Celebration of graduates started days before Saturday’s Commencement Ceremony in Allen Arena, when Lipscomb awarded 466 students with degrees.
On Thursday, Lipscomb awarded the first certificates of career exploration studies to three IDEAL students.
IDEAL is a two-year certificate program for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Students in the program attend academic and skill-building classes, work daily internships and hang out with peer mentors and the student body. The three IDEAL graduates — A.T. Banks, Rashaad Harrell and Matthew Loveland — paved the way for the program, which now has 19 students.
And just Friday, seven graduates from the Tennessee Prison for Women received their Lipscomb diplomas. Lipscomb partners with the prison for this unique program that allows inmates to take courses along with Lipscomb students to earn college credit.
“Theres a sense of courage of leaving the safety in wherever they were and entering into this process — that takes courage,” President Randy Lowry said. “There’s a sense of being transformed — the experience of having their lives changed, becoming what God has called them to be intellectually, emotionally, relationally and spiritually — but they’re not all outside of this arena.”
In Saturday’s ceremony, 231 students received graduate degrees. Two of the them were the first recipients of a Master of Fine Arts and Master of Science in Applied Behavioral Science. The number of graduate-level graduates has consistently outnumbered the number of undergraduate graduates in the December commencement.
Lowry honored several students whose stories he said he believes exude courage.
A group of students who came from universities across the nation received graduate degrees in education. These students are a part of Teach for America, a program that trains teachers to lead in schools in low-income communities.
Lowry recognized graduate Estefania Salas Reyes, who was a first generation student who spent several years studying along with working full-time. SALT Scholars Destinee Easley, Stephen Fetcher, Ashley Linville, Patricia Platt, Corey Ramsey and Rachel Sarvak were also noted for their service-learning work.
Lowry shared the story of Breonus Mitchell, a master of Theological Studies graduate. While in school, Mitchell experienced a tragedy, but that didn’t hold him back from his education.
“Two years ago he shared the joy of his wife’s pregnancy and then immediately thereafter found out she had breast cancer,” Lowry said.
Mitchell and his wife had to make tough decisions leading into the birth of their child. His wife soon passed but his child was born and is now flourishing.
“Through all that he knew their commitment to his education and he knew that he was called to be a husband, a father and also the pastor of a church — so we think about courage in this moment,” Lowry said.
Two Lipscomb graduates were working in careers long before they decided to advance their education at Lipscomb.
Gradaute Patricia Holliday, a member of state government, was recognized for her work in LEAD Tennessee. This is a statewide leadership training program Holliday helped create.
Veteran Justin Towne chose to spend his time immediately following high school to serve the country. Lowry honored Towne for receiving a degree in Supply Chain Management in the Yellow Ribbon Program and for his service.
These students make up over 35,000 total Lipscomb graduates of what Lowry called the “Bison Herd.” With each class that leaves its mark on campus, Lowry said he believes that their lives will be enriched if they consider a few things.
“The lessons we have sought to teach you, the traditions that we have offered to you, the messages that we have communicated to you and the examples that we have tried to be to you — consider them careful and those that you find worth put into practice,” Lowry said.
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