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A&S English Major to Speak at UK December Commencement Ceremony

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

photo of a student
Cindy Sossa

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 13, 2022) —  University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto has selected two student representatives to speak during the UK 2023 December Commencement Ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 15, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. 

One of them, Cindy Sossa, is graduating pre-law with a bachelor’s degree in English from the UK College of Arts and Sciences, with a certificate in peace studies.

Sossa, who is from Melbourne, Australia, has been an active member of the Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Incorporated, served as vice president of the United Greek Council and served as community service chair and senior adviser for Underground Perspective. She also served as an intern for UK’s Martin Luther King Center’s Sister Circle program.

Sossa spent her first three years at UK studying animal science as a pre-veterinary medicine student and spent time working as a vet assistant in clinics. She then realized that veterinary medicine was not the ideal path for her strengths and sense of purpose. A resounding theme in her speech is that it’s sometimes okay to give up and start a new path.

“As young people, we are expected to have things mostly figured out and this speech is my attempt to free people from that notion,” Sossa said. “Life happens, our minds change all the time and plans falling through not only should be normalized, but embraced, because there is so much more out there in the world for each and every one of us. I hope my fellow grads will feel liberated after hearing my speech.”

Sossa will give the student address at the 3 p.m. ceremony .

UK’s December 2023 Commencement Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. They will also be livestreamed on YouTube. Visit commencement.uky.edu or UKNow Friday to watch and learn more.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.