CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – Retired U.S. Paralympian Nichole Millage will headline Parkland College’s 2025 Commencement Exercises with a keynote address on Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana.
A native of Champaign and 1995 graduate of Centennial High School, Millage is celebrated for her decorated career in sitting volleyball and her resilience following a life-altering boating accident. After beginning her academic journey at Southern Illinois University, she returned home and enrolled at Parkland in 1997. Her trajectory changed dramatically after an accident at Clinton Lake led to the amputation of her lower left leg, but she persevered, completing her degree at Parkland in 2000.
It was during her volunteer work at a camp for children with disabilities that she discovered sitting volleyball—a sport that would define the next phase of her life. Joining the U.S. National Sitting Volleyball Team in 2005, Millage competed in four Paralympic Games, earning two silver medals (Beijing 2008, London 2012) and two golds (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020). She officially retired in 2021 and later served as an analyst for NBC Sports during the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Millage holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Central Oklahoma. Today, she works as an environmental sustainability specialist for the City of Champaign and continues her connection to Parkland through community recycling programs. She lives in Champaign with her fiancé, Ryan Faust.
At commencement, Millage will also be honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
The ceremony will feature remarks from Parkland administrators and trustees, and an honorary associate degree will be presented to Carly McCrory-McKay, executive director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation and chief partnerships officer for the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Tech Hub.
Student speakers include Tassel Turner, Lauren W. Mobo, and Student Trustee Pascalinegrace N. Phongo. The Parkland College Wind Ensemble will perform, and Pastor Barry Hinkle of Christian Life Church in Rantoul will deliver the invocation and benediction. A reception will follow in the Krannert Center lobby.