Valparaiso University is where "Athens meets Jerusalem,” President of Valparaiso University Mark A. Heckler said today at the end of the school’s Commencement Ceremony as the graduates prepared to rise and turn their tassels. In his fifth year as the university President, Heckler wished his students the best as Valparaiso University said goodbye to yet another class of students whose hard work and drive have brought them to the place they were at today: their graduation.
The ceremony began with a prayer, the speeches were eloquent, the emotion was sincere and the pride in the university and its students could be felt by everyone there. Promptly after the prayer Heckler acknowledged certain students who have taken initiative to begin carving their lives out before graduating, and then acknowledged the brave students of the university who have, or are to serve the country. Following the sea of applause that filled the Athletics-Recreation Center for both groups of students, Heckler began to introduce the commencement speaker Rev. John A. Nunes, founder of the Lutheran Malaria Initiative, by quoting St. Augustine.
"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are," he said.
With that Nunes came up to the podium to deliver a speech that none of those present will soon forget.
Nunes will be joining the Valparaiso University faculty next year and in his speech to the graduates he expressed his complete faith in those who will be leaving Valparaiso University by saying, "I see you as leaders,” and that with their work they can change the world, fight poverty, hunger and especially prejudice. Nunes said that "Not valuing the humanity of enemies or even those who do evil demeans our own humanity. People are people."
Nunes admits that his one main point that he is trying to make is that those graduating will be able to call others out for being prejudiced and pitting people against people because "there is only one race, and it’s called the human race.” He also said that "your generation has more experience with diversity than ours does, and we need your expertise."
He added to that by quoting Martin Luther King, Jr.
"People hate you because they fear you."
He closed his speech by telling this time not only the graduates, but the audience as well that "you go into a beautiful world and let us all go and make it better."
After the audience inundated itself with applause, President Heckler took the podium once more to bring attention to cherished members of the faculty who will be retiring next year. Next, the students who graduated cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude were recognized. In the end, the deans of each department announced their graduating students and President Heckler handed out their diplomas. The ceremony ended with a prayer and the singing of the Alma Mater, where then the graduates, clad in their brown caps, turned their tassels and walked out the door ready to face the world.
View more photos from the graduation on Valparaiso University's Flickr page!