COMMENCEMENT

PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOLDERMAN '18

COMMENCEMENT

INAUGURAL LAVENDER GRADUATION

Recognizing LGBTQ+ students, present and past

APPROXIMATELY 100 GRADUATES AND ALUMNI were honored in front of a standing-room-only audience at EMU’s first Lavender Graduation in May. The event recognizes LGBTQ students of all races and ethnicities and acknowledges their achievement and contributions to the university.

The graduation ceremony was the first such among the Mennonite colleges and universities in the USA and Canada, according to Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jackie Font-Guzmán.

It was also the culmination of several events during spring semester centering LGBTQ history and story – of individuals, the community, and the institution itself. Such events are important for building community, affirming values, and helping to heal, said Font-Guzmán in her speech welcoming the audience to the graduation.

“Rituals are one of the oldest ways to mobilize the power of community for healing,” she said. “Today, through this ritual, we make the caring for our community tangible, we enact and affirm our values, we create a space of protection and safety, and we create an opportunity for authentic transformation. Students, you have made this space possible through your leadership and passion. EMU is a better place today because of you.”

The program included two student speakers, representing undergraduates and graduates, who shared their stories about being a part of the LGBTQ community. Professor Kathy Evans, education professor and faculty advisor to Safe Space, gave the keynote address.

Participants were given rainbow stoles to wear during Commencement. Graduates at EMU traditionally wear these colorful vestments, which symbolize countries or regions of the student’s intercultural travels and/or their identity.

Senior Hannah Leaman is presented with a rainbow stole by Professor Kathy Evans at the university's first Lavender Graduation. The May 6 event, which was also open to alumni, preceded EMU's main Commencement. The celebration honored the accomplishments and experiences of the LGBTQ community past and present at EMU.

COMMENCEMENT

FIRST AVIATION GRADUATES

The BS in Leadership and Organizational Management (LOM) with an Aviation Concentration program utilizes blended course delivery methods. EMU's partnership with specialized training provider Aero-Tech Services, Inc. represents an integrated and collaborative approach to delivery of a collegiate aviation program. LEARN MORE AT EMU.EDU/AVIATION

THREE EMU GRADUATES MADE A SURPRISE

HELICOPTER FLIGHT to their Commencement ceremony – a special distinction as the first graduates of the Lancaster, Pa. -based aviation program. Cienna Stover, Noelle Yorgey and Ivy Kreiser were among the first enrollees when the program started in 2018. They graduated with bachelor’s degrees in leadership and organizational management – and private, commercial, and flight instructor certificates, with instrument and multi-engine ratings.

In their final semesters, all three fulfilled a capstone internship requirement that helped to focus their interests. Kreiser plans to work at her former internship site, Venture Jets, a private charter and aviation services company in Lancaster. Yorgey is further exploring the mission field after interning with Agape Flights. Stover fulfilled her internship at Aero-Tech Services, EMU’s partner in the program, where she has been working as a flight instructor since June 2021.

“It’s a great time to be a pilot and to enter this industry. Boeing’s workforce outlook for the commercial aviation sector alone is that 612,000 new pilots will be needed worldwide over the next 20 years,” said Director of Aviation John Sibole, a veteran commercial pilot, instructor, and former FAA safety inspector.

Over Commencement weekend, Sibole was honored with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for his 50-plus-year career of mentorship, professionalism and safety within the aviation field. Director of aviation since 2018, Sibole has been a military aviator, engineer, flight school owner, and airline pilot. Three of his former colleagues from the FAA presented him with the award, just one of 57 presented nationwide during 2022.

PHOTO BY CHRISTY KAUFFMAN '19