“We did it!”

Words uttered by Milligan College graduate Praise Gichuru solidified that years of hard work from college students across the state was able to come to a close.

Reaching a milepost in their academic careers, 181 students took the next step in their lives Saturday during Milligan’s spring commencement ceremonies held inside Seeger Memorial Chapel.

Gichuru, of Nairobi, Kenya, graduated with her bachelor’s in business administration and addressed students during the morning ceremony, encouraging her peers to embody love, grace, integrity and character while making sure the class does its part to stay invested in the world.

Morning activities including the graduation of students from the School of Arts & Humanities, School of Bible & Ministry and the William B. Greene, Jr., School of Business and Technology.

It was also a bittersweet moment for Caleb Perhne, of Elizabethton, who earned a bachelor’s in communication and Computer Information Systems.

Following the “renewal of the charge” to students by Professor Carolyn Carter, Perhne joined Gichuru by providing a response on behalf of the class and added that he will remember his time at the school and thanked everyone who made the day possible.

Another program involved with the morning ceremony was the presentation of the Fide Et Amore Citation, Milligan’s highest honor, to Daniel R. Lawson, retired director of seminary development.

Lawson served 20 years at Emmanuel Christian Seminary as Milligan’s chief advancement officer before retiring in September 2017.

Milligan awarded 100 degrees during the morning ceremony and presented the remaining 81 during the afternoon ceremony, which featured student speakers J.D. McDonald of Johnson City and Jacquelyn Robinson of New Lenox, Ill. The afternoon commencement was for students graduating from the School of Sciences & Allied Health and the School of Social Sciences & Education.

Spring graduates included 37 Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), 94 Bachelor of Science (B.S.), 13 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), two Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), 12 Master of Business Administration (MBA), eight Master of Education (M.Ed.), two Master of Arts in Religion (MAR), four Master of Arts in Christian Ministries (MACM), seven Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and two Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) students.

“Whatever your calling, we need servant-leaders who can influence the world from a Christian perspective,” Milligan President Bill Greer said in a statement to the class. “Class of 2018, you are those leaders. You have received an excellent education from one of the best Christian liberal arts colleges in the nation, and I am confident that you are prepared and ready to lead and to serve.”