Graduating seniors from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications walked the stage and earned their diplomas during Elon University’s 135th Undergraduate Commencement May 23 at Schar Center.
The commencement was the second of the day, following the ceremony for Elon College, The College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and the School of Health Sciences at 9 a.m.
Just like the first ceremony, the second ceremony featured an address from university president Connie Book, student-elected class speaker Craig Brandstetter and Commencement speaker Wes Durham ‘88, as well as a musical performance from graduating senior Kameron Askew.
As the graduating seniors sat waiting to process into the ceremony, Durham spoke to the anxious students, connecting with them now as soon-to-be fellow alumni.
“I hope, as Dr. Book said, you'll leave here with no regrets,” Durham said. “Because this place gets more special, believe it or not, it gets more special after you attend. Because we are a powerful core unit of people.”
Graduating senior and Elon football defensive lineman Donovan Everette said he is excited for what comes next after Elon. He plans on attending Mercer University for graduate school.
“It's kind of bittersweet, but I'm enjoying it while I can,” Everette said in an interview with Elon News Network.
A graduating student ends his stroll with a split on stage during Undergraduate Commencement May 23 at Schar Center.
Once students processed into the main space, students listened to a moment of reflection from the university chaplain and dean of multifaith engagement, Rev. Kirstin Boswell. She encouraged students to carry what they have learned at Elon both in and out of the classroom with them through this next chapter of their lives.
Messages of encouragement were present throughout the ceremony, including in Brandstetter’s message of appreciation to the class of 2025. He reflected on his experience with the “Elon Bubble” and how experiential learning opportunities have broadened both his and the class of 2025’s perspective of the world.
“For four years, we have had the ability to see through our bubbles, to catch glimpses of the world waiting beyond it; had opportunities to interact with communities beyond Elon, to take what we’ve learned in classrooms and test it in reality, in internships and jobs,” Brandsetter said.
Brandstetter again encouraged students to look to the future and not fear what comes next after Elon.
“So class of 2025, let's not fear what's next. Let's not hesitate at the edge of the bubble,” Brandstetter said. “Instead, let's take a deep breath and step through. For it's not about leaving the bubble, it's what we carry through it. Here's to the bubble that held us and to the world that now awaits us.”
Book spoke to the class of 2025 after Brandstetter’s address, sharing the story of graduating senior Jose Alexander Reyes Arias, who started his Elon career at five years old through Elon’s “It Takes a Village” program. Also known as the Village Project, “It Takes a Village” is operated by Elon’s Center for Access and Success, and offers tutoring and specialized learning at no cost to families with children in pre-K through fifth grade. He later joined “Elon Academy,” a high school college preparation program for students who are the first in their families to attend college. According to Book, the program has a 100% success rate with all of its students attending college. Reyes Arias was also an Odyssey Scholar, a selective merit-based program for students with strong academic and civic engagement who demonstrate a financial need.
Graduting senior Jose Alex Reyes Arias stands in line with fellow graduates during Undergraduate Commencement May 23 at Schar Center.
Book also acknowledged and celebrated the inaugural six graduates in Elon’s new FinTech, or financial technology, major. The FinTech major was offered for the first time in the fall of 2023.
Book then introduced Durham, who encouraged the class of 2025 to be confident in the world, because they have an Elon education to back them up.
“You are prepared. You are more than ready,” Durham said. “And in a minute, you're going to walk here to there. They're going to give you that piece of paper, and you're going to step down those three steps, and you're officially going to be in the game.”
He also told students not to be afraid to connect with alumni again, because now they are all a part of the same Elon team, which he affectionately called “our Elon.”
“The success you'll enjoy is best when it's shared,” Durham said. “That's likely what's happened in your time here, and it's the reason I'm so excited you're getting ready to be on our team.”
As graduates crossed the stage to receive their diplomas, students received cheers and shared their joy through smiles and waves. Students who are members of historically Black fraternities and sororities, called the Divine Nine, performed strolls as they crossed the stage to the tune of celebratory applause. According to The University of Arizona, strolling is part of step tradition and is a dance-like art form involving rhythmic choreography such as stomping, clapping, chanting and singing. Historically Black fraternities and sororities perform original moves that represent their chapter’s values, character and personality.
To close the ceremony, Book returned to the podium to speak to the graduates and reflect on their growth over the past four years.
She held up an oak tree sapling, which is given to graduating seniors during the Senior Baccalaureate Reflection to symbolize their growth at Elon.
“We are Elon,” Book said. “Elon is Hebrew for oak, not Elon Musk, but Elon for oak. Our beautiful oak trees remind us that we are strong, and that our strength is our commitment to the success of each other. It's all yours, class of 2025.”