Two years ago, Ruby Radis watched her sorority big, best friend and Elon alum, Grace Ackerman, speak at the commencement ceremony in 2024. What Radis didn’t know was that moment would open the possibility of being a speaker at her own graduation. 

Radis, a human service studies major, was selected by a board of Elon University students, faculty and President Connie Book to be the undergraduate commencement speaker for the 136th Commencement ceremonies on May 22.

An email was sent out to Elon seniors announcing that Radis had been selected to deliver the “Message of Appreciation.” 

“I don’t think I would have done it if I didn’t have something to say, and I wanted to make sure that it was something that could leave my mark on Elon,” Radis said.

A pivotal moment for Radis was when she switched from a history major to HSS after realizing she had reached a point in her history studies where it was only a stepping stone to a master's degree. 

“Having that background going into human service studies has been very impactful because I can understand why things work the way they do, and why our systems are in place,” Radis said. “And it’s because of cycles of history.”

History, Radis said, gave her the foundation to continue that work in a more personal way, learning how to work with others and understanding how they think. What started as a minor in human service studies grew into something more, and when Radis made it her major, she said the skills she gained followed her out of the classroom and into her everyday life.

“HSS has really taught me to understand why someone is acting the way they do,” Radis said. 

It was with this change that Radis said she decided she finally had something worthwhile to say to her graduating class. 

“It was always going to be centered around community and the community I feel here at Elon,” Radis said. 

Radis said Elon opens many spaces for students to find community. For herself, she found places including her sorority, Sigma Kappa, her tight-knit human service studies graduating class and club sports. Sometimes, she said she even made friends simply from walking around campus. 

One of the programs that Radis said left a major impact on her was the Periclean Scholars program, which she joined in the second semester of her freshman year, along with a cohort of 13 women who are graduating with her this year. 

According to the program’s website, the program centers on increasing “civic engagement and social responsibility of the entire university community,” by having students participate in local and international partnerships. Engaging in community this way is something Radis said encompasses the HSS major. 

Along with the program, HSS also forced Radis outside of the Elon bubble. Through the major's "block semester," a small cohort of students took three classes together, completed separate internships, and reunited to reflect on what they found in the field.

“It forces you to be aware and make relationships outside of the Elon bubble,” Radis said. 

After graduation, Radis plans to temporarily move back home to Chicago to spend time with family. She said she especially wants to travel to meet people and learn their stories before she continues her education through a dual program, earning a law degree alongside a master’s in social work.

“We’re all working with outside communities, and we have to reflect and understand the systems in which we work within,” Radis said.