Del Rosario said. “It could also be in the field of climate adaptation or climate resilience to developing countries as well.”

His speech to fellow graduate students is intended to remind them that your history doesn’t dictate the future, and that resilience and preparation can lead you to your goal.

“As graduate students, we will be met with expectations or limitations,” he said. “Many would say that based on history, you will not succeed, or they might downplay our efforts. But at the end of the day, like just like what the IU football team did, our efforts might be silent, but we will let the results do the talking.”