EMU at Lancaster celebrated the accomplishments of its graduates at a Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 10, 2024, at Forest Hills Mennonite Church in Leola, Pennsylvania. Walking in the ceremony were 21 undergraduates and 7 graduate students.

Commencement address

EMU Provost Dr. Tynisha Willingham delivered the Commencement address.

During one particularly challenging semester in her sophomore year at Pennsylvania State University, Willingham felt like giving up. The first-generation college grad struggled to balance two jobs, her responsibilities as a Resident Assistant and an 18-credit course load. She called home to tell her family how difficult things were and that she felt like returning home.

Her grandfather picked up the phone and told her, “I want you to remember, we’re so proud of you. Keep working hard,” Willingham recounted in her address. And, in that moment, she said, she could not find the words to tell him how overwhelmed she was or how she wanted to give up.

“For some of you, you’ve had those moments where you wanted to call it quits, where you wanted to send that text or make that call because it was hard, but you persevered nonetheless,” Willingham told the graduates. “I want you to know that, whether it was two years or four years, those long nights and early mornings were well worth it.”

Graduate speakers

Three graduates shared experiences from their journeys at EMU at Lancaster.

Erica Gordon, a graduate of the Leadership and Organizational Management (LOM) program, described a group activity during the final night of her Team Dynamics course. Tasked with finding an object and telling the rest of the group why it was important to her, Gordon shared a photo from her daughter’s wedding. She held back tears as she recounted telling the group that “completing this degree wasn’t just for me, but it was to show my daughters they could do it, too.”

“For far too long, I believed I wasn’t smart enough to be where I am tonight,” she told her fellow graduates. “After class that night, I received many encouraging texts that helped carry me through that program. It meant the world to me that they believed in me.”

Julie Landis, an MA in education graduate, said that when first starting out on their journeys, the path ahead seemed exciting and daunting. Together, they faced challenges and triumphs, moments of doubt and confidence-boosting successes. She left her fellow education graduates with words of encouragement.

“Remember why you chose this path,” she said. “Whether it was a deep-seated passion for shaping young minds, a desire to make a positive impact on society, or a commitment to lifelong learning, hold on to that purpose. Let it be your guide on the challenging days and a source of inspiration on the victorious ones.”

Samr Morcos, a graduate of the aviation program, reflected on the bonds formed with his classmates and expressed gratitude for the flight instructors who guided them and inspired them to reach new heights. He encouraged the graduates to carry forward the lessons of adaptability, resilience and effective communication they’ve learned at EMU. He said the aviation program has not only equipped them with knowledge, but also with the practical skills needed to lead and thrive in a dynamic environment.

“As we spread our wings on our individual journeys, let us remember that the sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning,” he said.

Tribute to Capt. Clemmensen

The ceremony featured a tribute to Capt. Karl Clemmensen, an EMU aviation instructor who passed away suddenly on April 11, 2024. Clemmensen began serving as an aviation instructor at EMU at Lancaster in 2021. You can read his obituary . Aviation student Will Stover read the tribute.

Clemmensen was a driving force behind the excellence of the aviation program, nurturing its growth and maturity, Stover said. As a dedicated faculty member, he imparted his expertise in meteorology, aviation safety and air transport advanced subjects while also serving as an aviation industry liaison.

“Capt. Karl leaves behind a legacy of passion, dedication, and a lasting impact on our aviation community,” Stover said. “Though he may be gone, his spirit will forever soar among us.”

Other highlights

EMU President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman presented welcoming remarks and the conferring of degrees. Shannon Dycus, vice president of student affairs and dean of students at EMU, presented the graduates and provided the Commencement blessing. Dr. Christine Sharp, Dr. Daniel Lebo, David Martin and John Sibole assisted with the presentation of graduates. EMU Board of Trustees members Janet Lind and James Rosenberger were in attendance.

EMU at Lancaster offers undergraduate and graduate academic programs tailored to the needs of its nonresidential and post-traditional learners. The school collaborates closely with local civic and business organizations to ensure that its curriculum aligns with the evolving educational and workforce landscape.

It will relocate to a state-of-the-art facility at the Listrak building in Lititz, Pennsylvania, in July. Read more about that move here.

More than 3,000 people were in attendance to recognize the graduates.

Business leader and philanthropist聽Jose Koshy, class of 鈥�76, delivered the address on the power of agape love and kindness.聽He shared three acts of kindness he received at EMC that have guided him in building a career, a business and a family.

When Koshy was an 18-year-old first-year student at EMC, his parents needed to leave Harrisonburg. He could not afford to live in the dorms and, 鈥渒nowing my situation, God sent Rachel and Robert Stoltzfus into my life.鈥� The couple lived near campus and took him in 鈥渨ith no questions asked.鈥�

鈥淭heir home was small, but their hearts were big,鈥� Koshy said. 鈥淭hey gave so much from what little they had. They were rich in spirit and they were generous with it 鈥� true agape love.鈥�

Undergraduates Hebron Mekuria and Ariel Morales Bonilla and MA graduate Chidi Ihezuoh offered graduate perspectives.

鈥淰ery few things in this world are actually impossible,鈥� Mekuria told the graduates. 鈥淢any things can be done. They can be hard, challenging and require lots and lots of work, but they can be done.鈥�

For a longer summary of the Commencement address from Koshy and the graduate perspectives, visit the post below.

President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman presided over the ceremony, and Provost Tynisha Willingham commissioned the graduates. The commencement was Willingham鈥檚 first; she started in the role in July 2023.

Cords of Distinction

Ten graduating seniors are 2024 Cords of Distinction recipients. They were honored in a on Friday, May 3, 2024, and wore blue and gold cords signifying their achievement during EMU Commencement.

Lavender Graduation

EMU hosted its third Lavender Graduation on Saturday, May 4, 2024, to honor LGBTQ+ graduates and alumni. The annual event recognizes LGBTQ+ students of all races and ethnicities and acknowledges their achievement and contributions to the university.

Donning of the Kente

EMU held its ninth  on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at MainStage Theater. The annual event recognizes and rewards achievement, honors those who contributed to the graduate鈥檚 success, connects graduates to their heritage and international roots, and encourages them to continue striving for excellence. 

Undergraduate Baccalaureate

The undergraduate seniors in the Class of 2024 were honored with a service on Saturday, May 4, 2024, which included a scripture reading, musical selections, an address from Instructor Maria Esther Showalter, senior class salutations and the presentation of the senior class gift. View the ceremony .

CJP Celebration of Blessings

The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) celebrated the 33 graduates from its master’s degree and graduate certificate programs on Sunday, May 5, 2024, with a send-off from faculty and staff and reflections from three 2024 graduates.

EMU at Lancaster will hold its Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 10, 2024 at 7 p.m. at Forest Hills Mennonite Church in Leola, Pennsylvania. The school will recognize 14 aviation graduates and 16 Leadership and Organizational Management (LOM) and Graduate Teacher Education graduates.

Watch for a recap of the Lancaster ceremony coming soon!

Photos by Macson McGuigan/EMU, Cassidy Walker/EMU and Jon Styer/At Ease Design & Consulting

Business leader and philanthropist聽Jose Koshy, class of 鈥�76, delivered a Commencement address on Sunday, May 5, 2024, about the power of agape love and kindness.

Koshy was born in Brunei (Southeast Asia), moved to India with his family when he was five years old and arrived in the U.S. at age 15. Eventually, in 1970, his family found their way to Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Koshy graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School in 1972 and was a member of the Eastern Mennonite College Class of 1976. His career includes management roles at several Fortune 500 companies in the telecommunications sector. Currently, he serves as executive vice president of Tribocor Technologies in Houston, Texas.

Koshy shared three acts of agape love and kindness he received at EMC that have guided him in building a career, a business and a family.

One of those acts, he shared with the 3,000-plus gathered for Commencement, was the kindness shown by then-Academic Dean Dr. Ira Miller, who invited international students like Koshy into his home and let them share their stories.

鈥淚 appreciated the intercultural learning, the mutual respect and the free exchange of ideas in those many discussions,鈥� he said.

Koshy also shared the kindness shown by his former supervisor Milo Stahl, director of learning resources, who taught him how to thread film into a projector. Koshy recalled breaking the film several times and watching as Stahl patiently spliced and glued the film together each time.

鈥淚 was embarrassed and gave up on myself, but Mr. Stahl did not,鈥� Koshy said. 鈥淗e taught me how to splice and fix my mistakes. 鈥� I became the go-to guy to fix all the broken and damaged films on campus.鈥�

When Koshy was an 18-year-old first-year student at EMC, his parents needed to leave Harrisonburg. He could not afford to live in the dorms and, 鈥渒nowing my situation, God sent Rachel and Robert Stoltzfus into my life.鈥� The couple lived near campus and took him in 鈥渨ith no questions asked.鈥�

鈥淭heir home was small, but their hearts were big,鈥� Koshy said. 鈥淭hey gave so much from what little they had. They were rich in spirit and they were generous with it 鈥� true agape love.鈥�

Koshy and his wife, Jean Koshy-Hertzler 鈥�79, have honored the Stoltzfus family by establishing scholarships at EMU for international students and inclusive excellence grants for faculty, staff and students.

Undergraduates Hebron Mekuria and Ariel Morales Bonilla and MA graduate Chidi Ihezuoh offered graduate perspectives.

Mekuria, a graduate of the engineering and computer science programs, took a moment to remember Nathan Longenecker, a member of the Class of 2024 who was diagnosed with brain cancer in his second semester at EMU and passed away in October 2021. A has been created to honor his legacy. 

She spoke about their past four years, from taking online classes on Zoom to standing up for the rights of those oppressed around the world, in Palestine and in Ukraine.

鈥淰ery few things in this world are actually impossible,鈥� she told the graduates. 鈥淢any things can be done. They can be hard, challenging and require lots and lots of work, but they can be done.鈥�

Bonilla, a graduate with degrees in political science and history, expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the 鈥渟imple, yet profound joys鈥� of Fridays at the cafeteria.

鈥淔or many of us, Fridays meant smiley fries and burgers,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 day of closing each week with friends and community, laughing, sharing food, and sometimes talking about this very day… a graduation that you all remember.鈥�

Ihezuoh, an MA in Christian leadership graduate, shared thanks for the relationships forged with faculty, friends and classmates at Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

鈥淓ach one of us at the seminary was the support system for the other,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e all worked as a team.鈥�

President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman聽presided over the ceremony, and聽Provost Tynisha Willingham聽commissioned the graduates. The commencement was Willingham鈥檚 first; she started in the role in July 2023.

The undergraduate students who graduated last weekend hold a special place in EMU history, said President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman, because 鈥�2024 is no ordinary graduation exercise.鈥�

Officially known as the 鈥淐OVID Class,鈥� many of the 2024 graduates entered EMU as first-year students in the fall of 2020, having never experienced a high school prom or in-person graduation. They arrived amidst the strictest COVID-19 requirements.

And yet, Huxman said, the Class of 2024 has emerged with heroic resolve through four years of multilayered crises… a global health emergency, economic upheaval and racial reckoning. 鈥淎 trifecta of turbulence,鈥� she termed it. 

鈥淗ere you are, ready to cross the finish line, much more adaptable, much more resilient, much more humble and empathic, and perhaps, most important, much more attuned to the very values this university is built upon,鈥� she told the crowd of soon-to-be graduates, family members, friends, faculty and staff gathered at Lehman Auditorium for the Undergraduate Baccalaureate on Saturday, May 4, 2024.

鈥淭hrough it all, Class of 2024, you have shown the next generation what it means to shoulder setbacks, come what may, and still be immersed in a rigorous and caring academic and life journey,鈥� Huxman said.

The baccalaureate service is an opportunity for graduating seniors to pause and reflect as they prepare for the grand celebration, EMU Provost Tynisha Willingham said. Legend has it that the tradition began at Oxford University, England, in the early 1400s, when graduates were required, as part of their closing rite of passage, to preach a sermon in Latin.

鈥淣ow, mind you, no one is going to preach, and it will not be in Latin,鈥� she joked.

鈥楧olce far niente鈥�

Selected by the Class of 2024 as its Baccalaureate speaker, Maria Esther Showalter, instructor of Spanish language and Hispanic studies, delivered an address on 鈥渇inding and sustaining your purpose.鈥�

As part of sustaining that purpose, she explained, it鈥檚 important to slow down and take breaks to avoid stress and burnout. Among her tips: create a meaningful morning routine, savor your coffee and tea, stop multitasking, simplify your to-do list, read a book, take a walk, go on a run, write in your journal, let go of the fear of missing out, and say 鈥渘o鈥� more often.

She said she鈥檚 recently discovered the Italian phrase, 鈥�dolce far niente,鈥� which translates to 鈥渢he sweetness of doing nothing.鈥� When you鈥檙e stressed out, she told the graduating class, try to remember this phrase.

鈥�Dolce far niente is a form of art,鈥� Showalter said. 鈥淚t takes practice. There are no rules. But when you begin to do nothing, keep in mind the opposite of 鈥榖usy鈥� is not 鈥榣azy鈥�. The opposite of 鈥榖usy鈥� is 鈥榮olitude鈥�. The opposite of 鈥榖usy鈥� is being loving and graceful. The opposite of 鈥榖usy鈥� is 鈥榮tillness鈥�. All those opposites are essential for your health, happiness and relationships.鈥�

Senior class salutations

Senior class co-presidents Hannah Landis and Megan Miller delivered the senior class salutations, reflecting on their experiences at EMU.聽

鈥淔or most of us, the growth experience here has been unparalleled, and the support and care from professors and faculty have shaped us and broadened our horizons,鈥� Miller said.

She echoed EMU鈥檚 mission, to prepare students to serve and lead in a global context, and said it鈥檚 done just that.

鈥淓MU has equipped us to go into the world and positively impact the lives of those around us,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淥ur stories are just beginning, and the best years of our lives are yet to come.鈥�

Senior class gift

Lizzy Kirkton, senior class business manager, and Julie Weaver, senior class secretary, presented the senior class gift.

The Class of 2024 raised $485 in funds that will be used to add stone pavers around the fire pit on the EMU hill, creating a more safe and welcoming environment. The class gift is dedicated to Nathan Longenecker, a member of the Class of 2024 who passed away in 2021 after a battle with brain cancer. 

鈥淲ords can hardly encompass the entirety of a person, but if we are to try, some words to describe Nathan would be gracious, kind, patient, intelligent, loyal, charismatic and, in the words of Ben Alderfer, 鈥榠rritatingly persuasive,鈥欌�� Weaver said. 鈥淚f you were blessed with the opportunity to know Nathan, we know that he impacted your life in a beautiful way.鈥�

To donate to the Nathan Longenecker Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund created in his memory, . Gifts to the fund provide need-based scholarships to incoming EMU students.

The closing of a circle

In many ways, said 2024 class advisor Shannon Dycus, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, the Undergraduate Baccalaureate service is meant to complete a circle that would have begun during the students鈥� first days on campus.聽

In traditional, non-pandemic times, the first-year students would鈥檝e received EMU pins, huddled around the plaza fountain and dropped the pins into it, symbolizing the start of their college journeys. At the end of their senior year, they would have received those pins back to wear at Commencement.

The graduating seniors may have missed out on the first part of the ritual, but on Saturday, they took those pins and held them in their hands for the first time. 

鈥淭onight, we are not closing a simple circle,鈥� Dycus told the Class of 2024. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got edges and curvy parts on it.鈥�

The ceremony featured organ music from 2024 graduate Luke Haynes, singing from 2024 graduates Maggie Garber McClary and Thaddeus Jackson; a dedication prayer from deans Dr. Daniel Ott, Dr. Tara Kishbaugh and Dr. David Brubaker; scripture readings from class advisors Shannon Dycus and Chad Gusler; a poetry reading from 2024 graduate Belen Hernandez Rosario; and a sending blessing from Brian Martin Burkholder.