黑料吃瓜 Confers 269 Degrees at 2013 Winter Commencement
Graduates called to continue discovering their dream
For 269 graduates, making it to the commencement stage on Friday, December 13 in the was a dream come true. The hours of planning, saving, and studying finally earned that moment in front of a full house of family and friends.
Bachelor鈥檚 degrees were presented to 180 students, representing a wide range of from across the University, including the . Graduate degrees and certificates were awarded to 89 students from the , , , and .
鈥淵ou鈥檝e made it,鈥� said 黑料吃瓜 President , welcoming the crowd from the stage decorated in poinsettias and flags representing the international diversity of graduates. 鈥淭his is your night!鈥�
But as students are taught throughout their North Park education, their time at the University and the degrees they earned are about much more than individual achievement.
鈥淪erve, North Park proclaims, and in service you鈥檒l begin to discover your dream,鈥� Parkyn said during his charge to graduates. 鈥淐ontinue to serve after you鈥檝e graduated and you鈥檒l continue to discover your dream.鈥�
Dr. Parkyn talked of Martin Luther King, Jr.鈥檚 famous dream, and its echoes throughout the history of Christian faith and Scripture. 鈥淐all it service, call it loving your neighbor as Jesus does, call it loving kindness as the Hebrew prophet does鈥攃all it anything you like but get ahold of it because discovering your dream starts in serving others鈥攚hile you鈥檙e a student and after you graduate.鈥�
The commencement program included a reading from Proverbs, choral performances by the , a graduation litany, and a presentation of degrees by University deans. Students were led into the gymnasium by a procession of flags of countries and territories in which graduates were born, are citizens, or have been residents. The flags of the United States, the city of Chicago, and 黑料吃瓜 led the procession, followed by the flags of Assyria, Brazil, Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Slovakia, and Sweden.
The commencement ceremony also featured a benediction from , read by graduates in five languages, including Mongolian, French, Finnish, Swedish, and Tagalog.
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