Tabor College celebrated its 115th Commencement May 3 with two ceremonies for the third time in the last four years.
Students of the Class of 2025, including 140 undergraduate and 42 from Graduate & Online, were honored in the morning and afternoon ceremonies.
Forty-nine in the undergraduate class finished with academic honors, including 25 students at Summa Cum Laude (3.85-4.00 GPA), 11 at Magna Cum Laude (3.70-3.84) and 13 at Cum Laude (3.50-3.69). Thirty states and 16 countries were represented throughout the day.
Three degrees were conferred among the 182 graduates. The M.B.A. is represented as one degree with multiple concentrations. The degrees are:
- Bachelor of Arts,
- Master of Business Administration- Leadership,
- Master of Business Administration- Global Leadership,
- Master of Business Administration- Sports Management & Leadership and
- Master of Education in Neuroscience & Trauma.
Cathy (Faszer g’94) Beachy, director of the Copper Hills Center for the Arts in Peoria, Arizona, gave the morning keynote address. With rapid growth in her programs and a kingdom mindset, Beachy challenged the graduates to “create to create” and to live authentic lives.
“Create and live with purpose,” Beachy said. “Learn your neighbors’ names, start conversations and shock people with your kindness, gratitude and generosity.”
Gracie Kidd, Galva, Kansas, senior class vice president, gave the undergraduate class response. She challenged her classmates to remember Jesus Christ as their “one true north” amidst every high and every low.
“Don’t just chase a career or settle for survival, define your standard and let it be one of love, courage, joy and faith,” Kidd said. “When life throws you off course, and it will, come back to the one who sets the stars in place.”
The Tabor College Concert Choir performed “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” written by Isaac Watts, with music by Mark Miller.
David Faber, professor of philosophy and faculty chair, awarded honor cords in the morning, while President David Janzen, Ph.D. (g’90), awarded diplomas in both ceremonies.
In the afternoon ceremony, Hannah Au Yeong spoke to her fellow M.B.A. and M.Ed. graduates, highlighting authentic, trustworthy relationships.
“We have people in our lives who make us know and feel that we are held in their minds and hearts,” Au Yeong said. “We can let that person know we hold them in our mind and heart. All of which are brains are designed for.”
Graduate student hoodings were performed by Melinda Rangel, M.B.A. program director and Marvin Sellberg Professor of Business Administration & Entrepreneurship; Amy Ratzlaff, program director and associate professor of Health and Human Performance; and David Stevens, M.Ed. program director.
Rangel spoke to the M.B.A. and M.Ed. graduates, sharing her testimony of how God redirected her career path to Tabor and challenged the students to be open to where he calls them in the future.
“This degree is not just a credential, but a tool for kingdom influence,” Rangel said. “Some of you may have a five-year plan, and others might know what’s next, and that’s okay. This degree is a testimony that you’ve said yes to growth, persistence, and a future you can’t fully see. That’s the exact posture that God loves to work with.”
Tabor College is the Mennonite Brethren college located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The mission of Tabor College, founded in 1908, is to prepare people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and his kingdom.
