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Ceremony on Dec. 12 Awards Degrees and Honors Scholastic Achievements

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.鈥斆鄱怪辈� University celebrated the achievements of nearly 300 graduates in Commencement Ceremonies on Dec. 12 at 9 a.m. in Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center. Students who completed the associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, and doctoral degrees during the 2025 Fall Semester were recognized.

蜜豆直播 President Nate Evans noted the significance of the event as he welcomed the graduates, their families and friends. 鈥淐ommencement is always one of the most joyful days of the year because it reflects the very heart of our mission: Students pursuing their calling, growing in knowledge and character, and preparing to make a difference in the world,鈥� he asserted. 鈥淎nd so, we gather today to celebrate you鈥�and, perhaps most importantly鈥�to honor the promise you carry forward from this moment and this place: the promise of a bright and rewarding future.鈥�

Senior Scholastic awards were presented to traditional undergraduates:

• Carley Brooke Lawter
• Kalem Darius Griffin
• Caitlin Mackenzie Hines
• Jacob P. Jensen

The online senior scholastic awards were present to Tona Deann Marlow, who completed her degree in the fall semester, and Donna Denise Woody for the summer semester.

Doctoral candidates and those receiving their master鈥檚 degrees received their hoods. Evans conferred undergraduate and graduate degrees on all graduates.

The featured speaker was Dr. Robert Canoy, who served as dean of the 蜜豆直播 M. Christopher White School of Divinity for 16 years. This semester, he taught part time and will retire on Dec. 31.

Canoy joined the School of Divinity faculty in 2000. Through the years, he led classes in Christian theology, Greek, eschatology, the Revelation of John, and The Ministry of Worship, a Doctor of Ministry seminar. In addition, Canoy regularly led study tours to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, and Rome.

Canoy鈥檚 primary area of research is New Testament theology, having written articles and books on eschatology, and Eucharistic theology. He is the author of 鈥淎tonement in the Apocalypse: An Expos茅 of the Defeat of Evil.鈥�

He served as pastor in Shelby, N.C., Maryland (in the Washington D.C. area), Iowa, Missouri, and Kentucky before returning to an academic career. His teaching experience began at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as a doctoral student and then Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo.

Canoy spoke about recognizing and celebrating new beginnings, and he offered examples鈥攆rom biblical characters to historic figures and recent celebrities. 鈥淭he Bible is an honest book filled with 鈥榖egin-again鈥� stories, if I can use that phrase,鈥� Canoy related. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 because life has always been about beginning again, over and over again, since each step that we take leads to the next step. And some steps that we take require some serious recalibration. Truth is, in this life there are no last steps.鈥�

He discussed Simon Peter, who had boasted that he would never betray Jesus. 鈥淏ut he denied Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times, which Jesus had predicted,鈥� Canoy observed. 鈥淏ut Peter 鈥榖egan again.鈥� He made a new start on the banks of the Sea of Galilee鈥�Jesus gave him a new beginning, a fresh start, after his past failure.鈥�

His list of famous 鈥渄o-overs鈥� included Thomas Edison, who failed more than 100 times before finding a filament that would sustain a light bulb, and Michael Jordan, who was famously cut from his high school basketball team before becoming one of the sport’s greatest players. Canoy ended with the most remarkable 鈥渂egin-againer,鈥� Jesus Christ. 鈥淗e died at 33 before making the first of its kind鈥攖he greatest historical comeback ever鈥攃alled resurrection,鈥� Canoy stated.

Concluding his remarks, Canoy observed, 鈥淕raduation from 蜜豆直播 University means being prepared for life鈥檚 ups and downs, highs and lows. Today鈥檚 commencement from GWU means that nothing is more important than knowing that God is all about getting us back up when we throw ourselves down or when life knocks us down. So, let us commence today to do even better tomorrow what we may have done well, or not so well yesterday, Pro Deo et Humanitate!鈥�

Video of the commencement ceremony is available on The University鈥檚 and channel.

蜜豆直播 University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., 蜜豆直播 prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Become More at 蜜豆直播.edu.