University of Missouri

By Abbie Lankitus

June 9, 2025
Contact: Janese Heavin, heavinj@missouri.edu      
Photos by Abbie Lankitus, Gretta Cohoon, Reagan Manis, Sam Cox and Sophia Scheller

May at Mizzou is a time of celebration — a nod to endings and a welcoming of new beginnings. University of Missouri photographer Abbie Lankitus takes us through her favorite photos of the month.

There’s been a brand refresh across campus. You might notice some new fonts, patterns and general ways of designing things. The banners that showed up for commencement are great examples. I spent one golden hour evening watching the banners blow with the breeze when I noticed as they moved in the shadow of the Columns, you could see Jesse Hall through them. A tight zoom and specific cropping when editing created this really cool frame. I’m excited to see the new banners come up again and what photo opportunities they’ll bring! 

The Campus Activities Programming Board (CAPB) always has great events for students – especially at the conclusion of the school year. The annual Mizzou-a-Palooza is no exception. University photographer Gretta Cohoon was there this year and captured this beautiful portrait.

I especially love how the red saturates the entire image, plus matches Shamarr Allen’s hat! The way the headlight illuminates his face but casts a soft shadow around him highlights the moment. It’s such a clean image and a great representation of the talent that night.

Another event that happens every spring is the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Yard Show. Students from various chapters showcase their history and traditions through strolling, chanting, dancing and music.

University photographer Gretta Cohoon said she was wandering throughout the amphitheater and was in the right place at the right time for this shot. I love the composition of this photo. Every spot is filled with an Alpha Kappa Alpha member, with their faces clearly displayed. That the student in front was staring directly into Cohoon’s camera emphasizes the impact of the moment for me.

If you haven’t been to the NPHC Yard Show in May, go ahead and pencil it in for next year. It’s such a fun event and a great way to cap off a year at Mizzou.

We got the request before the semester let out that Campus Dining needed new photo materials. So, student photographers Sam Cox and Reagan Manis roamed the various dining halls in search of photos. Manis came across these two students at The Shack, and I love it.

How many memories have been made here? How many generations of Tigers have carved their mark into these walls? How many more Tigers will find themselves here, grabbing a bite to eat in between classes or finishing homework? This image just evokes the feeling of memories made and new ones to come in an iconic location on campus.

Commencement

Three days, 13 out of 16 ceremonies attended, 5000+ images taken, 530+ images delivered to campus communicators. It’s always a big undertaking, but one of the best to do. We couldn’t possibly include all of our favorites, so here are a few. Explore a more robust gallery of the weekend.

I knew this photo was special when I took it. I could see the emotion of the moment take over as she looked up into the stadium toward friends and family. Then @Mizzou posted this photo in its first recap of commencement weekend and Mara Beedle (@thebeedler), shared why she threw up the love sign and explained way better than I could why moments like these are always worth it:

“I’m the third pic .… My grandma and best friend passed away a month ago unexpectedly. She was a proud educator for over 50 years with many amazing students. Doing an online degree let me take care of her every day and pay it forward to all of the students who loved her while furthering my education. Grad school has taught me a whole lot. Finishing up my research capstone, planning a funeral and grieving all in the last month here —  showed me that milestones like these show you how resilient you can be in the face of it all and still find your way. I love you gram, I’m going to be a teacher just like you"

Student photographer Sophia Scheller caught a new sight for me as a university photographer. I have never seen this done before and that’s what makes it special. Many mortar boards are decorated…very few heads. I have so many questions. But mostly I’m left with a wonderful feeling of school pride from this student.

There are a lot of emotions during the weekend, and we hope to get the whole range. Cox captured the heart one of them: the pure joy of accomplishing what you set out to do.

Photo wise, it’s a clean image. The focus is at the forefront, centered. You have leading lines from each side of the aisles facing forward and there are no huge distractions or obstructions from the subject. It’s a really stellar image, capped off by a beautiful moment of joy.

During commencement ceremonies, our attention isn’t usually focused on the faculty, but we can often forget that the biggest fans of the university are those who teach here! It was especially true when I saw Clinical Professor Dana Fritz with her knee-high College of Health Sciences socks. (Unseen are her big MIZ ZOU drop earrings.) I’ve photographed Fritz before, as well as some of her classes in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

It was toward the end of the ceremony, after the graduates walked, so my window was narrowing to get this fantastic detail shot. When the students — alumni now — stood and started singing the alma mater, I ran up to Fritz and asked if she’d show off her socks.

This job is as much of a relationship with the faculty as it is with the students and staff. I’m glad to have made a friend in Fritz and caught this wonderful detail of school spirit.

There are a few reasons why this is one of my favorite photos from commencement. First, it’s an incredible composition. The way “Tigers” leads up to Frees’ face, matched with his proud and forward-looking expression, is just a really great image for storytelling and marketing.

Second, I know Frees. How, might you ask? He was my very first assignment, on my second day of working at Mizzou. I started on August 9, 2022, and I was sent to photograph Frees and his bees on August 10 for a story about him. It’s bittersweet. Commencement is a clear mark in the passage of time, and seeing this photo of Frees graduating reminded me where it all started.

What’s not to love? The cap toss, a heart hand and an unmistakable tiger to let you know graduates at Mizzou are celebrating a truly wonderful day.

This photo doesn’t need a bigger meaning; it’s just a great moment, one that will resonate with many Mizzou alumni. “Old Missouri, fair Missouri, dear old Varsity. Ours are hearts that fondly love thee…”

(Left) A student at the College of Health Sciences commencement wears a mortar board that reads “Where are you going?” “Graduating” as the graduate flies into the sky. (Right) Carrington Peavy, a graduate of the School of Journalism, shows off a mortar board that indicates her secured employment at CNN.  Abbie Lankitus / University of Missouri

One of my favorite things to look for and photograph during commencement is the variety of mortar boards that get decorated. These two are my non-Mizzou branded favorites.

The first captured the student’s spirit of launch — a woman soaring upward, leaving the comfort of home behind. It symbolized a powerful moment of lift-off, rising boldly into a future full of promise. I almost missed Carrington’s decorated mortar board. But as she crossed in front of me to get back to her seat after walking, I quickly asked if she would tip it down for me. I LOVE how she incorporated her name into the job that was awaiting her post graduation. Such a clever way to proudly display what all the hard work the last few years has been for.

If this isn’t the most perfect commencement image, I’m not sure what is. Cox grabbed this quiet moment of reflection, and it speaks volumes to what this time at “Old Missouri, fair Missouri” means to so many. Yes, your time here has come to an end, but what at time it was! This home will never forget you, and you it.

Congratulations to the class of 2025. It’s been an honor to photograph you these last three years, and I hope to see you for a Mizzou Magazine feature story someday on your accomplishments as an alum.

To the students still working, the faculty teaching and the staff making it all go round, thank you for an incredible semester of stories.