Graduation and Commencement Information
All OMBA students who graduate in January, May, or August are invited to participate in Boston University’s annual Commencement Weekend in May of the given calendar year.
May 2026 Commencement Weekend will take place May 14-17, 2026.
Please view and bookmark the following websites – these will be updated regularly between now and commencement weekend and are great resources to refer to with questions. Stay tuned for more info!
All students should refer to the Graduation and/or Diploma Knowledge articles available in OMBA Link for any frequently asked questions.
Introducing OMBA’s Regalia Recycle Project!
For the very first time, we are excited to introduce the OMBA Regalia Recycle Project! This initiative came to life thanks to OMBA alum Kaitlin Dumont (QST ’23) and 2025 OMBA graduate Ruth Steyn who wore the same cap & gown at their respective convocations. The OMBA Regalia Recycle Project is a shared spreadsheet that owners of Questrom regalia can fill out if they are interested in passing their cap & gown on to future OMBA alumni. It is meant to facilitate a process similar to Kaitlin and Ruth’s experience, it is the responsibility of each party to coordinate the transfer of the regalia. Feel free to enter your information to share with future OMBA graduates and partake in the OMBA Regalia Recycle Project!
May 2025 Commencement Weekend Recap
Share your Photos!
The Success Team welcomes everyone to share any photos they captured throughout the weekend. We have created a shared Google Photos Drive for all students to upload any photos they would like share with students, faculty, and staff that may serve as a “virtual yearbook”. We hope that this collaboration will allow everyone to share the weekend’s exciting memories! Please be advised that photos uploaded here may be shared on OMBA socials & public posts for faculty, staff, current students, & prospective students to see! Photo Credit will be given.
OMBA Spirit of Excellence Award
2025 Winners
Christopher Peralta
Christopher Peralta is an award-winning integrative health expert who has 15+ years of experience leading well-being campaigns, community education, and community health coaching throughout New York City.
Chris has been a very involved member of the Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Affinity Group, even presenting at a Monthly Pitch Meetup event, presenting his concept Health to Harmony: Integrative Health & Well-Being Solutions for Corporate Wellness. He has attended almost every Monthly Pitch Meetup event offering positive feedback and support to his fellow OMBA classmates.
Desiree Nattell
Desiree is an ideal student. She has an interesting job to which she applies what she learns in class. She is engaged and participates in LIVE sessions clearly with a good relationship with others in LIVE. During Week 13 she went to her “faculty breakout” and then came to Brand since that is more closely related to what she does. She could have just called the session early but instead she continued to reach out showing her growth mindset and teamwork. She appears to be a leader in innovation in the class as she presented new ideas in the class.
Tyler Evans
Tyler has a decade of experience working in Lower Middle Market Mergers & Acquisitions and assisting buyers and sellers navigate all types and sizes of transactions. Tyler has shared his expertise and knowledge beyond the OMBA classroom by volunteering to host networking sessions such as the Questrom Speaker Series to teach other OMBA students and alumni about the benefits and steps to follow in acquiring small business for investment opportunities. An active member of the Entrepreneur & Acquisition club in OMBA, Tyler is dedicated to learning and supporting others on their entrepreneurial ventures. He serves as an advocate for the club, sharing out information and ideas to other students who may be interested in participating in the club’s conversations and events. Tyler consistently went above and beyond throughout his time to OMBA to support his classmates’ learning opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom.
Richard Okumoto
Richard is a unique student. At 70, he returned to Questrom to learn what he hasn’t learned throughout his career. In LIVE sessions, he actively listens, participates, relates well with other students (with their cameras on), and is a pleasure to have in class. He came to office hours with good questions and has reached out beyond Mod 4. Richard is the student I use as an example for the interesting OMBA students we have. Richard always attended office hours with enthusiasm and questions and was a pleasure to have as a student! Richard is a former Silicon Valley C-suite Exec who completed cash sale of my startup and current advisor and Board Member to Technology startup companies. Richard is also a a licensed pilot and Blackbelt in Shotokan Karate.
Calvin Poon
Calvin Poon is a father of 2, former army officer, and an entrepreneur with a unique blend of expertise in cabinetry design, manufacturing, and military leadership. As the visionary founder of Makellos Cabinetry, Calvin has seamlessly combined innovation and functionality to deliver exceptional, cost-effective cabinetry solutions for a wide range of projects, from stylish home renovations to expansive commercial developments. Calvin is the co-founder of Makellos Cabinetry (www.makellos.com). Beginning his journey as a kitchen cabinet designer, Calvin quickly mastered the intricacies of the industry. This invaluable experience paved the way for the creation of Makellos Cabinetry, now a beacon of excellence and reliability in the cabinetry market.
Calvin is a very active member of the Entrepreneurship & Startup and OMBA Students of Philadelphia Affinity Groups. He helped to create/facility the Monthly Pitch Meetup Event and has attended almost every Monthly Pitch Meetup event offered. During the Monthly Pitch Meetup event, he always offers positive feedback and support to his fellow OMBA classmates. Additionally, Calvin has also organized in-person, social gatherings for his fellow OMBA students living in the Philadelphia Area
The OMBA Spirit of Excellence Award encourages the recognition of graduating students who embody all or most of OMBA’s Core Values: Growth Mindset, Innovation, Leadership, Teamwork, & Contribution to OMBA Community. The OMBA Spirit of Excellence Award is a method for OMBA Faculty and Staff to acknowledge graduating students who demonstrate qualities beyond academic excellence and celebrate well-rounded individuals who inspire the OMBA community through their actions, character, and dedication to personal and collective growth.
FAQs for 2025 Commencement Participants
Honors will be awarded to graduates whose cumulative Questrom grade point average (CGPA) is 3.55 or higher. High honors will be awarded to graduates whose Questrom CGPA is 3.70 or higher. Students will receive notification from the Questrom Registrar’s Office in April about their status. Students who attend Commencement will be given honors cords to wear with their regalia when they check in for the event on Friday evening. Unfortunately, we are unable to mail cords out to students who do not attend. All students who graduate with honors will have their designation printed on their diplomas. Students who are enrolled in a summer mod will be recognized at Commencement with their current cumulative GPA, and final GPAs will be recalculated at the end of the summer term prior to diploma printing.
Questrom has one honor society for all business students, Beta Gamma Sigma. Students are eligible for BGS if they are 1) in the top 20% of their class and 2) have applied to graduate. Eligible students will receive a letter from the Questrom Dean’s Office in late April with more details. Beta Gamma Sigma eligibility is only audited once per year, in April, based on GPAs at that point in time. There will be no invitations in September. Please be advised the OMBA Success Team does not have any involvement with the the Beta Gamma Sigma process for students.
Graduates who attended commencement and would like to see the professional photos by the university’s vendor, please be sure to revisit the commencement website for instruction on accessing those photos. Please allow the vendor, GradImages, some time to upload photos to the website – they serviced convocations for the entire university and have thousands of photos to work through from this past weekend. Photos will not be uploaded right away.
While we had a wonderful time celebrating in person in May, we know that September will also be a time for celebration for many, as folks complete will all of your program requirements with the conclusion of the Summer 2025 semester. We will be hosting a virtual celebration for the Class of 2025 sometime in early Fall, so keep an eye on your BU email for more information later this summer!
Communications & Announcements to Eligible Students
2026 graduates should check back in March 2026 for a running list of communications to be sent to all eligible BU email addresses
Information for 2026 graduates
You can find detailed information about planning your visit to Boston on the BU Commencement website: https://www.bu.edu/commencement/visit/. Please be advised that this will be a busy weekend across the city, so we encourage students to book their travel and accommodations soon.
If you or your family require a visa to enter the United States and need a letter of invitation from Boston University, please reach out to your Success Specialist by submitting a new ticket through the Support tab on OMBA Link.
If you haven’t already, please log in to the MyBU Portal and navigate to the Diploma & Graduation Information section under the Academics tab to make sure that your Diploma Name and mailing address are up to date. You will receive a notice that a Task has been posted to your MyBU account from the Registrar’s Office when the time comes.
We’re aware that summer modules will be underway during Commencement Weekend and have alerted the teaching teams to allow flexibility for assignments that weekend to accommodate student travel as a one-time exception to OMBA’s late submission policy.