Campus S tu dent’s assi gnment to speak at graduati on ‘came as a surpri se ’ Photo courtesy of lds.org
E ld e r Cook t o s p ea k a t com m e n ce m ent Elder Quentin L. Cook, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will address the 386 graduates at BYU–Hawaii’s winter commencement exercises April 10 at 9 a.m. in the CAC. Elder Cook was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 6, 2007. Called as a General Authority in April 1996, he served in the Second Quorum, the First Quorum, and the Presidency of the Seventy. As a Seventy, he served in the Area Presidency in the Philippines, as president of the Pacific Islands and the North America Northwest Areas, and as Executive Director of the Missionary Department. He is a native of Logan, Utah, received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Utah State University, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Stanford University. He married Mary Gaddie on November 30, 1962. They are the parents of three children. – d u s t in g e d d es & L D S N E W S R OOM
Nick Holladay, who may be one of BYUHawaii’s most well-rounded students, was recently selected to be the student speaker at this semester’s commencement ceremony. Most people remember Holladay as No. 30 from his two seasons on the basketball team, or they may now recognize him as “Coach Wagner’s assistant.” What they might not know is that he will be graduating Magna Cum Laude in business management with a focus on operations and supply chain management, as well as a minor in information systems. He is also excited to graduate into fatherhood, as he and his wife await the arrival of their first child sometime next week. When asked about his assignment to speak, Holladay admitted to being a decent student and
speaker, but to him the “call came as a surprise.” One day he received an e-mail from Vice President Checketts’ secretary requesting a phone call as soon as possible. In their short phone dialogue the secretary asked when Holladay could meet with Vice President Checketts. After a quick hesitation he asked what it was about, to which she replied, “I can’t tell you what it’s about, but you’re not in trouble.” Holladay scheduled the appointment and there was told he had been selected to speak at graduation. The only guidelines he received were to “inform and inspire” the audience and keep it to five minutes or less, due to the large size of the graduating class. When asked about his speech preparation he chuckled and said, “I’m just glad I have my wonderful wife to help me!” He and his wife Tara, who are both from Mesa, Ariz., were married in Aug. 2006. –blake ba xter
Senior Nick Holladay, majoring in international business management from Mesa, Ariz., will be representing all the graduates at Commencement on April 10. Photo by Ryan Bagley
April 1, 2010
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