Fall 2025 Commencement: Meet the CAS Grads

Commencement inspires students to look forward – to ask, now that you have this degree, where will you let it take you?

For College of Arts and Sciences students, the answer is clear: everywhere.

We met with two of the hundreds of graduates who received their degrees at Friday’s Fall Commencement. While they called Omaha home for their college education, their next destinations show that a CAS education can take you wherever you want it to go – from down the road, to across the globe.

Saki Fukuda

Majors: International Studies, Women’s & Gender Studies

Minors: Political Science, English, LGBTQ Studies

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

College of Arts and Sciences Student Marshal

Saki Fukuda has always seen the world as something to be explored. As a high school student in Tokyo, Japan, she set her sights on mastering the English language to better her speaking ability across borders. She connected with an organization that partners with US universities, and after rounds of applications, essays, and interviews, she was selected — and learned that Omaha would be her new home.

Coming to Omaha from Tokyo was a major lifestyle shift, but over the years, it’s grown on her. She found best friends, connected with faculty, and discovered courses she thrived in. She even took on a role welcoming new international students to campus. It wasn’t always easy adjusting to life in a new country, but she found support in the campus community to keep her moving forward.

Her courage carried her across continents – and now, she’s ready to take on the world.

Tyler Baldwin

Major: Biology, Medical Humanities

Hometown: Sutton, Nebraska

Tyler Baldwin might be an Omahan for now, but he knows his dreams are leading him back home.

His education at UNO is one stop on his journey towards becoming a rural doctor. First, there was his undergraduate degree – check. Next, he plans to study for the MCAT and attend medical school. After acquiring his degree, he hopes to return to small town Nebraska and serve his community.

As one of 24 students in his high school graduating class, Tyler was the only one to come to UNO. Coming to Omaha alone was a major practice in independence – but it’s one he thinks he needed to be prepared for medical school.

Tyler’s academic journey is just beginning, but he already knows where it leads: back home, where he can make a difference in the lives of his neighbors.