In his valedictory address at Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) graduation service at Immanuel Pentecostal Church on April 24, 2016, Jonas Cornelsen tackled head on the question, “What are you going to do with your degree?”
“Education is a great gift, and we can all respond in gratitude by humbly sharing the knowledge and insight we have gained and [received] from others by showing love to all of those we meet, living by the Creator’s grace, Christ’s example, and the Spirit’s hope in a broken world,” Cornelsen concluded. “That is what you can really do with a degree.”
It was an eloquent, hope-filled message, delivered toward the end of the graduation weekend that also included a gala dinner on April 22, the spring concert on April 23, and a baccalaureate service the morning of April 24.
The graduation service culminated with Cheryl Pauls, CMU president, conferring 84 undergraduate degrees, four Master of Arts degrees, and one graduate certificate in biblical and theological studies. She awarded President’s Medals to Cornelsen (BA, four-year political studies, communications and media) and Kathleen Bergen (BA, four-year, biblical and theological studies) in recognition of their qualities of scholarship, leadership, and service.
At With Gratitude, a CMU graduation weekend event at which graduates share their experiences through spoken word or musical performance, Beth Downey Sawatzky (BA, four-year, English) reflected on how the faculty, staff, and students at CMU have cultivated “an institutional culture of kindness rather than one of prestige or competition.”
“If I have learned anything at CMU that will stay with me no matter what the future holds, it’s that if we as Christians truly believe what we claim to believe, we can always afford to be kind,” she said. “I hope whatever I become, that I will be rebelliously kind; that I will be as rebelliously courageous as my mentors of the last five years have been.”
Speaking at the same event, Nonsi Sibanda (BBA, business management) shared how she was fortunate to move from Zimbabwe to study at CMU.
“I got an opportunity to grow in a place where my career options are not limited [and] where there is hope for a bright future,” Sibanda said. She added that, prior to coming to CMU, she understood business and Christianity as two separate domains with no connections. Studying at CMU’s Redekop School of Business showed her otherwise.
“Business for me is not about the love of numbers anymore,” Sibanda said. “It is about the joy I have in my heart to serve others in an honest and in a diligent way.”
Add new comment
Canadian Mennonite invites comments and encourages constructive discussion about our content. Actual full names (first and last) are required. Comments are moderated and may be edited. They will not appear online until approved and will be posted during business hours. Some comments may be reproduced in print.