Graduates Urged to Embody Character and Courage by Serving Globally
Led by bagpipes under a blanket of traditional May fog, 305 of the 356 Westmont graduates made their Last March from Kerrwood Hall to Thorrington Field on May 9, where they enthusiastically walked across the stage to receive their diplomas at Commencement. More than 50 Golden Warriors from the class of 1976 joined the procession and celebrated their 50th reunion during the weekend.
The speaker, Henrietta Fore, grew up in Santa Barbara and led a fascinating life as a former executive director of UNICEF and USAID. She urged the 356 graduates to apply their education toward solving international crises in health, education and digital connectivity. The first woman in these national and global leadership positions, she also served as undersecretary of state for management, COO for the Department of State and director of the U.S. Mint in the Department of the Treasury.
Drawing from her experience managing humanitarian responses, including the distribution of two billion COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, Fore emphasized the unique power that academic institutions possess to help those in need. She highlighted the necessity for “graduates of character, confidence and courage” to address modern challenges such as mental health, global climate change and food insecurity.
Fore reminded the new alums that the college provided a foundation that transcends a simple credential. “Westmont has given you something more than a degree,” she said. “It has given you something far more lasting. It is giving you an education. And an education has a remarkable quality. It stays with you wherever you go.”
“Westmont has given you something more than a degree,” she said. “It has given you something far more lasting. It is giving you an education. And an education has a remarkable quality. It stays with you wherever you go.”
She concluded by inviting the class to join a global effort for the common good. “Bring your education and your dreams,” she said. “If you take up this challenge, you’ll never wonder why you get up in the morning.”
President Gayle D. Beebe presented the Westmont Medal to William and Nancy Kimsey for embodying the principles associated with the college’s character. A former chairman and CEO with more than 30 years at the global auditing and accounting firm Ernst & Young, Kimsey congratulated the graduates on reaching a critical milestone. He urged them to uphold the “Westmont way” as they transition into a new chapter of life, noting that their education provides a solid and essential moral foundation for the future. “Nancy and I hope that each of you, as you face life’s many choices, will always pause and think what would be the Westmont way,” he said.
Kaisa Lindman-Marshall, a religious studies graduate, shared her initial fears and longings upon arriving at college. Despite finding incredible friends, professors and a beautiful campus, she felt a lingering disappointment. When her sister Sierra pointed out her lack of belief in God’s love, Kaisa found a deeper acceptance of divine love. “Since then, it has been a process of me learning to accept God’s love for me, to sit before him and let him sift through my thoughts, peer upon my soul, to let him know me and to trust that even in all his knowing of me, he still wants me,” she said. She emphasized that God’s perfect love, which she experienced at Westmont, will accompany her, providing certainty and confidence in an uncertain world.
Anthony Gose, a chemistry graduate, shared a humorous story about gambling to illustrate life’s uncertainties. He referred to the class’s Bible verse, Ephesians 3:17-19, noting that while we may lack a map for the future, God promises his presence. “As we leave this place, this community that has shaped us, challenged us and carried us to this moment, I want us to hold on to the love we’ve already been given, a love, as Paul says, that is wider and longer and higher and deeper than anything we can fully comprehend,” he said.
Sage Kramer and David Oyebade won the Dean’s Award as outstanding scholar-athletes. Sophia Morton and Andreas Olvera accepted the Kenneth Monroe Award for their superior academic achievement, leadership and character.
Provost Kim Denu awarded the Bruce and Adaline Bare Outstanding Teacher Awards to Anna Jordan (English), Steve Julio (biology) and Coby Harmon (economics and business). Kristi Cantrell (chemistry) received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship. The First Seniors, who earned 4.0 GPAs throughout their Westmont careers, included Thomas Reed, Kateryna Kravchuk and Taylor Gray.
In his final charge, President Gayle D. Beebe encouraged graduates to find stability and nourishment through a life lived in constant contact with God. Drawing from Ephesians 3:17, he emphasized the importance of being “rooted and grounded in love” to navigate future challenges. “Ultimately, Paul’s words offer a moral vision in which our life in Christ is no longer at the margins but forms the core of who we are, making possible the kind of human flourishing God intended,” Beebe said. “May God be above you to bless you, below you to support you, before you to guide you and inside you to give you peace, strength, hope and joy.”
Nursing Cohort 7
