 to press on in their mission of higher education. As we hear names spoken aloud today and as students receive diplomas, let us also hear your voice calling each one present to receive a word of purpose and direction in life. We give thanks and praise for the great cloud of witnesses who provide and provided vision for these students and for this campus and community of learning and we ask you to inspire our hearts and minds to pursue and attain to even greater knowledge and insight that the ordering of our society and its affairs might be improved that justice and mercy might prevail and that your glory may be known upon the earth in all these things we fulfill your command oh god and offer you all praise and glory this day amen distinguished platform guests faculty staff students and friends of the university good morning and welcome to the 165th commencement exercise for elizabeth city state university i happen to believe that there are learning opportunities in everything i think what what we are challenged to learn today is that when things happen in one part of the nation they affect other parts of the nation i think by extension we should contemplate the idea that when things happen to one part of mankind they extend to other parts of mankind some weather conditions in the middle of our country uh yesterday and today have caused us to have to alter our program a bit today so there'll be some changes in the program as printed but by my account there are three three elements that are necessary for a successful commencement first you have to have the celebrants the celebrants are here they are assembled and we are here to honor them i think it's also important that the celebrants are accompanied by the faculty and staff that has challenged them taught them tested them and have found them worthy of the degrees that they will receive today and then very importantly it is it is important that the ceremony is witnessed by family and friends here symbol today we have come together to celebrate these young people these these people of all ages i i should say that have completed their degrees and will be awarded them this day so we have all the successful elements here for a commencement to be high quality and we will proceed i'm going to ask the celebrants to all stand very quickly please stand clearly remain standing clearly your fan clubs are here what i want to ask you to do all right let's let's get it out because we got to get this all right now now i need you to listen because i have something i need for them to do i need for you to turn and face your faculty and your staff and give them a standing ovation for the work they have done with you over the course of your studies here now i need for you to turn and face your family your friends your uncles your aunts your brothers your sisters and you give them okay having set the tone for the event i'm gonna ask you to take your seats this is this is a celebration and it is about you at this time i am pleased to introduce mayor i'm going to introduce a series of speakers that are going to come before you for greetings we're going to start with mayor fred yates mayor of windfall north carolina who will present greetings from the elizabeth city state university board of trustees and from the university of north carolina board of governors i will also following mayor yates we will have mayor elect betty parker from elizabeth city who will come forth and bring you greetings from the city and then miss britney lamb president of the elizabeth city state university student government they will follow in that order thank you on the head on behalf of the board of trustees of elizabeth city state university and the board of governors of the university of north carolina we bring you a hearty welcome you look tremendously blessed out there you are you look good you look good give yourself a hand good morning as a proud graduate of elizabeth city state university as a native as a native of elizabeth city and now as the first woman to become mayor of elizabeth city thank you it gives it gives me incomparable pleasure to bring greetings on behalf of my hometown the harbor of hospitality i salute this graduating class for all of your successes thus far and i commend your parents your loved ones and all of your diehard supporters for instilling in you the spirit of excellence i hope that each one of you will continue to work toward fulfilling your dreams with the realization that sometimes what may appear to be impossible may actually be achievable in other words don't just reach for the stars be a star be a star and go out and illuminate the world with your greatness again welcome parents relatives and friends to the city of elizabeth city and please don't hesitate to come back for a visit or even to live thank you and have a wonderful day Chancellor Conway platform participants faculty staff students alumni ecsu retirees and friends and most importantly the class of 2017 good morning i am britney lamb student body president at elizabeth city state university on behalf of the student government association student leaders and the entire student body of ecsu i am delighted to congratulate each of you on for successfully completing your collegiate career it has been a pleasure to call you friend and fellow viking as you reflect on your triumphs and challenges over the past few years remember this ecsu has given you everything you need your ecsu armor ecsu has given you the opportunity to discover what is possible and has prepared you to leave and conquer all that lies before you as you continue through the obstacle course we call life remember the importance of your armor what ecsu has taught you the challenges of life may change but you will always have your ecsu armor and you will always have your ecsu family once again congratulations and viking pride we shall now have a musical selection by the elizabeth city state university gospel choir entitled it's working bishop kim does located in virginia in chesapeake virginia newport news virginia elizabeth city north caroline which appeals since his tenure we cut this short because i know they want to hear from but let me let me go to the bishop brown has been married to elder valerie k brown since 1989 and god has blessed them with two children james and kimberley bishop brown is determined to fulfill the call of god placed on his life through obedience to his command for deuteronomy 1126 says i am today i am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse for you will be blessed if you obey the command of the lord your god that i am giving you today the next voice you hear will be that of bishop kim brown to our great chancellor and all of trustees assembled to our faculty staff of this great university and especially to the class of 2017 i say good morning i got to tell you chancellor knows how to ruin an evening because last night at about 758 he called me to let me know that dr kimbrough was stuck in the airport really didn't stress me at all because i was at home eating fried catfish collet greens and hush puppies conversation didn't get stressful until he said just in case he does not make it tomorrow please know when we get to the introduction of a commencement speaker i'm subject to simply turn around and point at you i said well chancellor the bible says wherever two or three of us are gathered in his name he's in the midst of us so we're going to come into agreement right now that dr kimbrough will make it to elizabeth city north carline i'm standing today because obviously neither one of us can get a prayer through because a few moments later he texts me and said we just received confirmation you are the point person for tomorrow i must have looked really bad because when my daughter got ready to leave last night she gave me a win one for the gipper speech dad you can do this and so i am grateful today clash you've already learned one thing by me standing is that life will present unexpected opportunities seize the opportunity i was intimidated nervous anxious but today i stand to share some life lessons and some advice with you i was blessed that i graduated from widrow wilson high school in 1979 five years later i graduated from norfolk state university in december of 1984 now for all of you who are great at math i know you're already sitting there calculating he graduated from high school in 1979 he graduated from norfolk state in 1984 can i explain it took me a little longer than had been designated but it was not my fault it was the fault of the person who master planned the facilities on the campus of norfolk state university because chancellor my assigned parking space was over by corp you avenue on monday wednesday and friday i had a biology class in the science building science building was on the other side of the campus my parking space was over by corp you science building on the other side of the campus and some brilliant master planner decided that the student union would be right in the center of the campus my biology teacher is dr raman alexander he's now one of the deacons at our church and on monday wednesday friday he was my biology teacher i was an education major so biology was not a priority for me and he said the first day of class you will pass my class if you get here on time because every day i will give a one question test at promptly eight o'clock the challenge was i would get to campus around seven thirty start my journey towards my eight o'clock science class but the student union would just call my name i knew the same three people would be looking for a partner for spades so every day i would say i'll just play one or two hands i would run across campus throw myself in the threshold walking to dr alexander's class just in time to hear him say pens down it was eight oh five needless to say i spent some extra tuition and had to take biology several times and so i graduated from high school in 1979 but i graduated from north of state in 1984 if i was in church i would say to the class shout q on the way i found out something when i marched across the stage at north scope in 1984 that nowhere on your diploma is it designated how long it took you to finish so for everyone sitting in front of me that took you four years five years blank years your diploma will still say elizabeth city state university so never let someone discount you because it takes you longer to achieve what they achieved it's amazing because my mother's going to her reward and i wish she was here today because it would be extraordinary to see her response because at the end of my five years i was so weird first lady that i had decided not to march came home and i told my mother that i qualified for graduation but i wasn't going to participate in commencement she said no problem not a problem she said but for me would you still go pick up your cap and gown and i remember thinking no problem we paid for it and i asked her just in passing why would you want me to still pick up my cap and gown i'm telling you i'm not participating in commencement she said oh it's not for you it's for me she said for all those days that i worked extra overtime to pay your tuition for all the sacrifices i made because you were raised by a single mom you don't have to walk across the stage but i'm here to declare that someone from the family will be walking across the stage you can make the choice of whether it's going to be you or me so would you take a moment and thank god for every mother every father every auntie every cousin that sacrificed so that you can walk across the stage today you don't walk by yourself not long ago i came into my bedroom and i got ready to go to bed there was a cricket chancellor on the side of my bed i'm an engineer by trade so i was intrigued because there's exactly six steps to get in my house on the front porch and 18 steps from the first floor to the second floor one of the things i i minored in at norfolk state is understanding cricket so i went over to the side of the bed and i began to converse with the cricket and i asked him how in the world did he get from outside in the yard up the six steps of my front porch the 18 steps inside my home all the way down the hall to the side of my bed his answer was amazingly simple he said not by myself so before we continue can you just look one more time to your left because you're wearing a cap and gown today and you got there not by yourself so can you applaud every educator every academic professional that helped you to qualify to be able to come across the stage well today we're graduating i know you're excited the the real question is what will you be driven by i want to suggest that if you want to succeed you've got to be driven by four things number one you've got to be driven by purpose and not profit don't chase the paper chase your destiny not long ago we were cleaning up in our home and my wife found a box and on the box it said from mama's house so chancellor i opened the box up and there i found my first grade report card i now carry it with me whenever i have to speak i was a first grade student at john marshall in port smith virginia my first grade teacher i just rekindled the relationship with about a month ago was miss lily mccoy i want to show you and share with you some of my grades in the first grade language d reading d social studies w case you don't know w means weak science d she wrote some comments for my mother and my father first marking period she wrote kim is very talkative he doesn't pay attention can't be quiet when others are talking and he always brings a little toy from home that he plays with every day second marking period she records kim is doing better but he's just very inconsistent what's so amazing about that is i want to suggest that what she didn't know is that one day the person with the d in language the d in reading the w in social studies and the d in science would be the commencement speaker at a graduation would you just look at somebody and tell him it never matters where you start it really matters where you end up i am now understanding that every educated would write on my report card he lacks self-control that's a very academically professional way of saying he doesn't know how to keep his mouth closed well the reality is i'm now a professional talker i get paid and people show up every sunday to hear the little boy in the first grade that couldn't keep his mouth closed open his mouth so can i suggest to you that whoever you are is pointing you to your destiny how do you know what your purpose is i want to suggest four things to you if you had open when freeze money what would you get up every day and do for free what are you able to accomplish just because of your natural abilities what comes natural to you what kind of problems are people always bringing to you and finally what is it about the world and our society pardon my ebonics that works on your last nerve if you learn to answer those four questions my sisters and brothers you will then find out what your purpose is so be driven by purpose and not profit but secondly be driven by conviction and not comparison one of the problems with our society is everybody's trying to be like somebody else never be ashamed to be you be proud and confident there are many who will question your preparation because of where you come from there are many who will question your abilities because you are an hbcu graduate i leaned over to vice provost newkirk and i said when they were singing this is my season that's why i love an hbcu because only at an hbcu can shout music be played just before the commencement speaker so can every proud hbcu alum in this room thank god for the journey and the bridge that brought you no one can beat you at being you life is a race but we're not running against other people you're running against yourself you got to outrun your fears outrun your disappointments outrun your challenges the moon does not compare itself to the sun because they both know there's a time for each of them to shine today begins the opportunity for you to shine so please be driven by conviction and not comparison be driven by purpose and not profit but be driven by priorities and not popularity i challenge you to set some goals today redefine relationships expose yourself to more than just your comfort zone everyone in this room is a product of their decisions learn lessons the first time that life teaches them and believe who people tell you they are when they show you who they are the first time truant captain the founder of Chick-fil-A once said we live in a changing world but we need to be reminded that the important things never change and the important things will not change if we keep our priorities in proper order i dare say many people that were the life of the party on the campus are not sitting where you're sitting today i'm sure you can think of some that started with you several years ago but they're not wearing a cap and a gown today know your priorities in life i learned that if you go to a tree with an axe and swing that axe five times every day whether it's a small sapling or a great redwood eventually it will fall so be driven by priority and not popularity finally be driven by commitment and not convenience don't take the easy way out don't rush the processes that are meant to teach lessons and prepare you for the future don't be afraid to pursue challenges that are uncomfortable let your word be your bond say what you mean and mean what you say remember uncommon results require your uncommon commitment most people fail not because of a lack of desire but a lack of commitment those mornings when you did not feel like rolling out of bed for that eight o'clock class commitment pushed you commitment overcomes excuses commitment influences our decisions and commitment speaks to us chest ties is us and challenges us next year at homecoming commitment will tell the story of how successful you have been since you left these hollow grounds ecsu has been committed to you now you must not forget to be committed to her she has given you her heart over the last several years she has been there for you don't divorce her today because you've received a degree and forget what she has provided for you sacrifice with her dance with the girl that brought you to the dance it's real easy to lose our focus and be convinced that we cannot make a difference in the world but i declare that the class of 2017 is a group of world changers don't just make a mark but make a mark that can never be erased dr hugo Owens first african-american city councilman mayor parker in the city of chesapeake sat in his living room one morning and penned these words one man awake can awaken another the second man awakened can awaken his next door brother the three of them awake can make such a fuss that finally the three of them will awaken the rest of us one man awake with dawn in his eyes multiplies as i take my seat i remind you the world is waiting for your arrival they have no idea who you are and what you are capable of they will be surprised when they are introduced to you they'll ask you one question where did you come from proudly and loudly declare with confident humility i am from the elizabeth city state university viking pride viking pride viking pride been talked when somebody takes the time to tell you the truth you ought to thank them and we can do a better job of thanking sometimes snow storms are fortuitous i want to i want to thank you bishop for for being willing to to stand you know it it is an it is an amazing position as a chancellor to be able to call on the chair of your board of trustees and say bishop brown i need you he did not hesitate to say we'll do whatever we need now we did go through that prayer session trying to get some some planes out of of new Orleans but when it came down to there needed to be a speaker of the hour to step forward and deliver a message i don't know what message dr kimbrough would have delivered to you today but i do know you heard what you needed to hear today each year we have representatives from our stakeholders join us to congratulate our students and celebrate commencement with us i would like to introduce a few of them now and ask them to stand as i do eat members of the elisabeth city state university board of trustees would you please stand and be recognized please hand if there are members of emeriti members of the elisabeth city state university board of trustees would you please stand if there are professors emeriti of elisabeth City State University. Would you please stand and be recognized? Members of the Elizabeth City State University Foundation Board, please stand and be recognized. Members of the National Alumni Association Officers and Board of Directors, please stand and be recognized. Representatives of local, state, and regional government, please stand and be recognized. Representatives from the branches of the military, please stand and be recognized. We have Commander Judge and Commander Metters here with us today. Thank you. Mrs. Brenda Wilkins and Trustee Kennis Wilkins. Wife of Trustee Kennis Wilkins. I'm sorry, Brenda. And my staff is starting to look out for me. First Lady Michelle Conway, they want to make sure I can get back into the house. Thank you all for joining us today, Provost Newker. Chancellor Conway, we now recommend candidates for graduate degrees. Chancellor Conway, it is my privilege to report to you that the candidates here assembled have qualified in all aspects for their degrees by successfully completing the curricula offered by the graduate program in Masters of Science in Biology and Masters of Science in Mathematics at Elizabeth City State University. Would the candidates for the Masters of Science in Biology and the Masters of Science in Mathematics please stand and remain standing? Chancellor Conway, it is with pleasure that I present to you these candidates who have completed all of the requirements for graduation. They've been certified by the registrar and have received an affirmative vote of the faculty to be awarded the Master's Degree in Science in Biology and Science in Mathematics. And we are now recommending to you for conferral of their degrees. By virtue of the authority vested in me by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, I hereby confer upon you the degrees for which you have qualified with the honors, privileges, and responsibilities thereto appertaining. Would the candidates for the Masters of Science in Biology and the Masters of Science in Mathematics please proceed to the platform to receive your diplomas? Tamara Buckman, Nicholas Jones. Congratulations. Please be seated. Baccalaureate degrees will now be conferred. Chancellor Conway, it is my privilege to report to you that the candidates here assembled have qualified in all respect for their degrees by successfully completing curricula offered by academic departments at Elizabeth City State University. They've been recommended by the department chairs approved by the Honors Council, where appropriate, and certified by the registrar and have received an affirmative vote of the faculty to be awarded the degrees, the diploma of Bachelor of Science in Education, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Arts. At this time, I am pleased to begin the conferral of undergraduate degrees by presenting the bearer of the mace. Chancellor Conway, it is my pleasure, most distinct indeed, to inform you that the official bearer of the mace is Travis Gatling, with a grade point average of 3.85. He's graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and he's from Winton, North Carolina. Will the bearer of the mace, Mr. Travis Gatling, please come forward for the conferral of your diploma? Chancellor Conway, I'm pleased to present the bearer of the mace, Travis Gatling. The mace, Travis Jaquan Gatlin, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and by the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, I do hereby confer upon you the degree for which you have qualified with all the honors, privilege, and responsibilities thereunto appertaining. Congratulations. Chancellor Conway, before we proceed with the conferral of degrees, I'm honored to have the opportunity to recognize those seniors who are graduating with highest honors, summa cum laude. Having achieved, by their diligence, a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 to 4.0, would those undergraduate seniors with those GPAs please stand? Those graduates with those GPAs, please stand. You may be seated. Would those graduates who are graduating with high honors, magna cum laude, with a grade point average of 3.6 to 3.79, please stand? You may be seated. Would those senior graduating with cum laude honors with a grade point average of 3.25 to 3.59, please stand? You may be seated. Please join me in congratulating all of those students for their accomplishments. I am pleased to acknowledge all summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude graduates and the graduates of the University Honors Program. I commend you on your achievement and encourage you to continue to achieve. Chancellor Conway, I'm pleased now to present to you the candidates for their respective diplomas. Chancellor Conway, on recommendation of their department chairs certified by the registrar and by an affirmative vote of the faculty, it is my pleasure to present to you the candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Education, the Bachelor of Science, and the Bachelor of Arts. Would those candidates please stand? By virtue of the authority vested in me by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and by the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, I do hereby confer upon you the degrees to which you have earned, with all of the honors, privileges, and the responsibilities thereunto appertaining. Chancellor Conway, I am pleased to present the candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Education. Would the candidates for the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts please be seated? The candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Education come forward to receive your diplomas. Deja Houston, Tremara. Congratulations, please be seated. Will the candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree please stand? Chancellor Conway, I am pleased to present to you the candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree. Please come forward to receive your diplomas. Omar Alexander. Alexis Banks. Dayton Bell. Essence Bradley. Keon Brewer. Megan Brenn. Destiny Brownlee. Christian Burnham. Keonta Cherry. Gabriel Clemens. Pamela Cofield. Monica Copeland. Brittany Daniels. Joshua Dawkins. Anthony DiCiaccio. DeTrea Drayton. Shaywon Irvin. Shayla Evans. Julian Freeman. Kanisha Gilliam. Mia Gregg. Brianna Griffin. Precious Hall. Cecilia Hathaway. Quincy Henderson. Bryant Hill. Danielle Hill. Sasha Hodge. Trevon Hodnett. Lorenzo Holly. Tyrell Jones. Asia Livingston. Matthew McIntosh. Devon McPherson. Melvin Mills Jr. Keshon Moore. Tony Rice Jr. Kaitlyn Morris. Anthony Mundell. Sabria Overton. Teetrio Pittman. Shaikira Porter. Jemaz Powell. Johanna Kitteros-Games. Kalia Ross. Khalil Shepard. Billy Simmons. Stanley Speed Jr. Nikia Spence. Jonathan Straub. Paulette Temple. Tywayne Timmons. Lanisha Watson. Brandon Weeks. Rageen Whitaker. Bria Williams. Clinton Williams. Aliyah Wofford. Congratulations. Please be seated. Will the candidates please be seated? Please be seated. Will the candidates for the bachelor's of arts degree please stand? Chancellor Conway, I'm pleased to present the candidates for the bachelor of arts diploma. Please come forward to receive your degree. Congratulations. Please be seated. This concludes the conferral of degrees upon the candidates comprising the fall graduating class of 2017. And now, would all of the baccalaureate graduates with bachelor's degrees please stand? Simplize the attainment of your degrees by turning your tassels from right to left. Congratulations. Again, please be seated. To the fall 2017 graduates on behalf of the entire university, I want to congratulate you on your accomplishments this day. At this time, I would like to recognize our honor marshals. Honor marshals are the highest ranking students academically in the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. These students were invited to participate as honor marshals today. Will the honor marshals please stand and be recognized? You may be seated. At this time, I would like to recognize the Elizabeth City State University Commencement Committee and applaud the symphonic man conducted by Ms. Juliet Boykins and the university choir conducted by, directed by Dr. Walter Swann. At this time, I will welcome to the podium Ms. Shanatika Battle, president of the senior class to deliver farewell remarks. Good evening. Chancellor Conway, faculty, friends, staff, Viking family, alumni, and most importantly the class of 2017, I am Shanatika Battle, the senior class president here at our beloved Elizabeth City State University. Graduates, what you all have in common is that you all are a part of the Viking family Viking experience. Today, you all are successfully completing one chapter of your lives and now you begin a new chapter filled with limitless opportunities. The chapter that you have completed was filled with long nights of studying for exams, writing reports, one-on-one conversations with teachers working to pay bills for some, attending student meetings, and participating in events. I'm not just talking about any kind of events. I'm talking about events like student body pre-games, Viking Fest, homecoming, and research showcases. You all show your Viking pride at games and you travel to support our Vikings at various events and you are represented. Not to mention the extremely hot parties in Williams Hall. I'm leaving here with the knowledge, skills, and ability to do absolutely anything that you all set out to do. Whether you go on to pursue graduate degrees, go into the workforce, do not be content with striving and not living with a purpose. Strive to motivate. Strive to inspire others like someone inspired you. Strive to be great and do just a little bit more than what you ever thought that you would do. And while you're doing it know that your Viking family is extremely proud of you. Yes, there will be times in life where you will be let down. There will be times that you may fail. Never allow obstacles such as these to hinder you. Obstacles and challenges that we face only allow room for growth and perseverance. Strive for success and understand that success is not immediate. It takes hard work. Take a leap of faith towards your goals and know that as long as you're following your passion you will find your purpose in life and ultimately reach success. You've made it thus far. Completing one chapter of your life and now answering a new chapter filled with limitless opportunities. Carry with you the assurance that your Viking family will forever be proud of you. I am truly proud of each and every one of you. Congratulations with love and best wishes from your senior class cabinet. Thank you. I would now call to the podium Mr. Abdul Rishi, trustee emeritus and president of the Elizabeth City State University Alumni Association to administer the oath of allegiance to the university. Thanks Lacanwe and good morning to the graduates and to your families. On behalf of Elizabeth City graduates alumni all around this country and all over this world I want to congratulate you on your now joining this alumni family and congratulate your families for their support in this wonderful wonderful accomplishment. I also would ask you to know that Elizabeth City State University graduates are doing great things all over the world but again I want you just to help me acknowledge my classmate Betty Parker the Honorable Betty Parker as an example of a graduate that we all can emulate the mayor of Elizabeth City State University. I ask you if you will please stand graduates and I ask you to state your name when I say I state your name and then follow repeating after me. I state your name thank you. solemnly pledge unbroken allegiance to my alma mater in appreciation for the opportunities for development afforded me as a student at Elizabeth State University have a little bit more energy than this now I state your name thank you. Pledge active membership in the National Alumni Association wherever I may be through association with my fellow alumni I shall forever do my best to uphold the ideals and traditions of my alma mater I state your name pledge as a person to exemplify high ideals by rendering positive and dignified service to the community to the state to the nation and the world thus living to bring honor and respect to my alma mater congratulations you are now officially a national alumni member Travis I'm going to ask you if you would take a seat at the piano this is a period where as chancellor I have the opportunity to give a challenge to the class and what I'd like to do today is tell you that as you move around campus as you've moved around campus as you've interacted with your faculty and other members of the community we watch we listen we start to understand who you are as you came across the stage I was impressed by the fact that you came across your relatives and friends and celebrating the occasion some of you brought pictures of your children and you were shouting shout outs to mothers and fathers and grandmothers and aunts and uncles and little sisters and brothers all of this is important as Bishop Brown said today you've got to know who you are you've got to know your path each and every one of you has traveled a different path to get here today it's been filtered through some experiences designed by the university but each and every one of you traveled a different path I'd like to give something back to you today something that I heard Travis do a while back and I said Travis I want you to do that at commencement and if you're ready would you go ahead and give that presentation to your class hey it's so long there were days I wanted to quit and I said surely but I held on and it hurt so much I didn't even have even when my day turns tonight your stories is part of each and every one of your paths to this point is part of the Viking story and each and every one of your paths going forward will be part of the Viking stories congratulations on your commencement day thank you well the singing of the alma mater conclusion of the ceremony we ask that everyone remain seated until our graduates and faculty exit Chancellor Conway with your permission I declare a 165th commencement convocation closed at this time receive the benediction from Robin Whitmer benediction of mine Richard Halverson who in his lifetime among many other accolades served as the chaplain for the United States Senate it is the benediction that has carried me through many transitions of my life and I offer these words to you today as you transition from student to alumni my friends you go nowhere by accident wherever you go God is sending you wherever you are God has put you there Christ who dwells within you has something that he wants to do through you this day and forever more so believe this and go in God's grace love and power let us pray gracious God we pray your blessing upon these women and men in this class grant them a spirit of purpose knowing where you send them they are there for a reason with you we know that there is always a reason for where we go and what we do grant these women and men a spirit of expectancy for the more that is to come life is a series of revealing moments and by your grace there will be more to know than we can now imagine there is always more to know about ourselves who we are why we were given birth and more to know about this world and the many cultures that surround us we ask that you open our eyes to the world around us and we ask that our sights be set not only on advancing our own needs and desires but the needs of all peoples with whom we share this ever shrinking planet give these women and men the courage to be strong leaders guiding them with intelligence and understanding give them wisdom to be inspired thinkers creatively seeking positive change give them fortitude to be dedicated citizens and volunteers ready to work for justice and equality as these graduates move forward in their lives oh god open their eyes to see where you are sending them why you have put them there what you have called them to do as these women and men leave this place as alumni guide them and protect them bring them back to this hollowed ground of learning in the future days to celebrate the long and healthy journey that began here unite us all by your love wherever the enterprise of life takes us and continually remind us that we have a purpose in being exactly where we are amen