A culmination of years of hard work
Commencement is the culmination of years of hard work and study. It’s the celebration of all our students have accomplished and the great future that awaits them. The College holds one ceremony each May.
2025 Graduate Information
2025 Ceremony
The Commencement ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 3:30 pm. The ceremony will be held at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, Florida.
Commencement Speaker
Bret Iwan
Illustrator, designer, and voice actor
Bret graduated from Ringling College in 2004 with a BFA in Illustration. Upon graduation, he moved to Kansas City to begin his career at Hallmark. In 2009, Bret moved to Los Angeles to become the voice of Mickey Mouse, the iconic character’s fourth official voice (a role first performed by Walt Disney himself). Bret has lent his famous falsetto to television series, theme parks, toys, games, marketing campaigns, and more.
Voice acting is among Bret’s numerous creative talents, having begun his career as an illustrator and designer—skills he continues to call upon as a designer of Disney merchandise, fine art, publishing, and collectibles. In 2023, Bret became only the fourth artist invited over the past century to paint Mickey’s official birthday portrait, marking Mickey’s 95th anniversary with a painting titled Swept Up in The Magic.
In his free time, you’ll find Bret pursuing his passions for woodworking, architectural restoration, and steam locomotive engineering, or simply unwinding at his home in Los Angeles, California.
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