EMU honored members of the Class of 2026 at its Graduate Celebration and Sending service on Saturday evening in Lehman Auditorium. The event featured a faculty address by Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, senior class salutations from co-presidents Genesis Figueroa and Arelys Martinez Fabian, and the presentation of the senior class gift, along with prayer, music, and poetry from graduates.

Graduates were joined by family, friends, supporters, and EMU faculty, staff, and administrators to celebrate their accomplishments and the unique gifts they bring to their communities and the world.

Formerly known as Baccalaureate, the annual ceremony offers graduates an opportunity to “look back with pride and look forward with courage,” Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said in her welcome. “It’s a space to breathe deeply, reflect on all that has brought you to this moment, and prepare your heart and spirit for what lies ahead.”

Graduates were joined by family, friends, supporters, and EMU faculty, staff, and administrators.

Senior class co-presidents Arelys Martinez Fabian and Genesis Figueroa deliver the senior class salutations (left). Dr. Tynisha Willingham welcomes the audience in Lehman Auditorium on Saturday evening (right).

In a shared address highlighting their close partnership, Figueroa and Martinez Fabian reflected on their experiences at EMU and encouraged graduates to carry what they’ve learned into every space they enter.

From late-night study sessions at Common Grounds Coffeehouse to “those dreadful group assignments,” campus became not just a place to take classes, but where they discovered who they are, the senior class co-presidents said.

“EMU has a way of pushing us, not just academically but personally,” they said. “It asks us to think critically, engage with people who are different from us, and consider how we want to show up in the world.”

“EMU doesn’t just prepare us for what’s next. It challenges us to think about why we do what we do,” they continued. “To consider how we can contribute to something bigger than ourselves, whether in our careers, our communities, or the everyday choices we make.”

Ethan Neufeld, senior class business manager, and Maria Longenecker, senior class secretary, presented the class gift to Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus. Each year, the senior class selects a meaningful gift that reflects their shared experience and leaves a lasting legacy. This year, the Class of 2026 chose to fund improvements to the EMU Game Room in the University Commons, expanding options for students, faculty, and staff.

Eli Stoll performs the opening song, “The Lord Lift You Up” (Voices Together 832).

Dr. Tara Kishbaugh (left) delivers the faculty address. Ethan Neufeld, senior class business manager, presents Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus with the senior class gift (right).

In her address titled “Go bravely…but please call,” Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success, urged graduates to keep a firm belief in themselves and hold onto their optimism. The longtime professor drew from her chemistry curriculum, likening the graduates’ situation to molecules in a transition state.

“This transition state is a normal part of transformation,” she said. “Butterflies don’t force it. The struggle is part of the becoming.”

She also reminded graduates that they didn’t arrive at Commencement weekend alone. “Look at the love that has brought you here,” she said. “…You belong to each other, and you belong to us. You’ve left a mark on EMU, and hopefully you will see the imprint of EMU in your future selves as little ripples.”

Graduate Celebration and Sending featured gathering music from Naomi Kratzer; an opening blessing from Sarah Prroj; an opening song from Eli Stoll; a performance of Stephen Paulus’ “The Road Home” by senior Chamber Singers members Erin Batten, Lauren Kauffman, Naomi Kratzer, Hollyn Miller, Jacob Nissley, Eli Stoll, Joshua Stucky, and Sean Swartley; poetry readings from Miranda Beidler and Emily Suarez Nunez; a sending blessing from Brian Martin Burkholder; sending music from Makinto; and reflections from senior class advisors Mark Metzler Sawin and Jonathan Swartz, who also handed out EMU pins.

Graduates received pins 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 pins at Commencement and beyond, honoring how EMU has supported them in their learning and growth.

Mark Metzler Sawin and Jonathan Swartz, senior class advisors, offer their reflections.

Miranda Beidler (left) shares original poetry, while Sarah Prroj (right) gives an opening blessing.

During their four years at EMU, much has changed, Metzler Sawin told the graduates. Presidents, both nationally and at EMU, have changed, as has the power and scope of artificial intelligence. “But most importantly, yourselves,” he said. “You’ve grown in many ways during these same four years.”

Much has also stayed the same: “The significance of human connection, the value of genuine relationships, and the core values that made you the unique and significant person you were when you arrived here and still are today,” he added.

In her opening blessing, Prroj reflected on the moments that have challenged her and the relationships that have shaped her into who she is today. EMU didn’t just educate her, she said, but also formed her, teaching her how to lead, listen, care, and become part of something bigger than herself. Sharing the words of pastor Rick Warren, she said that when people take their final breath, no one asks for their trophies, achievements, or diplomas.

“They asked for the people they love,” she said. “Because in the end, it’s not what we accomplish that matters most. It’s who we share our lives with. And that’s what makes EMU so special. It’s not just a place of learning, but a place of community where we’re known, supported, and shaped by one another.”

Watch a video recording of the ceremony below!

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.

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.