Graduating seniors from the College of Business, Recreation and Education line up to enter the baccalaureate service at the 152nd Commencement Ceremony in Butcher Center on Saturday. Photo by David Pennock

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Shepherd University’s 152nd Commencement was held on Saturday.

Nearly 400 students graduated, during the school’s baccalaureate ceremony in the Butcher Center on Saturday afternoon.

Shepherd University Student Government Association President Paul Teter welcomed the hundreds of graduates, family members and friends in the audience.

“Shepherd University’s unofficial motto is, ‘Shepherd students succeed,’ and I think there is no better proof of that, than in the class of 2025,” Teter said. “All of the unique events that we have experienced, have shaped us into the leaders we all are today. We climbed out of COVID, persevered through unprecedented political challenge and even joined together and survived good ol’ brother Ray at the corner of Knutti (Hall). We have consistently persevered in ways that have made us one of the most resilient graduating classes of this generation.

“But the most important thing that has shaped us, as cliche as it sounds, is the friends we made along the way,” Teter said. “In all seriousness, I challenge all of us to maintain the friendships and connections we have made, throughout college. Our mutual experiences will continue to empower and embolden our strength and resilience.”

Shepherd University President Mary Hendrix, left, shakes hands with graduating senior Rebecca Kandalis, in the Butcher Center on Saturday. Photo by David Pennock

Senior Class President Eli Hall encouraged his fellow graduates to continue growing as individuals, after graduation.

“I implore you to never stop pursuing knowledge. We all came to Shepherd University for different reasons. Whether your parents made you go to university or whether you have done this entirely of your own volition, I’m certain that you’ve learned something in the last four years,” Hall said. “If you want to make a lasting impact on the world or become a better version of yourself, I think continuous learning is what helps us get there.”

Hall also advised his classmates to show appreciation to those who had helped them to get to this moment in their lives.

“We all have friends, family, staff and faculty who have helped us make it to this point,” Hall said. “There are some faculty members who have made me into the person that I am today, who deserve recognition from myself and who deserve to be recognized in front of the Shepherd administration and Board of Governors.”

Hall credited his own personal growth in college to Gender & Women’s Studies Program Co-coordinator Stephanie Slocum-Schaffer, associate professor of French Rachel Krantz, sustainable agriculture professor Brooke Comer, associate professor of political science and global studies Samuel Greene and associate professor of political science Aart Holtslag.

The faculty of Shepherd University proceed up the aisle, at the beginning of the baccalaureate service in the Butcher Center on Saturday. Photo by David Pennock

“These five people are just some of those at Shepherd University, who have made me into the person I am today. I encourage you to get a photo, write a letter, send a text or do something for those who have contributed to who you are,” Hall said. “I’ve never graduated college before, but I imagine that it is those people, who you have to thank here today, who you will remember for several decades from now.”

The graduating seniors received further advice during the commencement address given by West Virginia MetroNews cofounder Hoppy Kercheval, after he was conferred with a doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, degree.

“This is a place where you were challenged intellectually and socially, where brilliant professors helped you form what Cardinal John Newman called, ‘A habit of mind that lasts through a lifetime,'” Kercheval said. “Now you’re anxious to leave — to go do remarkable things and have great adventurous — to follow the curve of that arch that started here.”

But before leaving, the class of 2025 chose to make one lasting mark on Shepherd, in the form of their senior class gift.

“Thank you to the class of 2025 for the generous class gift, toward the construction of a weather shelter for West Campus,” said Shepherd University President Mary Hendrix. “On behalf of the generations of Shepherd University students who will benefit from this gift, we express our sincere gratitude.”

The crowd watches as students cross the stage to accept their diplomas, during the baccalaureate service in the Butcher Center on Saturday. Photo by Tabitha Johnston