{"id":58984,"date":"2025-05-08T12:32:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T16:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=58984"},"modified":"2025-05-08T14:20:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T18:20:50","slug":"highlights-from-emus-2025-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2025\/highlights-from-emus-2025-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"Highlights from EMU\u2019s 2025 Commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eastern Mennonite University awarded 320 degrees at its 107th Commencement on Sunday, May 4. The total included 188 undergraduate degrees, 70 master’s degrees, and 62 graduate certificates. The 316 members of the graduating class hail from 26 states, Washington, D.C, and nine countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An estimated 3,000 people attended the ceremony to celebrate the graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View the 2025 Commencement photo gallery!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rev. Dr. Lesley Francisco McClendon,<\/strong> senior pastor of C3 Hampton and adjunct instructor at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, delivered the Commencement address. She encouraged graduates to live into the instruction of Micah 6:8, the guiding verse foundational to EMU\u2019s mission: \u201cWhat does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?\u201d As they leave campus, McClendon urged them to carry that call into a lifelong journey of discovery in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McClendon also serves as a member of the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board and as an instructor at Duke Divinity School. She is the founder of Herstoric Inc., a nonprofit organization committed to empowering leaders of all backgrounds to discover their voice, lead with confidence, and leave a lasting impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world doesn\u2019t just need more professionals, it needs more compassionate, just, and humble leaders. And I have no doubt that\u2019s exactly who you are,\u201d she told graduates. \u201cYou are ambassadors of hope, agents of change, and bearers of light in a world that desperately needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undergraduates Jason Dwyer<\/strong> and Adesola Johnson<\/strong> and MA graduate Getachew Temare<\/strong> presented the graduate perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a longer summary of the Commencement address and the graduate perspectives, visit the post below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Commencement speaker calls on graduates to pursue justice, mercy, and humility beyond EMU<\/a><\/blockquote>