Graduate glut prompts SEU to hold 2 ceremonies
LAKELAND — Southeastern University is awarding so many degrees this spring that two commencement ceremonies are required.
The first gathering, for students receiving graduate and doctoral degrees, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Victory Church in Lakeland. The commencement for those receiving bachelor’s and associate degrees will be held take place Friday at the same time.
Southeastern will present diplomas to a record 658 students this week, surpassing last spring’s total of 627 graduates. The figure includes 116 master’s candidates and seven doctoral candidates expected to take diplomas Thursday, along with 449 receiving bachelor’s degrees and 86 receiving associate degrees Friday.
“We are excited to be celebrating the largest graduating class in SEU's history this week, and we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments,” SEU President Kent Ingle said by email. “Their success in completing their degree programs is a direct result of a commitment to come alongside this next generation of students and help them steward their callings in life, learning and leadership.”
The students earning degrees represent 33 states and 10 countries, among them Brazil, Serbia and Paraguay, Southeastern spokeswoman Dana Davis said.
Southeastern Chancellor Tommy Barnett, a member of the board of trustees, will address the graduates at Thursday’s ceremony. He is co-pastor of Dream City Church and founder of the Los Angeles Dream Center.
Sayra Lozano, who graduated in December with a master’s of business administration, will deliver the student address. Lozano, an advocate for undocumented immigrants, is an administrative assistant and adjunct faculty member in SEU’s Jannetides College of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Congressman Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, will deliver the commencement address at Friday’s larger gathering. Ross, who recently announced that he will retire after his current term, will receive the SEU President’s Award in recognition of his lifetime of public service.
Nathaniel Jordan, a pre-medicine/biology major with a minor in both chemistry and theology, will provide the undergraduate student address. Jordan plans to continue his studies at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
A ticket is required for admission to Friday’s event. Tickets were distributed to graduating students, Davis said.
One of the students earning a bachelor’s degree is Hayden Huffaker of Lakeland. Huffaker, who majored in English and intercultural studies, recently received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award and plans to spend a year teaching English in Bogota, Colombia, Davis said.
The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program provides grants for U.S. students to help teach English abroad while serving as cultural ambassadors. The program is overseen by the U.S. Department of State.
Huffaker, 21, said she studied Spanish for four years at McKeel Academy. She took the fall semester of 2016 off to serve as an English-language instructor for middle school students in Mexico.
“I was in a Spanish competition my last semester (in high school) and did really well in it,” Huffaker said. “However, once I got to Mexico I kind of realized that even though I thought I knew Spanish, I really didn’t. There was still so much to learn.”
Huffaker heads to Columbia on Aug. 1. She said she hopes to make a career of helping people from other countries learn to speak English.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.