By Emily Delgado  

Alix Bushard, of Albertville, Minnesota, has spent her college career exploring her interests and pursuing her passions for music, political science and helping others.   

Bushard will perform the national anthem during the fall 2024 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony. She will graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degrees in international relations and music and a minor in Asian and Slavic languages. 

“I have grown up around music and have always been involved in choirs. I knew Iowa was the perfect school for me as they have an amazing and extensive International Relations major and program with exceptional professors,” Bushard said. “I also could not give up my passion for singing and wanted to have to the option to sing at a collegiate level and gain a degree if I ever wanted to pursue teaching voice.” 

The commencement singer is nominated by the School of Music and performs the Star-Spangled Banner  as a send-off to graduating students. The fall ceremony will be held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 1 p.m. 

Bushard was selected to sing at commencement by her voice coach and School of Music faculty member Élise DesChamps, a professor she values and admires. 

“Assistant professor Élise DesChamps, saw me in passing one day and asked me if I’d like to sing for the winter commencement as I sing the national anthem for many of Iowa’s sports and events,” Bushard said. “She knows my passion for singing the anthem, and I feel so blessed that she thought of me for commencement.”

The fall 2024 commencement ceremony will not be the first time Bushard has performed inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  

“My favorite memory has been singing the national anthem at the women’s basketball game when Caitlin Clark broke her first record,” Bushard said. 

As a CLAS student, Bushard has been a peer mentor for the Department of Political Science and a tutor for the Chinese program. She has also been a manager for women’s wrestling, a member of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity and Chi Omega Women’s Fraternity and was a part of the 2024 Homecoming Court and was a 2023 Homecoming Scholarship recipient.  

Once Bushard graduates in the spring, she plans to attend law school and work in foreign relations and foreign policy advising.  

“I have been greatly prepared for this by the help of the amazing faculty, Brian Lai, Nicholas Martini and Sara Mitchell, to name a few. Their mentorship and classes have been what has sparked my interest in this career area, and they have been foundational in helping me find opportunities and strengthen my interests,” Bushard said.