Members of the Class of 2025 were honored at the Baccalaureate: Graduate Celebration and Sending service on Saturday, May 3, in Lehman Auditorium. The ceremony included presidential and faculty addresses, senior class salutations, and the presentation of the senior class gift, as well as moments of prayer, music, and poetry from graduates.
The baccalaureate service offers graduates an opportunity to pause and reflect on their journey as they prepare their hearts and spirit for what lies ahead. “It is a moment to look back with pride and to look forward with courage,” said Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs, in her welcome. The graduates were joined by family members, friends, supporters, and EMU faculty, staff, and administrators to celebrate their achievements.
Watch a recording of the ceremony here.
EMU President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman, in her address “You are Salt of the Earth and Light to the World!”, reflected on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and offered three lessons: be other-centered, not me-centered; pay attention to the redemptive love offered all around you, even in brokenness; and step out of your comfort zone and build bridges to solve societal problems.
“My wish for you, Class of 2025, is that you vanquish your fears as you become shakers of salt and beacons of light in your homes, your neighborhoods, your churches, your workplaces, and your communities,” Huxman said.
Huxman, who has served as EMU’s ninth president for the past nine years, is retiring this year. Throughout her two terms, she has worked diligently to help EMU fulfill its Anabaptist mission, inspired by Micah 6:8, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
Chad Gusler, associate professor of language and literature, delivered the faculty address titled “The Sound of Your Love Saying Goodbye.” In his humorous and enlightening message to graduates, the wordsmith reflected on monsters, recounting childhood memories of living near a fantastical, kid-eating monster, and how he later transformed into a tickle monster for his own children. “But here’s the truth: I’m not the only monster in this room,” he said. “You all are monsters, graduating with a BA in monsterhood.”
“You show us, professors, administrators, all the parents out there, who we are,” Gusler said. “Because monsters are mirrors, reflecting the best, and sometimes even the worst, of us. So check your limbs, walk without fear, and embrace your monstrosity.”
Mana Acosta and Meredith Lehman, senior class co-presidents, provided the senior class salutations, reflecting on their experiences as EMU students. Acosta, a Cords of Distinction recipient, spoke about the beauty of transition and of the “gravity to leaving a place” and saying goodbye.
“Some of us are headed into jobs, grad school, or that uncertain place in between,” she said. “But no matter where we land, we carry something from EMU: the quiet belief that we are responsible to the world around us. We’ve learned that justice isn’t only an idea, it’s a habit you practice, and that hope isn’t soft, it’s stubborn. So here we are, standing at the edge of something new. It’s going to be scary, but we’re not doing it alone.”
Lehman, the first EMU student to receive the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, spent the spring semester at the Washington Community Scholars’ Center. She reflected on how living so close to the “upheaval and chaos” in Washington, D.C., taught her an important lesson: “There are people who care, working in quiet persistence” to fight injustice. “There are networks of resistance all around the world, whether you see them or not. This school has prepared us all to be those people.”
“The world needs you desperately,” Lehman told the graduates. “I wait in eager anticipation to see all of my fellow graduates emerge from this institution with vigor, hope, and vision for the world.”
Aja Laun, senior class business manager, and Iris Anderson, senior class secretary, presented the senior class gift to Huxman. The undergraduate Class of 2025 raised money for improvements to the “grasscrete” pathway between the Sadie Hartzler Library and University Commons.
Graduates received an EMU pin representing the wisdom they’ve shared and the investment and commitment they’ve made during their time as students. They were encouraged to wear the pin at Commencement and beyond to celebrate their EMU experience.
Following the service, the graduates, their families, and EMU faculty and staff were invited to a President’s Reception held in the Campus Center Greeting Hall. The event provided an opportunity for graduates and family members to meet with faculty, staff, and administrators, mingle with one another while they remained on campus, and enjoy refreshments.
The ceremony featured piano music from Mikayla Pettus ’25 and adjunct faculty member Harold Bailey, singing from Emma Nord ’25 and Cassidy Williams ’25, and a poetry reading from Alexis Lewis ’25. Marciella Shallomita ’25 led the prayer of invocation. Professors Dr. Kevin Seidel and Dr. Timothy Seidel, senior class advisors, read scripture passages from Micah 6:6-8 and Matthew 5:1-16. Jonathan Swartz, dean of students, offered the reflection and ritual, and Brian Martin Burkholder, university chaplain, provided the sending blessing.
View the photo album from the event.
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